My name is Laura Murphy, I am Biologist and a practitioner of Natural Medicine, I am a qualified Naturopath, Homeopath, Herbalist and Nutritionist. I am passionate about natural medicine especially in regard to cancer. I spend innumerable hours researching evidence based natural therapies and cancer and instead of hoarding all this valuable information on my computer, I decided to set up this humble website. My lack of website design skills are very evident, and I apologise, but I reason; something is better than nothing. It is a slow process scouring the science journals and sites and then uploading the information, I am a one woman show. But please keep visiting as this is an ongoing process and also please do not be put off by the scientific jargon - go straight to the conclusion or discussion to read the positive effects of the food, herb, homeopathic medicine etc. on cancer in general or a specific cancer. I want to help in the battle against cancer and to prove to the masses that there are other therapies be it nutrition, homeopathy, herbal medicine, guided imagery, yoga, meditation, laughter therapy, to name but a few that have been scientifically proven to help prevent and treat cancer.
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Cancer Inhibition by Inositol Hexaphosphate (IP6) and Inositol: From Laboratory to Clinic In addition to reducing cell proliferation, IP6 increases differentiation of malignant cells, often resulting in a reversion to normal phenotype. Exogenously administered IP6 is rapidly taken into the cells and dephosphorylated to lower-phosphate inositol phosphates, which further interfere with signal transduction pathways and cell cycle arrest. Enhanced immunity and antioxidant properties can also contribute to tumor cell destruction.
Anti-proliferative and anti-migration effects of Polish propolis combined with Hypericum perforatum L. on glioblastoma multiforme cell line U87MG In this study, the combination of ethanolic extract from propolis and ethanolic extract of fresh-cut H. perforatum L. was proved the ability to reduce invasiveness of glioma cells through the inhibition of MMP2 and MMP9 secretion and suppression of cell migration. It has a more potent anti-proliferative effect on U87MG glioma cell line compared to using propolis and H. perforatum L. separately. Further studies are required to verify whether the examined extracts can activate apoptotic pathways.
Chinese Herbal Mixture, Tien-Hsien Liquid, Induces G2/M Cycle Arrest and Radiosensitivity in MCF-7 Human Breast Cancer Cells through Mechanisms Involving DNMT1 and Rad51 Downregulation The Chinese herbal mixture, Tien-Hsien Liquid (THL), has been proven to suppress the growth and invasiveness of cancer cells and is currently regarded as a complementary medicine for the treatment of cancer. Our previous study using acute promyelocytic leukemia cells uncovered its effect on the downregulation of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) which is often overexpressed in cancer cells resulting in the repression of tumor suppressors via hypermethylation. Herein, we explored the effects of THL in MCF-7 breast cancer cells that also demonstrate elevated DNMT1. The results show that THL dose-dependently downregulated DNMT1 accompanied by the induction of tumor suppressors such as p21 and p15. THL arrested cell cycle in G2/M phase and decreased the protein levels of cyclin A, cyclin B1, phospho-pRb, and AKT. DNMT1 inhibition was previously reported to exert a radiosensitizing effect in cancer cells through the repression of DNA repair. We found that THL enhanced radiation-induced clonogenic cell death in MCF-7 cells and decreased the level of DNA double-strand break repair protein, Rad51. Our observations may be the result of DNMT1 downregulation
Ethanolic extract of Descurainia sophia seeds sensitizes A549 human lung cancer cells to TRAIL cytotoxicity by upregulating death receptors In this study, we were the first to demonstrate that the crude extract of D. sophia seeds effectively sensitized TRAIL-refractory A549 lung cancer cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis by upregulating DR5 at the transcriptional level ....The biological activities of the extract of D. sophia, such as analgesic, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxic effects may be attributed to some of aforementioned phytochemicals or unknown ones, and/or their combination. In the present study, however, we did not identify the active component(s) of EEDS responsible for the synergistic anticancer effect with TRAIL; this discovery remains for future study.
Euphorbia tirucalli modulates gene expression in larynx squamous cell carcinoma" These findings show that the E. tirucalli latex alters the expression of genes with roles in signaling cascades involved in the inflammatory and tumorigenic processes. E. tirucalli latex was also shown to alter the proliferation of Hep-2 cells. Thus, our results point to possible applications of this herb as an indicator of innovative therapies for the treatment of larynx squamous cell carcinoma."
Rutin attenuates intestinal toxicity induced by Methotrexate linked with anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects The administration of rutin demonstrated significant protection against intestinal lesions damaged by MTX. The treatment with rutin elicited noticeable inhibition of free acidity (26.20 %), total acidity (22.05 %) and CMDI (1.16 %) in the experimental animals similar to control. In MTX treated toxic group, the levels of oxidative markers and immunoregulatory cytokines significantly increased in comparison to control, which was subsequently restored after rutin treatment. Rutin also demonstrated 75.63, 81.00 and 80.43 % inhibition of cyclooxygenase-1 and 2, and 15-lipoxygenase respectively....The positive modulation of MTX toxicity could be attributed to the free radical scavenging and anti-inflammatory (dual inhibition of arachidonic acid pathways) potential of rutin."
Flavokawain B induced cytotoxicity in two breast cancer cell lines, MCF-7 and MDA-MB231 and inhibited the metastatic potential of MDA-MB231 via the regulation of several tyrosine kinases In vitro "Based on our results, apoptosis was induced when both MCF-7 and MDA-MB231 were treated with FKB. A significant G2/M arrest was seen in MDA-MB231 cells. Additionally, FKB also inhibited the in vitro migration and invasion in MDA-MB231 cells in a dose dependent manner. Moreover, FKB can be a potential inhibitor in angiogenesis as it suppressed the formation of vessels in HUVEC cells as well as in the ex-vivo rat aortic ring assay.Our findings suggested that FKB also regulated several receptor tyrosine kinases. Overall, FKB is not only a potential candidate to be an anti-cancer agent, but as an anti-metastatic agent as well."
Centipeda minima (Ebushicao) extract inhibits PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling in nasopharyngeal carcinoma CNE-1 cells "Centipeda minima (Ebushicao) has been used for the treatment of various diseases, such as nasal allergies, rhinitis and sinusitis, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, cough, and headache. This study aims to investigate the anticancer activities of Centipeda minima ethanol extracts (CME) against nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell CNE-1 and their underlying mechanism. Conclusion : CME inhibited the proliferation of CNE-1 cells and activation of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathway.
Panax notoginseng saponins suppress radiation-induced osteoporosis by regulating bone formation and resorption. "In conclusion, we demonstrated that LPNS can reverse osteoporosis in a radiation-induced mouse model, and that LPNS exhibits potential antiosteoporotic properties when tested in osteoblasts and osteoclasts in vitro. These results suggest the total saponins extracted from the leaves of Panax notoginseng (a traditional Chinese medicinal plant), warrant further investigation as a potential agent to treat radiation-induced osteoporotic disease.
Bioactive Natural Products against Prostate Cancer: Mechanism of Action and Autophagic/Apoptotic Molecular Pathways "Due to the fact that conventional chemotherapy is not adequately effective against prostate cancer and has severe side effects, numerous in vitrostudies have been conducted in order to identify the potent cytotoxic or chemopreventive activity of naturally occurring compounds and their respective molecular mechanisms of action. In this context, many natural compounds isolated from plants have been found to inhibit cancer growth and to induce cell cycle arrest, suppress angiogenesis, and promote apoptotic or autophagic cell death. Therefore, in this article, the most promising bioactive natural products and their respective mechanisms of action for the prevention or/and treatment of prostate cancer are presented."
