TNBC cells test in the negative range for three components that are often targeted in hormone treatments for other breast cancers: estrogen and progesterone receptorsTrusted Source, and the HER2 proteinTrusted Source. As a result, there are fewer treatments available for TNBC.
In Philadelphia on April 3, Dr. Patricia Mendonca, assistant professor and research analyst at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, FL, presented evidence that the natural compound cardamonin may have the potential for treating TNBC. Cardamonin is found in the spice cardamom and other plants of the Zingiberaceae (ginger) family.
Dr. Mendonca said cardamonin had been a promising candidate thanks to several publications documenting its pharmacological effects, particularly its anticancer properties against breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer and inflammatory and cardiovascular diseases.
“Taking into consideration all the reported pharmacological effects and that cardamonin has been used in Indian cuisine for many years and sold as a supplement at health stores, we decided to investigate its effect on the PD-L1/Nrf2 axis,” she explained.