FAS Fatty acid synthase - the making of fats from other chemicals and the elongation of shorter chain fats etc.
HER2 expressing cancers also show increased FAS expression.
Herceptin works at least in part by blocking FAS.
This is an interesting if rather technical trial looking at FAS and flavanoids.
RB
http://www.jbc.org/cgi/content/full/280/7/5636
ABSTRACT
"The consumption of food products containing high amounts of flavonoids has been reported to lower the risk of various cancers. The mechanisms underlying the cancer-protective effects of these naturally occurring polyphenolic compounds, however, remain elusive. Based on our previous finding that the cytotoxic effect of the flavanol epigallocatechin-3-gallate on prostate cancer cells correlates with its ability to inhibit fatty acid synthase (FAS, a key lipogenic enzyme overexpressed in many human cancers), we examined the anti-lipogenic effects of a panel of 18 naturally occurring polyphenolic compounds. In addition to epigallocatechin-3-gallate, five other flavonoids, more particularly luteolin, quercetin, kaempferol, apigenin, and taxifolin, also markedly inhibited cancer cell lipogenesis. Interestingly, in both prostate and breast cancer cells, a remarkable dose-response parallelism was observed between flavonoid-induced inhibition of fatty acid synthesis, inhibition of cell growth, and induction of apoptosis. In support for a role of fatty acid synthesis in these effects, the addition of exogenous palmitate, the end product of FAS, markedly suppressed the cytotoxic effects of flavonoids. Taken together, these findings indicate that the potential of flavonoids to induce apoptosis in cancer cells is strongly associated with their FAS inhibitory properties, thereby providing a new mechanism by which polyphenolic compounds may exert their cancer-preventive and antineoplastic effects."...."Flavonoids constitute the largest and most important group of polyphenolic compounds in plants. They are widely distributed in many frequently consumed beverages and food products of plant origin such as fruit, vegetables, wine, tea, and cocoa (1, 2). The molecular structure of flavonoids consists of two aromatic rings (A ring and B ring), that are linked by a three-carbon bridge (Fig. 1). Depending on their oxidation state and functional groups, flavonoids are further divided in six subclasses: flavones, flavanones, flavanols, flavonols, isoflavones, and anthocyanidins (1–3).
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FIG. 1.
Molecular structure of the studied polyphenolic compounds.
Intake of beverages or food products containing flavonoids has been frequently associated with a reduced risk for developing various cancers (2, 4–6). Consumption of onions and/or apples, two major sources of the flavonol quercetin (1, 3), was inversely associated with the incidence of cancer of the prostate, lung, stomach, and breast (7–10). Frequent consumption of tea, an important source of both flavanols (1, 11) and flavonols (1), has been correlated with a lower incidence of cancer of the breast, prostate, bladder, lung, pancreas, colon, stomach, esophagus, and oral cavity (11–13). In addition, moderate wine drinkers also seem to have a lower risk to develop cancer of the lung, endometrium, esophagus, stomach, and colon (14–18). Besides anthocyanidins, red wine contains relatively high levels of both flavanols and flavonols (1, 19). Furthermore, also consumption of olives and/or olive oil, containing relatively large amounts of the flavones luteolin and apigenin, has been associated with a lower risk to develop cancer of the breast, ovary, and colon (20–22)."..............
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