Pomegranate juice and peel extracts are able to inhibit proliferation, migration and colony formation of prostate cancer cell lines and modulate the akt/mtor/s6k signaling pathway

Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is known to contain polyphenols with many potential health benefits, including anti-tumoral, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial properties. It has been used in popular medicine for cancer treatment, which still represents the major cause of cancer-related deaths in men worldwide. Importantly, pomegranate peels are valuable by-products of the food industry that are rich in polyphenols. Here we report a comparison between juice and peel aqueous extracts in prostate cancer DU-145 and PC-3 cell lines. Both extracts were able to inhibit the proliferation, migration and colony formation of those cells, although peel extracts presented more robust effects compared to juice. Besides, the growth-related mTOR/S6K signaling pathway presented strong inhibition after pomegranate extracts treatment. This study presents evidence that both juice and isolated peel extracts from promegate fruit have important anti-cancer effects against prostate cancer cells, modulating the mTOR/S6K signaling pathway755462CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP447553/2014-3; 303568/2016-02012/13558-7;2018/14818-9; 2015/07299-7; 2016/06457-0; 2013/04304-4; 2015/003111; 2013/13002-