ArticlePloS one2019
Bromelain inhibits the ability of colorectal cancer cells to proliferate via activation of ROS production and autophagy.
Article in PloS one, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 72 citations in OpenAlex.
- Zebrafish tumor xenograft models for drug-screening: a systematic review of methods for treatment assessment.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of Bromelain: Applications, Benefits, and Mechanisms.Nutrients · 2024Pooled it
- Rewiring redox defense: Nrf2-driven antioxidant signaling as a gateway to programmed cell death activation in colorectal cancer.Genes & diseases · 2027Review
- In Vitro Effects of an Olive Polyphenol-Bromelain Formulation on U87MG Glioblastoma Cells: Viability, Cell-Cycle Distribution, Cytokine Release, and Total Antioxidant Capacity.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Investigation of the effects of a Kiperin Bromelain & Papain complex in normal colon, mammary, and skin cells.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Potential health benefits of bromelain: a critical review of the current literature.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Review
- Combined Treatment of Sodium Butyrate and Bromelain Enhanced Anticancer Effects in Colorectal Cancer Cell Lines: A Promising Therapeutic Approach.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Anticancer Potential of Pineapple and its Bioactive Compound Bromelain.Current pharmaceutical design · 2025Review
- Effective Treatment of Basal Cell Carcinoma with a Topical Enzymatic Mixture Enriched in Bromelain: Summary of Proof-Of Concept Clinical Studies on the First 22 Tumors.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Zebrafish xenograft as a tool for the study of colorectal cancer: a review.Cell death & disease · 2024Review
- Diosmin and Bromelain Stimulate Glutathione and Total Thiols Production in Red Blood Cells.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Article
- TNFR2 deficiency impairs the growth of mouse colon cancer.International journal of biological sciences · 2023Article
- Bromelain activates the AMP-activated protein kinase-autophagy pathway to alleviate hepatic lipid accumulation.Journal of food and drug analysis · 2022Article
- Anti-Cancer Effect of Bromelain and Its Combination with Cisplatin on HN5 Cell Line (Squamous Cell Carcinoma).Journal of dentistry (Shiraz, Iran) · 2022Article
- Bromelain: A Potent Phytomedicine.Cureus · 2022Review
- Allergen Tests of Fruit Sensitization Involving Children with Allergic Diseases.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Article
- Physical and chemical factors affecting the loading and release of bromelain from DC beads.American journal of translational research · 2022Article
- Anticancer properties of bromelain: State-of-the-art and recent trends.Frontiers in oncology · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) survival rates are still low despite advances in cytotoxic and targeted therapies. The development of new effective or alternative therapies is therefore urgently needed. Bromelain, an extract of pineapple, was shown to have anticancer effects, but its mechanisms in CRC have not been fully explored. Therefore, the roles of bromelain in CRC progression were investigated using different CRC cell lines, a zebrafish model, and a xenograft mouse model. The anticancer mechanisms were explored by assessing the role of bromelain in inducing reactive oxygen species (ROS), superoxide, autophagosomes, and lysosomes. The role of bromelain in the induction of apoptosis was also assessed. It was found that bromelain inhibited CRC cell growth in cell lines and tumor growth in the zebrafish and xenograft mouse models. It also induced high levels of ROS and superoxide, plus autophagosome and lysosome formation. High levels of apoptosis were also induced, which were associated with elevated amounts of apoptotic proteins like apoptotic induction factor, Endo G, and caspases-3, -8, and -9 according to a qPCR analysis. In a Western blot analysis, increases in levels of ATG5/12, beclin, p62, and LC3 conversion rates were found after bromelain treatment. Levels of cleaved caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9, and poly(ADP ribose) polymerase (PARP)-1 increased after bromelain exposure. This study explored the role of bromelain in CRC while giving insights into its mechanisms of action. This compound can offer a cheap alternative to current therapies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.