Potent Antiproliferative Effect on Liver Cancer of Medicinal Plants Selected from the Thai/Lanna Medicinal Plant Recipe Database “MANOSROI III” Twenty-three plants were found in high frequency in the anticancer recipes which were selected from the “MANOSROI III” database. Although most recipes were traditionally prepared by boiling with water, in this study these 23 plants were extracted by methanol, a high polarity range solvent under reflux. This study has confirmed not only the traditional use of the Thai/Lanna medicinal plant recipes for cancer treatments, but also the potential of plants selected from these recipes for the further development to modern anticancer drug with antioxidative activities.
In VitroandIn VivoAntitumor Effects of n-Butanol Extracts ofPterocephalus hookerion Hep3B Cancer Cell "The results obtained in this study suggested that n-butanol extracts ofPterocephalus hookeri(YSC-ZDC) treatment inhibited cell proliferation, induced apoptosis, blocked PI3K pathway, and regulated levels of Bcl-2 family proteinsin vitro. Administrating YSC-ZDC inhibited growth hepatoma xenografts by regulating Bcl-2 family proteins expressionin vivo. These data demonstrated that YSC-ZDC treatment may be an effective therapeutic strategy for cancer."
Exploitation of Cytotoxicity of Some Essential Oils for Translation in Cancer Therapy From the available literature essential oils seem to have a great potential as anticancer therapeutic agents; however, information regarding their mechanism of action is still lacking and far from being deciphered. Indeed, their complex chemical composition makes it difficult to envisage a single mechanism underlying the entireness of the biological effect, which is likely the sum and/or synergy of the biological activity of each component. For the same reason, data obtained from single components may not necessarily be, in turn, applied to the whole essential oil. On the other hand, the presence in the phytocomplex of numerous constituents that simultaneously interfere with multiple signaling pathway might be the key for overcoming the current limit of chemotherapeutic agents and in particular the development of multidrug resistance.
Decreased Plasma Ascorbate Levels in Stage IV Melanoma Patients "Ascorbate levels in the plasma of 126 melanoma patients were significantly decreased in the cohort of stage IV patients and were further decreased by polychemo- or immunotherapy in stage IV patients. Considering the importance of adequate ascorbate supply, ascorbate substitution in physiological doses could be considered for late-stage melanoma patients."
Anti-Inflammatory and Pro-apoptotic Effects of Curcumin and Resveratrol on the Human Lung Fibroblast Cell Line MRC-5 Both curcumin and resveratrol effectively attenuated IL-1β and PMA-induced IL-6 expression in MRC-5 cells. Furthermore, curcumin treatment induced apoptosis via caspase-3 signaling and caused endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Salubrinal, an inhibitor of serine/threonine phosphatase PP1, and antioxidants such as N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), reduced glutathione (GSH) and sodium hydrogen sulfide (NaHS) diminished the cytotoxic effects of curcumin on MRC-5 cells. In contrast to curcumin, resveratrol had no negative effects on cell viability
Cancer Cells by Coordinating the Cross-talk between Cannabidiol Induces Programmed Cell Death in Breast Apoptosis and Autophagy "In summary, we showed that CBD, a plant-derived cannabinoid, preferentially kills breast cancer cells by inducing ER stress, inhibiting mTOR signaling, enhancing ROS generation, and mediating a complex balance between autophagy and mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. These findings support the continued exploration of CBD as an alternative agent for breast cancer treatment"
Chemopreventive role of green tea in head and neck cancers "green tea component, EGCG, may be the single most important agent, which has demonstrated positive effects in preventing and treating head and neck cancers. EGCC protects against diverse steps in cancer progression and invasion through multiple and complex signal transduction pathways.....
Anticancer effects and molecular mechanisms of epigallocatechin-3-gallate "Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is a type of catechin found in green tea. EGCG exhibits a variety of activities, including anti-inflammatory, antidiabetes, antiobesity, and antitumor. In this review, we focus on the antitumor effects of EGCG. EGCG inhibits carcinogen activity, tumorigenesis, proliferation, and angiogenesis, and induces cell death."
"Coffee plus Honey" versus "topical steroid" in the treatment of Chemotherapy-induced Oral mucositis: a randomised controlled trial "This study showed that all three treatment regimens reduce the severity of lesions. The best reduction in severity was achieved in HC group. H group and S group took the second and third places. In other words, honey plus coffee regimen was the most effective modality for the treatment of oral mucositis. Conclusion: Oral mucositis can be successfully treated by a combination of honey and coffee as an alternative medicine in a short time. Further investigations are warranted in this field"
A multi-component herbal preparation, STW 5, shows anti-apoptotic effects in radiation induced intestinal mucositis in rats "The findings provide experimental evidence for the potential beneficial use of STW5 in protecting against the development of radiation-induced intestinal mucositis and associated changes in tissue biomarkers." **STW 5 (Iberogast®, Steigerwald Arzneimittelwerk GmbH, Darmstadt, Germany) an herbal multi-component preparation, containing standardized extracts of bitter candytuft (Iberis amara), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), chamomile (Matricaria recutita), caraway fruit (Carum carvi), peppermint leaf (Mentha piperita), angelica root (Angelica archangelica), milk thistle (Silybum marianum), celandine herb (Chelidonium majus), and liquorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra)
Long-Term Treatment with Aqueous Garlic and/or Tomato Suspensions Decreases Ehrlich Ascites Tumors "We evaluated the preventive and therapeutic effects of aqueous suspensions of garlic, tomato, and garlic + tomato in the development of experimental Ehrlich tumors in mice. ....The volume, number, and characteristics of the tumor cells and AgNOR counts were determined to compare the different treatments. Aqueous 6% suspensions of garlic, tomato, and garlic + tomato given over the long term significantly reduced tumor growth but when given over the short term, they did not alter tumor growth.
Enterohepatic recirculation of bioactive ginger phytochemicals is associated with enhanced tumor growth-inhibitory activity of ginger extract "In conclusion, our study emphasizes the existence of a complex collaborative interplay among GE phytochemicals to confer maxi-mum therapeutic benefits due to its favorable absorption kinetics and bioavailability. Our observations of possible EHR of gingerols, when delivered in their natural matrix, are compelling and provide impetus to investigate and design futuristic combinations/dietary supplements for prostate cancer management"
Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Prevention of Breast Cancer: Pooled Analysis " This study supports the hypothesis that higher serum 25(OH)D levels reduce the risk of breast cancer. According to the review of observational studies, a serum 25(OH)D level of 47 ng/ml was associated with a 50% lower risk of breast cancer."
Antitumor Effect of Water Decoctions of Taxus Cuspidate on Pancreatic Cancer "......According to our results, the water decoction of Taxus cuspidate attenuates the inflammatory activation by downregulating the two important factors, but without affecting the stimulating inflammatory cytokines. In conclusion, traditional Chinese medicine could be used alone, or as an adjuvant in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs for cancer treatment, including Taxus cuspidate. There are many difficulties in studying the molecular mechanisms of water decoction of TCM which are totally different from the extract agent. Though the underlying antitumor mechanisms of water decoction from TCM are still unclear, future studies in vitro will be helpful to uncover it."
Gambogic acid synergistically potentiates cisplatin-induced apoptosis in non-small-cell lung cancer through suppressing NF-κB and MAPK/HO-1 signalling "Gambogic acid sensitises lung cancer cells to CDDP in vitro and in vivo in NSCLC through inactivation of NF-κB and MAPK/HO-1 signalling pathways, providing a rationale for the combined use of CDDP and GA in lung cancer chemotherapy."
