Volatile isoprenoid constituents of fruits, vegetables and herbs cumulatively suppress the proliferation of murine B16 melanoma and human HL-60 leukemia cells.

Substantial evidence from epidemiological studies supports the inverse association between the intake of fruits, vegetables and other plant products and cancer incidence. Cancer-preventive constituents of fruits and vegetables may inhibit carcinogen activation, enhance carcinogen detoxification, prevent carcinogens from interacting with critical target sites, or impede tumor progression. These activities, however, are achievable only when levels of individual bioactive constituents reach beyond those attainable from a normal balanced diet. Isoprenoids, a broad class of mevalonate-derived phytochemicals ubiquitous in the plant kingdom, suppress the proliferation of tumor cells and the growth of implanted tumors. A search for volatile isoprenoid constituents of food products spanning seven plant families identified 179 isoprenoids. Of these, 41 purchased from commercial sources were screened for efficacy in suppressing the proliferation of murine B16 melanoma cells. Individual isoprenoids suppressed the proliferation of B16 and HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells with varying degrees of potency. Cell cycle arrest at the G(0)-G(1) phase and apoptosis account, at least in part, for the suppression. Blends of isoprenoids suppressed B16 and HL-60 cell proliferation with efficacies equal to the sum of the individual impacts. These findings suggest that the cancer-protective property of fruits, vegetables, and related products is partly conferred by the cumulative impact of volatile isoprenoid constituents.