Table 1.
Natural dietary components or derivatives and anti-inflammatory drugs with potential benefit in prevention and treatment of gliomas
| Dietary component or derivative | Foods in which it is found | Mode of action | Potential prevention | Potential treatment | Human studies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pro-vitamin A (α-carotene, β- carotene) | Carrots, spinach | Differentiation | Yes | Unknown | Case-control study (75) |
| Retinoic acid and fenretinide | Oxidized form of vitamin A | Differentiation (19), Modification of EGF-receptor (15), apoptosis (19, 22, 23) | Unknown | Yes | Phase 2 trial (104) Case report (105) |
| Vitamin D analogues and metabolites | Fish, mushrooms, milk, cereal | Differentiation (27), apoptosis (30), DNA methylation (33) | Unknown | Yes | Phase 2 trial (34) |
| Vitamin E derivatives | Sunflower seeds, almonds, olives, papaya | Cytostatic effect (35) | Yes | Unknown | No |
| Ascorbyl stearate (lipophilic derivative of vitamin C) | Additive in various foods | Apoptosis (25) | Unknown | Unknown | No |
| Conjugated linoleic acid | Meat, dairy products | Apoptosis (36, 37, 40) | Yes | Yes | Review of 3 open-label clinical studies (39, 106, 107) |
| gamma-linolenic acid | Borage oil | ||||
| Calcium | Dairy products, cabbage, broccoli | Apoptosis, DNA repair | Yes | Unknown | Case-control study (41) |
| Nitrosamine | Cured meats (bacon, ham, pork) | Known carcinogen | Yes, with lower intake | No | Case-control studies (63, 64, 66, 67) |
| Flavonoids: quercetin | Oranges, lemons, grapefruits, onions | Decrease proliferation and viability of glioma cells; protect normal cells (71) | Yes | Unknown | No |
| epicatechin | Dark chocolate | ||||
| Methionine restriction | Sesame seeds, Brazil nuts, meat, fish | Higher requirement for methionine by glioma (78, 108) Decrease in MGMT activity (80) | Unknown | Yes, in combinati on with chemother apy (57, 59) | Phase 1 trial (79) |
| Isothiocyanate iberin | Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower | Apoptosis | Yes | Unknown | No |
| NSAIDs: indomethacin, aspirin, acetaminophen, sulindac | Upregulation of 15-PGDH and p21 Downregulation of MMP-2, MMP-9 (51) (54) and laminin (55) Inhibition of the MRP (56) | Yes | Suggested | Only epidemiologic studies (11) | |
| Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) | Spice turmeric | Anti- inflammatory action (61) (regulation of transcription factors (109–111), cytokines, redox status (112), enzymes (88, 113)) Apoptosis (84–86, 114–117) Autophagy (84, 118) Anti-invasion (87, 88) Cell cycle arrest (84, 89) | Yes | Unknown | Yes in other cancers (90–97), but not in gliomas |
| Ketone bodies | Ketogenic diets | Differential requirement for energy of glioma and normal glial cells | Unknown | Yes (98–100, 102) | Case report (101) |
| Phytoestrogens (genistein, daidzein, biochanin A, formnonetin, matairesinol, secoisolariciresinol, coumestrol) | Soy, cereal, legumes | Antioxidant | Yes | Suggested (103) | Case-control study (7) |
15-PGDH: 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase; MRP: multidrug resistance-associated protein; EGF: epidermal growth factor; MMP: matrix metalloproteinase