Is Selenium a Potential Treatment for Cancer Metastasis? "In the cancers
of breast, prostate, colorectal, fibrosarcoma, melanoma, liver, lung,
oral squamous cell carcinoma, and brain glioma, there is either
clinical evidence linking selenoproteins, such as thioredoxin
reductase-1 to lymph node metastasis; in vitro
studies indicating that Se compounds and selenoproteins inhibited cell
motility, migration, and invasion, and reduced angiogenic factors in
some of these cancer cells; or animal studies showing that Se
supplementation resulted in reduced microvessel density and metastasis.
Together, these data support the notion that Se may be an
anti-metastastatic element in addition to being a cancer preventative
agent."
Toona Sinensis and Moschus Decoction Induced Cell Cycle Arrest in Human Cervical Carcinoma HeLa Cells "This study is the first to report the anticancer activity of decoction of Toona sinensis and Moschus in combination. Furthermore, we have shown that the Toona sinensis and Moschus decoction exhibits its anticancer effects by inducing cell cycle arrest in S-phase via mRNA regulation of cell cycle related proteins in HeLa cells. Our data provide strong evidence that the Toona sinensis and Moschus decoction could be potentially utilized for the treatment of some cancers."
Berberine modulates AP-1 activity to suppress HPV transcription and downstream signaling to induce growth arrest and apoptosis in cervical cancer cells "These results indicate that berberine can effectively target both the host and viral factors responsible for development of cervical cancer through inhibition of AP-1 and blocking viral oncoproteins E6 and E7 expression. Inhibition of AP-1 activity by berberine may be one of the mechanisms responsible for the anti-HPV effect of berberine. We propose that berberine is a potentially promising compound for the treatment of cervical cancer infected with HPV. "
Epigenetics: A New Link Between Cancer and Nutrition "The complex interactions among environmental, genetic, and epigenetic factors during cancer development have not yet been fully identified. Elucidating the epigenetic mechanisms that underlie these modifications may serve as a tool to predict the individuals’ genetic susceptibility to cancer, provide dietary recommendations, or provide therapeutic applications of natural compounds against cancer. Taken together, an increasing number of studies support a role of diet in cancer prevention and treatment."
Orange Juice and cancer Prevention "Studies using rodent cancer models showed that OJ is cancer chemopreventive, influencing either the induction stage or the promotion stage. The composition and, therefore, the chemopreventive action of OJ might be influenced by different cultivars, climates, extraction methods, packaging, storage temperatures, and shelf lives, among other factors. Epidemiological studies and randomized controlled intervention studies in humans evaluating the chemopreventive effect of OJ, taking into consideration variability in OJ composition, are needed"
Calcarea carbonica induces apoptosis in cancer cells in p53-dependent mannervia an immuno-modulatory circuit "In tumor-bearing mice, there was profound depletion of CD4+ and CD8+ cells in peripheral blood, dominance of type-2 T helper cells and inhibition of T cell proliferation. Calcarea carbonica in turn prevented such loss of effector T cell repertoire, reversed type-2 cytokine bias and attenuated tumor-induced inhibition of T cell proliferation in tumor-bearing host. To confirm the role of immune system in calcarea carbonica-induced cancer cell death, a battery of cancer cells were co-cultured with calcarea carbonica-primed T cells. Our results indicated a “two-step” mechanism of the induction of apoptosis in tumor cells by calcarea carbonica i.e., (1) activation of the immune system of the host; and (2) induction of cancer cell apoptosis via immuno-modulatory circuit in p53-dependent manner by down-regulating Bcl-2:Bax ratio. Bax up-regulation resulted in mitochondrial transmembrane potential loss and cytochrome c release followed by activation of caspase cascade. Knocking out of p53 by RNA-interference inhibited calcarea carbonica-induced apoptosis thereby confirming the contribution of p53. These observations delineate the significance of immuno-modulatory circuit during calcarea carbonica-mediated tumor apoptosis. The molecular mechanism identified may serve as a platform for involving calcarea carbonica into immunotherapeutic strategies for effective tumor regression."
Apoptotic and antiproliferative activity of olive oil hydroxytyrosol on breast cancer cells "The key findings of the present study showed that hydroxytyrosol, a pharmacologically safe natural product of olive oil, has potent anti-breast cancer properties. Indeed, it exhibits specific cytotoxicity against SK-BR-3 and T-47D breast cancer cells. Furthermore, hydroxytyrosol triggered apoptosis that showed a dose-dependent increase in both cell lines. Moreover, hydroxytyrosol inhibited cell proliferation by delaying the cell cycle at G2/M phase. Therefore, hydroxytyrosol warrants further investigations to prove its utility in preventing/treating breast cancer."
Antineoplastic effects of deoxyelephantopin, a sesquiterpene lactone from Elephantopus scaber, on lung adenocarcinoma (A549) cells "Deoxyelephantopin exhibited cytotoxicity to A549 cells (IC50 = 12.287 μg/mL), however, there was no toxicity towards normal human lymphocytes. Deoxyelephantopin suppressed the colony-forming ability of A549 cells in a dose-dependent manner.Deoxyelephantopin inhibited A549 cell growth by cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and induced apoptosis through both extrinsic and intrinsic pathways.These results suggest that deoxyelephantopin has great potential as a new chemotherapeutic agent to be developed further for the treatment of lung cancer"
Anticancer Activity of Scutellaria baicalensis and Its Potential Mechanism "Scutellaria baicalensis strongly inhibits cell growth in all cancer cell lines tested. However, prostate and breast cancer cells (PC-3, LNCaP, and MCF-7) are slightly more sensitive than other type of cancer cells. It also inhibits PGE2 production, indicating that suppression of tumor cell growth may be due to its ability to inhibit COX-2 activity. This study supports the notion of using Scutellaria baicalensisas a novel anticancer agent to treat various cancers"
Anti-angiogenic effect of the total flavonoids in Scutellaria barbata D. Don "Total Flavones in Scutellaria barbata could suppress the process of angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. TF-SB potentially suppresses angiogenesis in HUVECs by regulating VEGF. These findings suggested that TF-SB may serve as a potent anti-angiogenic agent."
Anticancer Activity of Certain Herbs and Spices on the Cervical Epithelial Carcinoma (HeLa) Cell Line "The rosemary species were found to have the highest antioxidant content which could be attributed to the high content of polyphenolic compounds. Therefore the rosemary species possess potential chemopreventive properties. After performing the XTT cytotoxicity assay it was hypothesized that Laurus nobilis, with an SI of 3.61, and Oregano vulgare, with an SI of 1.30, were the best candidates for further investigation. Both these extracts were further investigated to determine their mechanism of cell death by observing them under light microscopy and confocal microscopy. From the microscopy images it was observed that in both cell lines morphological changes did appear after exposure to various concentrations of the acetone extracts. Although these microscopy images were in agreement with one another that apoptosis was the possible mechanism of cell death, as seen by the characteristic features of hypercondensed chromatin (mostly in HeLa cells) and cellular debris (seen only in Vero cells), they are not sufficient enough to definitely confirm that apoptosis is taking place and therefore more sensitive assays such as flow cytometry need to Be used to confirm that apoptosis is taking place. However Laurus nobilis did show promising results as an anticancer agent due to its relatively high toxicity on the HeLa cell line and at this same concentration a low toxicity on the Vero cell line."
