Nutty stimulant revealed as anticancer tool

Arecoline, a component in areca nuts, is analogous to nicotine, say scientists. Areca nuts are chewed for their stimulant effects in many Asian countries, and evidence links the practice to the development of oral and esophageal cancer. Analogous to nicotine, arecoline was identified as an inhibitor of the enzyme ACAT1, which contributes to the metabolism-distorting Warburg effect in cancer cells.