Investigating Potential Chemoprotective Role of Pomegranate Juice Through Analyzing Its Reciprocal Interactions with the Gut Microbiota

Abstract

Introduction: Cancer incidence is increasing in many developing countries as a result of demographics and the adoption of cancer-associated lifestyle choices. The global cancer burden has risen to 18.1 million new cases and 9.6 million deaths in 2018. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer death in the world and its burden is expected to increase by 60% to more than 2.2 million new cases and 1.1 million cancer deaths by 2030. In Egypt, higher incidence of CRC than other countries has been reported among the younger population (< 40 years).While plants and their constituents have traditionally been used for preventing diseases, including cancer, the emerging concept of combination chemoprevention by multiple agents or “whole foods” is becoming increasingly attractive, opening up the possibility for dietary modification of colon cancer risk. One such family of plant products is the polyphtenols,represented by green tea, green coffee, and pomegranate. The health benefits of pomegranate (Punica granatum L), as a main source of dietary polyphenols, have been mostly attributed to hydrolyzable tannins, including ellagitannins, and gallotannins.