Nur Aziemah Binti Mohammad Azizi

PhD Title: Inhibition of 5-alpha-reductase type 1 and 2 enzymes activity in cancer cells using herbal extracts as a way to treat advanced prostate cancer

Supervisor(s): Dr Sheikh Naeem Shafqat and Dk Dr Nuramalina Hafizah Pg Hj Mumin

About the PhD:

Prostate cancer (CaP) is one of the most frequent cancers found in men worldwide including in Brunei. Androgens, particularly dihydrotestosterone (DHT), although are growth modulators of the prostate, but with increased levels, are detrimental to CaP later in life. Androgens deprivation approach that aims to limit DHT production is commonly used to treat CaP, where it blocks the 5-alpha-reductase mediated DHT conversion using 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors (5αRis). The two most common 5αRis studied and used clinically to treat benign prostate hyperplasia i.e., finasteride and dutasteride, are reported to have numerous adverse effects that could impact a patient’s health and life as a whole. Plant source is rich in bioactive compounds with medicinal properties including anti-cancer, where it offers a potential alternative to synthetic compounds by exhibiting favourable side effects and less toxic profiles compared to conventional treatment, which could offer a better quality of life to cancer patients. Therefore, the present study aims to identify alternative compounds as part of advanced CaP treatment strategies. It is hoped that the results from this study could provide insights into identifying novel and effective 5αRis agents with anti-5αRs activity from locally found plants in Brunei, to improve the health of individuals with CaP.

published 27/07/2022