Scientists unlock plant secret that could help fight cancer

Modern medicine is increasingly looking to nature for treatments. While healers have relied on plants for thousands of years, scientists are now uncovering the specific mechanisms behind their healing properties. Researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) Okanagan have identified how plants produce mitraphylline. This is a rare compound known for its powerful anti-tumor effects.

Mitraphylline is part of a unique family of molecules called spirooxindole alkaloids. These molecules have a complex “twisted” ring structure, which enables them to combat cancer tumors. Until recently, the process by which plants create this intricate structure remained a mystery.

“This is similar to finding the missing links in an assembly line,” said Dr. Thu-Thuy Dang, a lead researcher at UBC Okanagan. “It answers a long-standing question about how nature builds these complex molecules.”

In 2023, Dr. Dang’s team uncovered the first plant enzyme capable of twisting a molecule into this specific shape. PhD student Tuan-Anh Nguyen took the research further. He determined that two specific enzymes drive the process: one prepares the molecule, and the other twists it into mitraphylline.

This was a complex puzzle to solve because mitraphylline exists only in slight amounts in tropical trees like Kratom and Cat’s Claw (part of the coffee family). As a result, this absence makes extracting the compound for lab use extremely expensive.

Researchers can now replicate the production of valuable pharmaceutical compounds in a lab, having identified the responsible enzymes.

This represents a sustainable and cost-effective “green chemistry” method. It eliminates the need to harvest rare trees. Dr. Dang commented on this development, stating, “Our next steps will focus on adapting their molecular tools to create a wider range of therapeutic compounds,” which points toward a new era for plant-based medicine.