A Dietary Tomato Supplement Prevents Prostate Cancer in TRAMP Mice "Daily consumption of a tomato-rich diet was highly effective in preventing prostate cancer in TRAMP mice .In addition to its direct effects on tumor cells, tomato, a functional food containing a mixture of pleiotropic com-pounds (47), can be regarded as a biological response modifier whose establishment of an anti-inflammatory and antiangiogenic environment prevents tumor onset and progression"
Dietary Walnut Suppressed Mammary Gland Tumorigenesis in the C(3)1 TAg Mouse "These data indicate that exposure to a small amount of walnut in the diet of this transgenic mouse slowed the development and reduced the multiplicity of mammary gland cancers but does not define the mechanism of action for the walnut nor an active ingredient of the walnut. Walnut in the diet was associated with alterations in cell signaling pathways involved in proliferation, cell differentiation, and apoptosis. The signaling pathways altered in mammary glands of these mice have been identified as important in the development of human breast cancer, thus this study should be relevant to humans. The fatty acid composition of the mammary glands was altered but comparison to another study with the same amount of omega 3 fatty acids in the diet indicates that increased omega 3 fatty acids in the mammary gland does not explain the altered tumor incidence. However, alterations in dietary gamma tocopherol were inversely associated with tumorigenesis.More work will need to be done to determine the components of walnut and the mechanisms associated with tumor suppression. However, humans eat the whole nut, not specific components. It seems likely that incorporation of walnuts as part of a healthy diet could reduce the risk for breast cancer in humans."
Effects of Spiritual Healing for Women Undergoing Long-Term Hormone Therapy for Breast Cancer: A Qualitative Investigation "The positive effects of Spiritual Healing included alleviation of the physical side-effects of their treatment, increased energy levels, enhanced well-being, emotional relaxation, and re-engagement with precancer activities. Conclusions: These qualitative findings indicate that Spiritual Healing has the potential to support patients with breast cancer in the maintenance of their long-term orthodox treatments. Further research is needed to test Spiritual Healing as a cost-effective complementary therapy, for those undergoing long-term cancer treatments"
Notch-1 down-regulation by curcumin is associated with the inhibition of cell growth and the induction of apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells "Curcumin inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells. Notch-1, Hes-1, and Bcl-XL expression levels concomitantly were down-regulated by curcumin treatment. These results correlated with the inactivation of NF-kappaB activity and increased apoptosis induced by curcumin. The down-regulation of Notch-1 by small-interfering RNA prior to curcumin treatment resulted in enhanced cell growth inhibition and apoptosis."
Sulphoraphane, a Dietary Component of Broccoli/Broccoli Sprouts,Inhibits Breast Cancer Stem Cells "In conclusion, we have demonstrated that sulforaphane was able to target breast CSCs as determined by the mammosphere formation assay, Aldefluor assay, and tumor growth upon reimplantation in secondary mice. Furthermore, our study identified the down-regulation ofWnt/β-catenin self-renewal pathway by sulforaphane as one of the possible mechanisms for its efficacy. These studies support the use of sulforaphane for breast cancer chemoprevention.These findings provide a strong rationale for preclinical and clinical evaluation of sulforaphaneor broccoli/broccoli sprouts for breast cancer therapies."
Differential Control of Growth, Apoptotic Activity, and Gene Expression in Human Breast Cancer Cells by Extracts Derived from Medicinal Herbs Zingiber officinale "Ginger treatment downregulated expression of prosurvival genes, such as NF-κB, Bcl-X, Mcl-1, and Survivin, and cell cycle-regulating proteins, including cyclin D1 and cyclin-dependent kinase-4 (CDK-4). On the other hand, it increased expression of CDK inhibitor, p21. It also inhibited the expression of the two prominent molecular targets of cancer, c-Myc and the human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT). These findings suggested that the ginger may be a promising candidate for the treatment of breast carcinomas."
Green Tea and cancer Prevention "The inhibitory activities of tea and tea catechins against carcinogenesis have been demonstrated in different animal models. Studies in cell lines have also showed that tea catechins can affect a variety of signaling and metabolic pathways. These molecular events could result in cancer cell growth inhibition, apoptosis, and inhibition of invasion, angiogenesis, and metastasis. These activities and the prevention of carcinogenesis have been demonstrated in animal model, but the cancer preventive activity of tea has not been consistently observed in human studies. This may be due to the relatively lower levels of tea consumption by some human populations (than animal studies) and the various confounding factors in epidemiological studies in different populations. The low bioavailability of tea polyphenols, such as EGCG, is also an issue. For agents with low systematic bioavailability, their direct contact with the digestive tract could be important for their cancer preventive activity. This point should be applicable to the activities of EGCG and polyphenols in many other foods or beverages. This information, as well as the biological properties and activities of tea polyphenols reviewed here, may be useful in design of prospective studies and in the selection of the agent, dosage, and biomarkers for intervention trials. The results of such well-designed studies will provide more definitive information on the possible use of tea for the reduction of cancer risk in different populations."
Curcumin, the Golden Spice From Indian Saffron, Is a Chemosensitizer and Radiosensitizer for Tumors and Chemoprotector and Radioprotector for Normal Organs "Given the shortcomings of current chemotherapy and radiation treatments for cancer management, it is obvious that such treatments in the future must be combined with more effective and safer drugs/compounds. In this regard, given all the encouraging evidence summarized in the previous sections, curcumin seems to be an ideal, safe, and highly effective compound that can be used as an adjunct in such therapeutic strategies. Use of a curcumin-based, anticancer therapeutic strategy would also allow use of lower doses of chemotherapeutic drugs and radiation but still achieve much higher antitumor efficacy and yet lower toxicity and resistance in the management of variety of human cancers. In this context, it may also be important to gain more meticulous insights into identifying cancer stem cells in various solid organ tumors and determine how these differ from normal stem cells and other neoplastic cells within the same tissue. We believe that given the undisputed and encouraging data for curcumin as a safe and effective cancer preventive and newer data as a potential therapeutic agent, combining curcumin with current chemotherapy and/or radiation may also reduce the need for palliative surgery in some instances, as cancers may be stopped before they become invasive and widely metastatic. These effects combined with its ability to prevent depression, fatigue, neuropathic pain, lack of sleep, and lack of appetite, all symptoms that induced by cancer and cancer treatment, makes curcumin an ideal agent for cancer patients."
Lowering the Risk of Rectal Cancer among Habitual Beer Drinkers by Dietary Means "The regular consumption of foods containing the micronutrients involved with methylation, folate, methionine, vitamins B6 and B12, and the four micronutrients examined with antioxidant properties, selenium, vitamins E, C, and lycopene, all attenuated this risk among beer drinkers. The strongest effects were noted for vitamins E, C and lycopene, and the weakest for methionine and selenium containing foods. Whilst certainly not encouraging excessive beer drinking, the results support the proposition that the regular consumption of foods containing some of the micronutrients involved in one-carbon metabolism, particularly folate, vitamins B6, B12, and some with antioxidant properties, namely, vitamins E, C, lycopene and selenium, micronutrients that are plentiful in many vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, and fish, may provide a relatively simple and harmless means of counteracting the excess risk of rectal cancer in habitual and persistent beer drinkers."
Bee products prevent VEGF-induced angiogenesis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells Tumor angiogenesis is a very important step in the growth and metastasis of tumor development "Among the bee products, Chinese red propolis and CAPE in particular showed strong suppressive effects against VEGF-induced angiogenesis. These findings indicate that Chinese red propolis and CAPE may have potential as preventive and therapeutic agents against angiogenesis-related human diseases........ In a previous study, we found that Brazilian green propolis and its constituent caffeoylquinic acid derivatives suppressed VEGF-induced cell proliferation, migration, and in vitro tube formation in HUVECs [23]. In the present study, Chinese red propolis and its chemical constituent, CAPE, suppressed VEGF-induced in vitro tube formation. Caffeic acid is a known suppressor of tumor angiogenesis that acts in human retinal carcinoma cells by blocking STAT3-mediated VEGF expression [24]. These studies indicate that caffeoyl groups included in propolis may be important components responsible for its anti-angiogenic activities.The pharmacological effects of bee products have been reported in many different diseases. In particular, there are many reports about the anti-tumor effects of propolis and CAPE. Our previous studies indicate that baccharin and drupanin, constituents of Brazilian propolis, inhibit tumor growth both in vitro and in vivo [25]. Likewise, CAPE induces growth arrest and apoptosis of colon cancer cells via the beta-catenin/T-cell factor signaling pathway [26]. Tumor angiogenesis is a very important step in the growth and metastasis of tumor development. Combined with these findings in the present study, Chinese propolis and its CAPE constituent suppressed VEGF-induced angiogenesis in HUVECs indicates that the anti-tumor effects of propolis and CAPE may be dependent both on direct inhibition of tumor cell growth and on angiostatic effects on the vessels supplying nutrients to the neoplasm."
