Investigating potential chemopreventive effect of polyphenols rich-pomegranate juice on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons-induced carcinogenesis

Microbes can lead to tumor formation and also can biotransform/bioactivate procarcinogens e.g. benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) that are formed from reaction between certain sugars and an amino acid (asparagine) in processed food under cooking methods such as frying, baking, broiling, or roasting. Thus, the main goal of this project is to examine the role of human gut microbiota upon exposure to the potentially chemopreventive pomegranate juice and the procacinogen BaP. Obtaining a detailed description of the procarcinogen's gut microbiota mediated biotransformation and ideally its function can be a key to understand how these organisms regulate and bioprocess many of these food procarcinogens.

微生物可诱发肿瘤形成，同时还可对前致癌物（procarcinogens）进行生物转化或生物激活。例如，在油炸、烘焙、炙烤或焙烧等烹饪方式下加工的食品中，部分糖类与氨基酸天冬酰胺（asparagine）发生反应，可生成苯并[a]芘（benzo[a]pyrene, BaP）这类前致癌物。因此本研究的核心目标是探究人类肠道菌群（gut microbiota）在暴露于具有潜在化学预防（chemopreventive）活性的石榴汁以及前致癌物BaP时所发挥的作用。阐明前致癌物经肠道菌群介导的生物转化过程及其潜在功能，是理解此类微生物如何调控与生物加工诸多食品源性前致癌物的关键所在。