Copper-flavonoid combo fights colon cancer cells in lab tests
Medicinal Plants
The flavonoids behind this compound are the same antioxidant-rich pigments found in everyday plants like onions, apples, and citrus peels, and they're getting fresh attention for medicinal potential beyond the garden.
Flavonoids are natural pigments plants make to protect themselves from stress and pests, and they're found in tons of common fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Researchers paired one of these plant compounds with copper to build a new molecule, then tested it against colorectal cancer cells in the lab. The combo triggered cell death in the cancer cells and also seemed to stop them from taking on the traits that let cancer spread through the body.
Key Findings
A copper(II)-flavonoid complex induced apoptosis (programmed cell death) in colorectal cancer cells.
The same complex suppressed epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process cancer cells use to become mobile and invasive.
Both effects occurred concomitantly, suggesting the compound works through a dual anti-cancer mechanism.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists combined copper with a plant-derived flavonoid to create a compound that killed colorectal cancer cells in lab tests and blocked the process cancer cells use to spread to other organs.
Species Mentioned
Was this useful?
Want to tell us more? (optional)
Thanks for the note!
Something went wrong — please try again.
Too many submissions. Try again in an hour.
Ancient Amazonian forests were planted and tended by Indigenous farmers
Forests and fruits we romanticize as wild — including many plants now in our kitchens and gardens — may exist in their current abundance precisely because an...
Ethnobotany is the interdisciplinary study of how humans use, manage, and perceive plants across different cultures, drawing on knowledge from botany, anthropology, ecology, and chemistry. It matters for plant science because it documents traditional ecological knowledge that can reveal previously
arrow_forward Explore topic