Growth Inhibition and Regression of Lung Tumors by Silibinin: Modulation of Angiogenesis by Macrophage-Associated Cytokines and Nuclear Factor-κB and Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription 3 Silibinin is a flavonolignan, a major component present in milk thistle (Silybum marianum) seeds. "In summary, oral silibinin showed antitumor effects in urethane-induced and established lung adenocarcinomas, most likely by decreasing microvessel size and inhibiting newly formed microvessel growth in tumors. The decrease in TAM infiltration into lungs as well as the lower levels of angiogenic cytokines, and greater TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 concentrations, along with the inhibition of HIF-1α, NF-κB, and STAT3 activation, could account for the antiangiogenic effects of silibinin. Additionally, elevating levels of Ang-2 and Tie-2 without changing VEGF amounts could have led to microvessel regression in tumors by silibinin. Overall, our findings here, together with our earlier studies (7), suggest that silibinin is a promising agent for intervention in human lung cancer oncogenesis."
Anthocyanins in Black Raspberries Prevent Esophageal Tumors in Rats "The anthocyanin treatments (diet groups a–c) were about equally effective in reducing NMBA tumorigenesis in the esophagus, indicating that the anthocyanins in BRB have chemopreventive potential. The organic-insoluble (residue) fraction (d) was also effective, suggesting that components other than berry anthocyanins may be chemopreventive. The hexane and sugar diets were inactive. Diet groups a, b, and d all inhibited cell proliferation, inflammation, and angiogenesis and induced apoptosis in both preneoplastic and papillomatous esophageal tissues, suggesting similar mechanisms of action by the different berry components."
Pien Tze Huang inhibits the proliferation of human colon carcinoma cells by arresting G1/S cell cycle progression "Results showed that PZH inhibited Caco-2 cell viability and survival in a dose- and/or time-dependent manner. In addition, PZH treatment was found to block the G1/S cell cycle progression. Moreover, PZH suppressed the mRNA and protein expression of pro-proliferative Cyclin D1 and CDK4. Findings of the present study suggest that inhibition of cell proliferation via the G1/S cell cycle arrest is a potential mechanism by which PZH can be effective in the treatment of cancer."
Hypnosis for cancer care: Over 200 years young "The goal of this review was to summarize the empirical literature on hypnosis as an integrative cancer prevention and control technique. We have reviewed where hypnosis has strong support for its efficacy (surgery and other invasive procedures), where it holds promise (weight loss, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and metastatic disease), and where more work is needed."
20(S)-25-methoxyl-dammarane-3β, 12β, 20-triol, a novel natural product for prostate cancer therapy: activity in vitro and in vivo and mechanisms of action "Although the four ginsenosides share a common core structure, they have remarkably different effects on cancer cells. Of those tested, 25-OCH3-PPD demonstrated the most potent cytotoxic, antiproliferative, pro-apoptotic, and cell cycle regulatory effects. Moreover, it produced strong antitumour effects against a model of androgen-independent prostate cancer both alone and in combination with conventional cancer therapies. These results indicate that 25-OCH3-PPD may be an appropriate candidate for further preclinical and clinical development as an antiprostate cancer agent either alone or in combination with conventional therapies."
In vitro cytotoxic effect of hydroalcoholic extracts of medicinal plants on Ehrlich’s Ascites Carcinoma (EAC) "The results showed that the plant extracts were invariably non toxic for the normal spleenocyte cell, whereas they showed toxicity for EAC cells in different degree. The cell cycle analysis for the EAC cells treated with the extracts of the aforesaid plants showed a variable, yet dosedependent increasing percentage of apoptosis. The results signify that the plants which have antioxidant property may function as cytotoxic agent for cancer cell."
Cancer-Related Stress and Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A Review "CAM for stress management could restore a patient’s sense of control, maintain quality of life, reduce risk of cancer recurrence, and minimize physician visits. The first prescription following a cancer-related visit with a healthcare provider may be for stress management technique/product....Thus, CAM for stress management could be a critical component of cancer care."
Crassocephalum crepidioides + cancer General
Antitumor activity and macrophage nitric oxide producing action of medicinal herb, Crassocephalum crepidioides "The results highlight the oncolytic and immunopotentiation properties of C. crepidioides mediated through NF-κB-induced release of NO from macrophages"
Novel substituted methylenedioxy lignan suppresses proliferation of cancer cells by inhibiting telomerase and activation of c-myc and caspases leading to apoptosis "Conventional solvent fractionation and bioactivity based target assays were used to identify a new anti-cancer molecule from Phyllanthus urinaria, a herbal medicinal plant used in South India....The results indicate that 7'-hydroxy-3',4',5,9,9'-pentamethoxy-3,4-methylene dioxy lignan was capable of inhibiting telomerase activity and also could inhibit bcl2 and activate caspase 3 and caspase 8 whose significance in the induction of apoptosis is well known. We believe that this compound could serve as a valuable chemotherapeutic drug after further evaluations."
Guarana (Paullinia cupana) Improves Fatigue in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Systemic Chemotherapy "It was demonstrated in a randomized clinical trial that guarana extract is an effective, inexpensive, and nontoxic option for the short-term treatment of cancer-related fatigue in women with BC undergoing chemotherapy. Further studies are needed to confirm these results and to evaluate their generalizability to other types of cancer and other clinical settings."
Triphala, an Ayurvedic Rasayana Drug, Protects Mice Against Radiation-Induced Lethality by Free-Radical Scavenging "From our study it is clear that TE provided protection against radiation-induced sickness and mortality in mice and its free radical scavenging and antioxidant activities may be responsible for the observed radioprotection. Further experimental studies are planned to explore how TE may modulate the radiation-induced damage in radiation fractionation, for its utility in cancer treatment and its effect on cancer growth."
Apigenin Induces Apoptosis and Blocks Growth of Medroxyprogesterone Acetate-Dependent BT-474 Xenograft Tumors "In conclusion, we show that apigenin inhibits the growth of MPA-dependent BT-474 xenograft tumors, both by inducing apoptosis and by inhibiting proliferation of tumor epithelial cells. Apigenin may also reduce the production by tumor cells of pro-angiogenic VEGF, which is essential for growth and maintenance of blood vessels in the tumor microenvironment."
Anticancer activity of botanical compounds in ancient fermented beverages (Review) "..These data show that both artesunate and artemisinin treatments resulted in a concentration-dependent inhibition of cell growth in Lewis lung carcinoma cells, but that artesunate was >30 times as effective ... ...The active compounds detected by the p53 studies included artemisinin, artesunate, borneol, isoscopoletin, and ursolic acid, with inhibition effects on tumor growth ranging in concentration from micromolar to millimolar amounts. Although artesunate, and to a lesser extent artemisinin, are most active against HCT116 colon adenocarcinoma... ...Based on these results, we propose in vivo and clinical studies of one derivative compound from A. annua in particular: artesunate. As already known from in vivo mouse studies of other cancers, we plan to test this compound for its clinical efficacy against lung and pancreatic cancer. To date, the effectiveness of artesunate against these specific cancers has not been determined...
