As previous laboratory studies have suggested that dietary administration of whole strawberries has substantial potential as a strategy for oral and esophageal cancer prevention, researchers at the Ohio State University have set out to analyze how the fruit’s cancer-inhibiting chemicals affect the oral microenvironment in heavy smokers. The recently presented initial results revealed some intriguing differences between smokers and nonsmokers.
“When people eat strawberries, they chew and swallow the fruit quickly. We wanted to develop a method of increasing exposure in the mouth to the beneficial phytochemicals that have been linked with oral cancer prevention, and look for potential differences in that way the salivary enzymes in smokers versus non-smokers metabolize them,” explained study leader Dr. Jennifer Ahn-Jarvis, a postdoctoral fellow at the Ohio State College of Dentistry.
In this approach, Ahn-Jarvis and her team designed a pilot clinical trial to analyze the effects of a specially developed strawberry candy with the nutritional equivalent of two and a half cups of whole strawberries in a group of heavy smokers compared with a control group of individuals who had never smoked. To establish differences in salivary enzyme activity affecting the phytochemical components of strawberries between the two groups, participants were asked to consume the strawberry confection or a placebo four times a day for one week and follow a diet absent of other red and purple fruits and vegetables.
The team then collected saliva and oral tissue samples. From these, they observed significant differences between smokers and nonsmokers in salivary enzyme activity and strawberry metabolites in the mouth after administration of the strawberry confection. In addition, the researchers investigated the expression of a select group of 44 genes associated with cigarette smoke and oral cancer risk and were able to validate seven genes independently associated with smokers versus nonsmokers.
“This initial data confirmed that something is very different about the oral environment of smokers, which may ultimately influence not only cancer risk but also the potential effectiveness of food-based cancer prevention strategies,” Ahn-Jarvis concluded. “Successful development and use of our novel confection delivery system paves the way for its use in a larger study, which will allow us to more precisely evaluate the effects of smoking and strawberries on molecular endpoints related to oral cancer development.”
Additional analysis of the study data is underway to determine whether there is a correlation between oral exposure time to anthocyanins and reduced oral cancer risk among smokers. Studies are also ongoing to identify strawberry-modulated genes in the oral cavities of smokers that may influence the development of oral cancer.
The initial results of the study were first presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, held from April 1 to 5 in Washington.
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