Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Nov 16, 2025 3 months, 2 weeks, 1 day, 23 hours, 42 minutes ago
Medical News: A new study has revealed that evodiamine, a natural compound extracted from the traditional Chinese medicinal plant Evodia rutaecarpa, may help slow the growth and spread of colorectal cancer in an unexpected way. Researchers from Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Three Gorges Medical College, and the Chongqing Institute for Food and Drug Control found that this compound blocks cancer cells from making a key amino acid they rely on for survival. Their work offers a fresh angle for developing safer treatments for one of the world’s most dangerous cancers, and this Medical News report highlights the most important discoveries from the research.
The Phytochemical Evodiamine Shows New Hope Against Colorectal Cancer
How Cancer Cells Depend on Arginine
Colorectal cancer cells grow quickly and need a constant supply of nutrients. One of the most important molecules they depend on is arginine, an amino acid that fuels growth, movement, and the creation of other chemicals needed for tumor development. Cancer cells produce large amounts of arginine by overusing an enzyme called ASS1. This enzyme becomes abnormally active in colorectal cancer, making it a promising therapeutic target for new treatments.
What Evodiamine Does Inside Cancer Cells
The research team discovered that evodiamine directly interferes with this process. In both laboratory experiments and animal studies, the compound reduced cancer cell growth, slowed down their ability to spread, and dramatically lowered the amount of arginine produced inside tumors. The key lies in a major cancer-driving pathway known as Wnt beta catenin c MYC. When this pathway is active, it boosts ASS1 levels and increases the supply of arginine. Evodiamine switches off this pathway, preventing beta catenin from entering the cell nucleus and stopping c MYC from turning on the gene for ASS1. As a result, cancer cells lose access to the arginine they need and their growth is restricted.
Animal Studies Strengthen the Evidence
In mice with colorectal cancer, evodiamine treatment significantly shrank tumors without causing noticeable side effects in the liver or kidneys. The tumors showed lower levels of ASS1 and reduced activity of the Wnt beta catenin c MYC pathway. Interestingly, mice treated with evodiamine also showed increased immune cell activity inside the tumors. Both CD4 and CD8 T cells were more abundant, suggesting that limiting arginine may help create a more active immune environment, giving the body a better chance to fight cancer naturally.
Conclusions
This study presents a promising new approach for colorectal cancer treatment by showing that blocking arginine production can effectively weaken tumor growth. By reducing ASS1 levels and shutting down the Wnt beta catenin c MYC pathway, evodiamine disrupts a core survival mechanism used by cancer cells. The findings also hint that lowering arginine may help the immune system operate more effectively inside tumors. Although more clinical research is needed to confirm these benefits in humans, the results demonstrate a strong foundation for developing therapies that focus on both metabolic suppression and immune enhancement. This dual-action a
pproach could provide safer and more targeted treatment options for colorectal cancer patients in the future.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Pharmaceuticals.
https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/18/11/1736
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Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/herbs-and-phytochemicals
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/cancer
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