Nutritional Interventions for Cancer-induced Cachexia "Possible macronutrient changes such as increased protein may be considered as well as supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids and other micronutrients described. There is a need to optimize nutritional state and encourage repair of tissues not only during cancer surgery or procedures, but throughout the course of cancer therapy to decrease morbidity and increase quality of life. Proper identification and management of chemotherapy and radiation side effects, promotion of nutritional status, and prevention of muscle loss would be expected to reduce the considerable morbidity associated with CIC."
Aloe-emodin novel anticancer Herbal Drug "Aloe-Emodin was able to inhibit cell growth in several tumor cells, including human lung carcinoma, hepatoma, and leukemia cell lines. aloe-emodin shows a high specificity for neuroectodermal tumor cells....Emodin and aloe-emodin were also able to induce cell-cycle arrest, involving an increase in p53 expression level and accompanied by upregulation of p21. This suggests that emodin could be a promising candidature for the research and development of new anti-tumor drugs."
Chemoprevention of Head and Neck Cancer by Green Tea Extract: EGCG—The Role of EGFR Signaling and “Lipid Raft” "Considering the tantalizingly marginal improvement in the treatment outcomes of patients with HNSCC, it is urgent and critical to develop novel strategy based on early detection and chemoprevention. Among numerous putative chemopreventive agents, EGCG appears to be one of the most promising natural compounds based on accumulated data and, in particular, two novel findings provided recently: (1) clinical efficacy and (2) unique biological effects on lipid rafts that are an important platform of numerous biophysical functions including RTKs signalings. A larger-scale clinical study of EGCG is highly recommended."
Tumor Therapy with Amanita phalloides (Death Cap): Stabilization of B-Cell Chronic Lymphatic LeukemiaIsolde "The former duplication time of leukemic cells was 21 months. Within a period of 21 months, the cell count is stabilized to around 105/μL. No leukemia-associated symptoms, liver damage, or continuous erythrocyte deprivation occur....This new principle of tumor therapy shows high potential to provide a gentle medical treatment"
Effects of Homeopathic Preparations on Human Prostate Cancer Growth in Cellular and Animal Models "Our study clearly demonstrates a biologic response to homeopathic treatment as manifested by cell proliferation and tumor growth. This biologic effect was (i)significantly stronger to Sabal serrulata than to controls and (ii)specific to human prostate cancer. Sabal serrulata should thus be further investigated as a specific homeopathic remedy for prostate pathology."
A homeopathic approach to treat patients with advanced gallbladder, periampullary, and liver carcinomas: a report of 3 cases "According to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors criteria, complete tumor response occurred in 1 case and partial tumor response occurred in the other 2 cases. All 3 patients remained alive and maintained a stable quality of life for at least 2 years. The patients reported no adverse side-effects from Psorinum-6x. This report indicates the clinical efficacy of Psorinum therapy in treating those 3 patients. Thorough basic research and well-designed clinical trials should be conducted for further investigation"
Anticancer Potentials of Root Extract of Polygala senega and Its PLGA Nanoparticles-Encapsulated Form "In conclusion, it has been demonstrated that homeopathic mother tincture of P. senega has an anticancer effect against lung cancer cells in vitro, and PLGA encapsulation helps it to enhance its cellular uptake and anticancer potentials, presumably by increasing drug bioavailability. This should stimulate further research on nano-encapsulation of homeopathic mother tinctures, as also medicinal herbal extracts, particularly with suspected anticancer potentials, to examine whether this would prove to be a novel approach for accelerating anticancer potentials for other cases as well"
Significance of Dietary Antioxidants in Averting Cancer "By this we can conclude that dietary antioxidants can provide a wide sort of health benefits, caused by the in the presence of free radicals on key biomolecules like lipids or nucleic acids. We can also prevent the various diseases which are occurring in the presence of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) like cancer and oxidative stress related diseases."
Luteolin, a flavonoid with potentials for cancer prevention and therapy "These observations suggest that luteolin could be an anticancer agent for various cancers. Furthermore, recent epidemiological studies have attributed a cancer prevention property to luteolin. In this review, we summarize the progress of recent research on luteolin, with a particular focus on its anticancer role and molecular mechanisms underlying this property of luteolin." Luteolin rich foods Parsley, thyme, celery, hot peppers, chamomile tea,
Luteolin sensitizes Fas/FasL–induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells through inhibiting Akt Activation and promoting XIAP Degradation "....Evidences demonstrated that anti-Fas antibodies, rFasL reduce the growth of transplanted solid tumors in vivo experiments in mice and also cause severe damage to the mouse liver at the same time [30]. Therefore, liver injury induced by this agent determined the limitation of their application. In this study, we found that luteolin enhance FasLinduced apoptosis in HepG2 cells, while the L02 cells can be exemped from the cytoxic effects at a sufficient dose level. It may therefore be possible that luteolin could widen the therapeutic window, allowing cancer cells killing while protecting liver cells." Luteolin rich foods Parsley, thyme, celery, hot peppers, chamomile tea,
Quercetin Induces Necrosis and Apoptosis in SCC-9 Oral Cancer Cells Quercetin is a member of the class of flavonoids called flavonols. It is widely distributed in the plant kingdom in rinds and barks The.main dietary sources of quercetin are onions, tea, apples, berries and red wine. "In conclusion, our data support a view that quercetin initially induces a stress response, resulting in necrosis of these oral epithelial cells. Prolonged exposure of the surviving cells to quercetin causes apoptosis, presumably mediated by inhibition of TS protein."
An evaluation of the anticancer activity in Hopea odorata extracts "The result indicated that the butanol extract of H. Odorata had selective inhibition to both Hep G2 and Chang cells with IC50 of 20.14 and 377 μg/ml, respectively. Growth inhibition by the extract showed an increased of apoptosis at concentration of 25 μg/ml."
_Natural sources as potential anti-cancer agents: A review "In this review active principle derived from natural products are offering a great opportunity to evaluate not only totally new chemical classes of anticancer agents, but also novel lead compound and potentially relevant mechanisms of action."
_Prognostic effects of 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in gastric cancer The patients with high vitamin D levels group (≥50nmol/L) had a higher overall survivalcompared with the low vitamin D levels group(<50nmol/L)(P = 0.018). Multivariate analysisindicated that vitamin D levels were an independent prognostic factor of gastric cancer(P = 0.019). Conclusions Vitamin D deficiency may be associated with poor prognosis in gastric cancer."_
Apoptosis induced by the Tibetan herbal remedy PADMA 28 in the T cell-derived lymphocytic leukaemia cell line CEM-C7H2 "Here we show that PADMA 28 added to T cell-derived lymphatic leukaemia cells in culture has a pronounced concentration- and time-dependent anti-proliferative effect. The inhibition of cell proliferation is accompanied by nuclear body formation a morphological signs of apoptosis. Furthermore hallmarks of apoptosis, such as the accumulation of cells in subG1 phase, and fragmentation of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) could be detected. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that cell survival and cell death are largely determined by the function of Bcl-2 family members. Here we show that induction of apoptosis by PADMA 28 can be effectively counteracted by overexpression of the pro-survival protein Bcl-2. Based on our data we suggest that PADMA 28 may act in a pro-apoptotic fashion by interfering with Bcl-2 signalling."._
Dietary Cancer Chemopreventive Agents – Targeting Inflammation and Nrf2 Signaling Pathway "Given that chronic inflammation has been linked with almost 20% of all human malignancies [77], Nrf2 signaling is important in the defense of acute inflammation, both inflammation and Nrf2 seem to be plausible targets for cancer chemoprevention......In addition to ongoing trials involving single phytochemicals with multiple activities, these combinational approaches certainly warrant further consideration in clinical human trials."_
_Induction
of apoptosis by shikonin through a ROS/JNK-mediated process in
Bcr/Abl-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) cells "Altogether, these findings demonstrate that shikonin-induced oxidative injury operates at a proximal point in apoptotic signaling cascades, and subsequently activates the stress-related JNK pathway, triggers mitochondrial dysfunction, cytochrome c release, and caspase activation, and leads to apoptosis. Our data also suggest that shikonin may be a promising agent for the treatment of CML, as a generator of ROS." (Shikonin (C16H16O5) is a natural naphthoquinone derivative compound that is present in the root tissues of the traditional Chinese medical herb Lithospermum erythrorhizon.)
