Introduction
Gastric cancer is the fourth most common cancer worldwide, with ~700,000 confirmed deaths annually (1). Epidemiological studies indicate that gastric cancer is associated with a low intake of fruits and vegetables (2). Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy are still the major conventional cancer therapies for this malignancy (3). However, these therapies have numerous limitations due to low response and poor outcome, indicating that there is an urgent need for the development of novel therapeutic strategies.