Phytochemicals in diets for breast cancer prevention: The importance of resveratrol and ursolic acid

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer in women in the United States. A growing emphasis is being placed on alternative medicine and dietary approaches toward prevention of potential diseases. Phytochemicals are bioactive compounds that are naturally present in foods that, when acting in synergy, bestow potential anti-cancer properties. Resveratrol, a phytoalexin, and ursolic acid, a pentacyclic triterpenoid, are two bioactive compounds that are at the forefront in scientific research. Previous animal studies have documented the anti-cancer properties of resveratrol on breast cancer cells and research groups have recently been able to identify the anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and induction of apoptosis properties of resveratrol along with the signal transduction pathways that the compound affects. Ursolic acid has been cast into the limelight with the recent discovery documenting its anti-inflammation and anti-cancer activities by targeting signal pathways, especially in the prevention of breast cancer.