Bibhash Lodh, BS News Agency: According to a study published in Oncotarget and archived on PubMed Central, researchers tested whether luteolin, a natural compound found in many vegetables and herbs, can prevent the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) from reactivating in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells. EBV can switch from a silent (latent) state to an active (lytic) state, and this reactivation is linked to increased DNA damage and cancer progression. The study showed that luteolin significantly inhibits the expression of key EBV lytic proteins and reduces the activity of the viral immediate-early gene promoters Zta and Rta, which are required for the virus to become active.*
*The researchers also found that luteolin’s inhibition of EBV reactivation reduced genomic instability and suppressed several cancer-related behaviors in NPC cells. Specifically, luteolin lowered EBV-induced cell proliferation, migration, and invasiveness in vitro, and in mouse models it decreased tumor-forming ability driven by repeated EBV reactivation. These results suggest that targeting EBV reactivation with luteolin could be a potential strategy to slow NPC progression and possibly prevent relapse after treatment.*