Evidence-based medicine: Indole-3-carbinol and resveratrol in human papillomavirus-associated conditions

Abstract

Of all types of cancer in the female reproductive system, cervical cancer has the greatest social significance due to its impact on young patients, often even those who have not yet completed their reproductive function, and it is the third leading cause of cancer-related death. Considering the lack of etiological therapy for human papillomavirus and associated diseases, the high demand for effective methods of medical therapeutic support, and the absence of a gold standard treatment apart from destructive and excisional methods, it seems reasonable to consider the use of nutrients with anticancer effects in the treatment of low-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia both as an addition to the watchful waiting strategy and in the use of ablative treatment methods, as well as their adjuvant appointment in the case of obligatory precancer. Based on domestic and foreign literature sources from electronic databases such as PubMed, CyberLeninka, and Elibrary, this review presents data on the use of trans-resveratrol and indole-3-carbinol in HPV-associated diseases. The combination of two mutually complementary anticancer antioxidants – indole-3-carbinol, which primarily has antiproliferative effects, and trans-resveratrol, which restores cellular apoptosis mechanisms, comprehensively affects the pathogenetic mechanisms of the virus-induced pathological process: it has been proven to reduce the expression of oncogenes E6 and E7, increase the expression of tumor suppressor proteins – p53, pRb, PTEN, and decrease markers of proliferation PCNA and Ki-67. The combination of 200 mg of indole-3-carbinol and 60 mg of trans-resveratrol for the prevention of persistent papillomavirus infection and the treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia has impressive potential; however, further research is needed to determine the most effective application schemes.