CeLL CyCLe NeWS & VieWS

A healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Whereas epidemiological data sometimes fail to provide proof of this concept, molecular evidence is accumulating that clearly shows both preventive as well as therapeutic effects of compounds from natural origins. in the paper of Guido Kroemer’s group about pro-autophagic polyphenols and their inhibitory effect on acetylation of cytoplasmic proteins, much emphasis is given to the relevance of this molecular mechanism in various diseases, including cardiovascular (French paradox) and neurodegenerative diseases as well as cancer. in fact, more than 75 % of all anticancer drugs used in the clinics are of natural origins or at least inspired from nature. Based on this observation, many international research groups aim at discovering molecular mecha-nisms triggered or inhibited by compounds from nature. These compounds are sometimes controversially considered an excellent source for future preventive interventions as well as natural anticancer drugs able to target the main hallmarks of cancer or their enabling characteristics.1,2 Accordingly, molecular hallmarks that are efficiently inhibited by various natural com-pounds from the daily diet could be docu-mented over the last decade. in our recent review,1 various compounds from the “garden” are matched with their target signaling path-ways: diallylpolysulfides from garlic induce cell cycle arrest and lead to apoptotic cell death; epigallocatechin 3-gallate (eGCG), curcumi