Canadian Scientists Decode Rare Cancer-Fighting Plant Compound

Researchers at the University of British Columbia Okanagan have uncovered how plants produce mitraphylline, a rare natural compound linked to anti-cancer effects.

Progress came in 2023, when a research team led by Dr. Thu-Thuy Dang at UBC Okanagan’s Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science identified the first known plant enzyme capable of creating the signature spiro shape. (Photo: University of British Columbia, Okanangan Campus)

By identifying two key enzymes that shape and twist molecules into their final form, the team solved a puzzle that had stumped scientists for years, ScienceDaily reported.

The discovery could make it significantly easier to produce mitraphylline and related compounds sustainably, while highlighting plants as master chemists with untapped medical potential.

Mitraphylline belongs to a small and unusual family of plant chemicals known as spirooxindole alkaloids, characterized by distinctive twisted ring structures that give them powerful biological effects, including anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory activity.

While scientists have long recognized their medical value, they previously had little understanding of how plants assemble these molecules at the molecular level.

Progress came in 2023, when a research team led by Dr. Thu-Thuy Dang at UBC Okanagan’s Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science identified the first known plant enzyme capable of creating the signature spiro shape.

Building on that work, doctoral student Tuan-Anh Nguyen led new research identifying two additional enzymes—one that arranges the molecule into the correct three-dimensional structure and another that twists it into its final form.