NIT Rourkela discovers long pepper compound for colon cancer treatment

Hyderabad: Researchers at the National Institute of Technology Rourkela (NIT Rourkela) have identified a natural compound found in long pepper (pippali/thippili/maghaun) as an effective and cost-efficient agent against colon cancer cells. Colon cancer is a disease in which the cells grow uncontrollably in the large intestine of the body and form tumours, making it one of the most common types of cancer globally. According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) report, in 2022, nearly 1.9 million new cases and almost 900,000 deaths due to colon cancer were reported.

Conventional treatments such as chemotherapy are painful and have long-lasting side effects, including hair loss, fatigue, nerve damage, and weakened immunity; furthermore, cancerous cells often develop resistance to these agents, complicating the treatment process.

In this context, a multi-institutional research team led by NIT Rourkela conducted a set of laboratory experiments to show the activity of Piperlongumine, a natural compound, as an alternative to chemotherapy. The research team’s findings have been published in the prestigious journal BioFactors, in a paper co-authored by Prof Bijesh Kumar Biswal, Associate Professor, Department of Life Science, along with his research scholars Rajeev Kumar Sahoo, Stuti Biswal, Sambit Kumar Patra, and ShikshyaSwarupa Panda in collaboration with Dr Surya Kant Tripathi from the University of North Carolina, USA, and Krishnendu Barik and Dr Anil Kumar from Central University of South Bihar.

The team found that Piperlongumine selectively kills colon cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed. They checked the viability of colon cancer cells after treatment with Piperlongumine through MTT assay and reported significant cancer cell death, validating these results using multiple assays, including apoptotic induction, nuclear damage, and mitochondrial dysfunction. They further reported that Piperlongumine increases oxidative stress inside colon cancer cells that they cannot handle, causing them to self-destruct, while normal cells are unaffected because they can easily manage this stress.

Speaking about the findings of the study, Prof Bijesh Kumar Biswal said, “This natural compound from long pepper has shown strong anticancer effects with minimal side effects, making it a promising and safer alternative therapy. Over time, many cancer patients stop responding to chemotherapy, meaning the treatment no longer works, which can increase the risk of death.

As a next step, our team is investigating the use of piperlongumine alongside chemotherapeutic drugs such as oxaliplatin to help restore patients’ responsiveness to treatment.”

Since long pepper is an inexpensive, easily cultivated plant that already exists in the diet of a large portion of the Indian population, the formulation of Piperlongumine offers a low-cost, green therapeutic alternative, especially beneficial for low and middle-income countries due to the exorbitant costs of cancer treatment.

This discovery opens new possibilities for treating advanced and chemo-resistant colorectal cancer, where current treatment options are limited, and the study promotes natural cancer treatments by using products available in domestic kitchens, Ayurvedic practices, and folk medicine, marking a significant milestone towards a sustainable and cost-effective solution for improving patient outcomes worldwide.