The Effect of Pomegranate and Its Compounds on Breast Cancer: Review Article

Introduction: Pomegranate is a rich source of phytochemicals with high antioxidant effects, which has therapeutic effects in traditional and modern medicine. Pomegranate is effective in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, inflammatory diseases, infectious and microbial diseases, neurological disorders and immunity. Today the role of pomegranate in various stages of cancer has also been proven. Since breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women, this study examined the effect of pomegranate in breast cancer. The articles used from the PubMed database were selected selectively using the words "pomegranate" or "Punica grantum" and "breast cancer". The results of studies have shown that pomegranate compounds can affect different stages of cancer in different ways, including: inhibiting aromatases, inhibiting cyclooxygenase enzymeseffects on heat shock proteins, transcriptional leukocyte zipper transcription factor, transcription factors of specific proteins, cell cycle .Also, it has been shown in some studies that pomegranate compounds canaffect different stages of cancerthroughanti-estrogenic activity, effect on 27-hydroxycholic cholesterol, changes in α and β estrogen receptors, Wnt / β-catenin signaling pathway, cancer cell adhesion and migration, effects on cytochrome p450, Caspase cascade, apoptosis and other pathways.