Classical
homeopathy in the treatment of cancer patients - a prospective
observational study of two independent cohorts "Conclusion In our prospective study, we observed an improvement of quality of life as well as a tendency of fatigue symptoms to decrease in cancer patients under complementary homeopathic treatment. It would take considerably larger samples to find matched pairs suitable for comparison in order to establish a definite causal relation between these effects and homeopathic treatment."
_Jaceosidin Induces Apoptosis in U87 Glioblastoma Cells through G2/M Phase Arrest "In conclusion, our data demonstrated that jaceosidin inhibited the growth of U87 glioblastoma cells and induced apoptosis through cell cycle arrest, upregulation of p53 and Bax, lowering MTP, release of cytochrome c, and cleavage of caspase 3. Thus, jaceosidin could be developed into a novel chemotherapeutic or chemopreventive agent against glioblastoma."_
_Pomegranate extract induces apoptosis in human prostate cancer cells by modulation of the IGF-IGFBP axis "In conclusion, these studies reveal novel interactions between the IGF system and pomegranate-induced apoptosis, and suggest that pomegranate products modulate the tumor production and responsiveness to IGFs and the IGFBPs. As IGFBP-3 is currently being tested in humans as a treatment for prostate cancer and pomegranate supplements are becoming popular as adjuvant nutritional treatments for this disease, we propose that these agents may emerge as useful in the management of prostate cancer."
_Pomegranate extract inhibits androgen-independent prostate cancer growth through a nuclear factor-κB-dependent mechanism "Extending the duration of the androgen-dependent state could potentially prolong life expectancy of prostate cancer patients and delay or prevent the need for additional hormonal therapy or chemotherapy. In this regard, our finding that PE delayed the growth and emergence of androgen independence in our xenograft model may be particularly germane. Of importance, our group showed previously that dietary fat reduction delayed the emergence of androgen independence and prolonged survival using a similar xenograft model (36). Future research will focus on potential additive and/or synergistic effects of combining a low-fat diet with PE. Based on our results, we propose that PJ could have potential as a dietary agent to prevent the emergence of androgen independence and suggest that this may be a high priority area for future clinical investigation"
Phytochemicals, antioxidant properties and anticancer investigations of
the different parts of several gingers species (Boesenbergia rotunda,
Boesenbergia pulchella var attenuata and Boesenbergia armeniaca) "In the cytotoxicity assay, B. rotunda showed the most prominent and promising result as anticancer medicinal plant. It showed positive antiproliferative effect against five cancer cell lines: ovarian (CaOV3), breast (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7), cervical (HeLa) and colon (HT-29) cancer cell lines with 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay conducted. In addition, the rhizome of B. pulchella var attenuata and B. armeniaca shown positive result in cytotoxicity assay tested against breast cancer (MCF-7). Thus, the Boesenbergia species investigated would be a promising anticancer remedy for breast cancer."_
MicroRNA, Nutrition, and Cancer Prevention "_Recent
evidence suggests that nutrients and other bioactive food components
protect against cancer through modulation of
miRNA expression. Moreover, dietary factors have been shown to modify
miRNA expression and their mRNA targets in various
cancer processes, including apoptosis, cell cycle regulation,
differentiation, inflammation, angiogenesis, and metastasis
as well as pathways in stress response. Herein, we provide a
brief overview of dietary modulation of miRNA expression and
its potential role in cancer prevention. Understanding the
affect of dietary factors on miRNA expression and function may
provide insight on prevention strategies to reduce the
burden of cancer."
Vitamin C: A Concentration-Function Approach Yields Pharmacology and Therapeutic Discoveries "Pharmacologic ascorbate can elicit cytotoxicity toward cancer cells and slow thegrowth of tumors in experimental murine models. The effects of pharmacologic ascorbate should be further studied in diseases, such as cancer and infections, which may respond to generation of reactive oxygen species via H2O2."_
Survival of cancer patients treated with mistletoe extract (Iscador): a systematic literature review. "Pooled analysis of clinical studies suggests that adjuvant treatment of cancer patients with the mistletoe extract Iscador is associated with a better survival. Despite obvious limitations, and strong hints for a publication bias which limits the evidence found in this meta-analysis, one can not ignore the fact that studies with positive effects of VA-E on survival of cancer patients are accumulating" _
_Use of Iscador,and extract of European Mistletoe (Viscum Album), in Cancer
Treatment: Prospective Nonrandomized and Randomized Matched-Pair Studies
Nested Within A Cohorot Study "Mistletoe extracts, which contain a complex of oncologically relevant active substances andexert a variety of anticancer effects, appear to prolong survival times in patients with various tumor types. In the studies described here, efficacy was observed in patients with rectum carcinoma, colon carcinoma, stomach carcinoma, breast carcinoma (with or without axillary metastases or remote metastases), and small cell and non-small-cell bronchogenic carcinoma. The study findings support the claim of anthroposophical medicine that mistletoe therapy is generally effective for treating cancer, irrespective of tumor type."
There are two major types of omega-3 fatty acids in our diets: One type
is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is found in some vegetable oils,
such as soybean, rapeseed (canola), and flaxseed, and in walnuts. ALA
is also found in some green vegetables, such as Brussels sprouts, kale,
spinach, and salad greens. The other type, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), is found in fatty fish. The body
partially converts ALA to EPA and DHA. _
Silibinin modulates TNF-α and IFN-γ mediated signaling to regulate COX2 and iNOS expression in tumorigenic mouse lung epithelial LM2 cells "Together, we showed that STAT3 and STAT1 could be valuable chemopreventive and therapeutic targets within the lung tumor microenvironment in addition to being targets within tumor itself, and that silibinin inhibits their activation as a plausible mechanism of its efficacy against lung cancer" NB Silibinin (INN), also known as silybin, is the major active constituent of silymarin, standardized extract of the milk thistle seeds (Silybum marianum)
Positive Changes, Increased Spiritual Importance, and Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Use Among Cancer Survivors "our study offers important insights into the spiritual experience following cancer among a large sample of survivors with different tumor types. Positive changes are common among survivors, even among those living with cancer...The strong relationship between CAM use and spiritual transformation also suggests that allowing individuals to participate in therapies more aligned with their spiritual orientation to health may have a positive impact for their illness trajectory."
Cannabidiol Enhances the Inhibitory Effects of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol on Human Glioblastoma Cell Proliferation and Survival "The treatment of glioblastoma cells with both compounds led to significant modulations of the cell cycle and induction of reactive oxygen species and apoptosis as well as specific modulations of extracellular signal-regulated kinase and caspase activities. These specific changes were not observed with either compound individually, indicating that the signal transduction pathways affected by the combination treatment were unique. Our results suggest that the addition of cannabidiol to Δ9-THC may improve the overall effectiveness of Δ9-THC in the treatment of glioblastoma in cancer patients."
