Pomegranate fruit extract (PFE) can block skin tumor formation in mice exposed to a cancer-causing agent, according to a report in the International Journal of Cancer.

Dr. Hasan Mukhtar and colleagues from the University of Wisconsin at Madison conducted a variety of experiments to test the anti-cancer effects of PFE, a chemical with strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

In mice, putting PFE on the skin before exposure to the cancer-causing substance TPA inhibited the skin swelling and excessive cell growth that typically occurs. Moreover, mice treated with PFE developed fewer skin tumors than untreated mice.

Further studies are needed to determine if PFE affects other cancers and whether the findings apply to humans.

SOURCE: International Journal of Cancer, January 20, 2005.