Calcitriol in cancer treatment: From the lab to the clinic "1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D (calcitriol), the most active metabolite of vitamin D, has significant antineoplastic activity in preclinical models. Several mechanisms of activity have been proposed. These include inhibition of proliferation associated with cell cycle arrest and, in some models, differentiation, reduction in invasiveness and angiogenesis, and induction of apoptosis. Proposed mechanisms differ between tumor models and experimental conditions, and no unifying hypothesis about the mechanism of antineoplastic activity has emerged.....Further work is needed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of antineoplastic activity and optimal clinical applications of calcitriol in cancer." NB-Calcitriol also called 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol or 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, is the hormonally active form of vitamin D
Potential applications of curcumin and its novel synthetic analogs and nanotechnology-based formulations in cancer prevention and therapy "Curcumin has attracted great attention in the therapeutic arsenal in clinical oncology due to its chemopreventive, antitumoral, radiosensibilizing and chemosensibilizing activities against various types of aggressive and recurrent cancers. These malignancies include leukemias, lymphomas, multiple myeloma, brain cancer, melanoma and skin, lung, prostate, breast, ovarian, liver, gastrointestinal, pancreatic and colorectal epithelial cancers. Curcumin mediates its anti-proliferative, anti-invasive and apoptotic effects on cancer cells, including cancer stem/progenitor cells and their progenies, through multiple molecular mechanisms. ...Taken together, these studies carried out in the last ten years have indicated that curcumin may act on multiple oncogenic targets frequently deregulated in cancer cells, including cancer stem/progenitor cells with stem cell-like properties, during the progression of most human aggressive cancers"
Cardioprotective effects of Curcuma longa L. extracts against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in rats "Oral administration of Curcuma longa ethanolic or water extract (200 mg/kg) prior to doxorubicin produced a significant protection which was evidenced by significant reduction in mortality, CK-MB and LDH -activities. Moreover, they significantly increased GSH markedly, decreased cardiac calcium, and cardiac and serum MDA. In addition, both extracts significantly reduced serum nitric oxide, increased cardiac ascorbic acid, and ameliorated the antioxidant enzymes activities. In conclusion, Curcuma longa extracts renders resiliency against doxorubicin cardiotoxicity due to their contents of polyphenolic compounds that might serve as novel adjuvant therapy with doxorubicin."
DIETARY FLAXSEED PREVENTS RADIATION-INDUCED OXIDATIVE LUNG DAMAGE, INFLAMMATION AND FIBROSIS IN A MOUSE MODEL OF THORACIC RADIATION INJURY "In summary, this study evaluates a non-toxic, widely available nutritional supplement that offers long term radioprotective effects in the setting of thoracic radiotherapy. Potential mechanisms of the effects of prolonged FS feeding include altering immediate XRT-induced markers of lung damage, creating a baseline radioprotective state prior to XRT, and providing high levels of circulating antioxidants from the continued metabolism is of bioactive lignans."
Immunomodulatory Effect of Rhaphidophora korthalsii on Natural Killer Cell Cytotoxicity "In this study, stimulation of the immune system by R. korthalsii methanol extract had significant effects on proliferation, NK cell population, and cytokine expression in the host, which further enhanced the cytolytic activity of the immune cells. Up till now, 5,6-dihydroxyindole (DHI) is the only compound successfully isolated from R. korthalsii. However, role of DHI on the immunomodulatory effect of R. korthalsii methanol extract and the other potential active secondary metabolites that play an important role in this immunostimulatory effect are still unknown. Thus, future study should focus on isolation and evaluation of active metabolites from the extract that contributes to the immunomodulatory effect against the NK cell."
Multitargeted therapy of cancer by lycopene "These epidemiological studies are supported by numerous in vitro assays using cell cultures that show anti-cancer activities and cancer chemoprevention activities of lycopene in many cell lines including prostate cancer cells. These activities include inducing apoptosis, inhibiting metastasis, preventing oxidative stress, and up-regulating the antioxidant response element so that cells can produce cytoprotective enzymes against prooxidants and electrophiles. In vivo animal studies and Phase I and II clinical trials have shown that lycopene supplements are non-toxic and that lycopene is orally bioavailable. Furthermore, lycopene is concentrated in prostate tissue and localized to the nucleus. In addition, some oxygenated metabolites of lycopene have been identified, and might be active as chemoprevention agents." NB lycopene is responsible for the red pigmentation of ripe tomatoes and some other edible fruits such as watermelon and papaya.
Lapachol: an overview "Lapachol is a naphthoquinone that was first isolated by E. Paterno from Tabebuia avellanedae (Bignoniaceae) in 1882....many others confirmed the efficacy of this naphthoquinone as anantineoplastic agent. However, in 1974, the National Cancer Institute concluded that, due to thehigh concentrations necessary for this drug to act as an effective chemotherapeutic agent inhuman cancer which unfortunately also resulted in very toxic side effects, suspension of furtherstudies on the action of lapachol as an antineoplastic agent would be terminated. However, noneof these studies considered the effects of lapachol at a molecular level. This information formsthe basis to develop the synthesis of new and novel lapachol analogues which can be used as thefuture starting point in future developments of this potentially potent biological molecule."
Thymoquinone rich fraction from Nigella sativa and thymoquinone are cytotoxic towards colon and leukemic carcinoma cell lines "In conclusion, this study indicates that TQRF and TQ possess cytotoxic properties against colorectal cancer and showed more prominent cytotoxic effects on leukemic cell lines. In spite of TQ, TQRF was also has potential to be used as anti-cancer treatment. Therefore, TQRF from N. sativa does have the potential to be developed as a nutraceuticals for preventing the progression of cancer."
The Impact of Fish Oil on the Chemopreventive Efficacy of Tamoxifen against Development of N-Methyl-N-Nitrosourea–Induced Rat Mammary Carcinogenesis "In this study, we report for the first time that the combination of a fish oil diet rich in n-3 PUFA and tamoxifen seemed to inhibit N-methyl-N-nitrosourea–induced mammary carcinogenesis, tumor multiplicity, and volume to a greater extent than the individual interventions. The potential superiority of the combination was particularly evident at a suboptimal dose of tamoxifen, which, by itself, was unable to significantly decrease tumor development. Because activation of PPARγ is known to inhibit oxidative stress, we examined the effects of our interventions on circulating and tumor levels of glutathione, a major intracellular antioxidant. Our results indicate that reduction in the level of oxidative stress may be a potential mechanism by which the n-3 PUFA–rich diet potentiated the tumor-suppressive effect of tamoxifen. Our interventions were well tolerated without evidence of toxicity. Combined administration of tamoxifen and n-3 PUFA is a promising new approach to breast cancer prevention. Because of its safety, this combination can quickly be translated to the clinic if its superiority can be supported by future studies."
Synergistic Effects of Combined Phytochemicals and Skin Cancer Prevention in SENCAR Mice " In conclusion, all combinations showed either additive or synergistic effects and their joint actions allowed for decreasing the doses of the compounds. Especially, resveratrol combinations with ellagic acid, grape seed extract, and other phytochemicals are very potent inhibitors of skin tumorgenesis, based on the suppression of epidermal hyperplasia as well as on the modulation of intermediate biomarkers of cell proliferation, cell survival, inflammation, oncogene mutation, and apoptosis." Resveratrol is an antioxidant that is commonly found in many plants. Red wine, peanuts, grapes and blueberries are some of its rich and popular sources.
Phytochemicals as Protectors Against Ultraviolet Radiation: Versatility of Effects and Mechanisms "Various phytochemicals protect plants and animals against the damaging effects of UV radiation. They all invoke multiple protective mechanisms, in many ways representing a critical feature in the efforts to develop protective strategies against a carcinogen that exerts multiple damaging effects. The use of agents based on some of the phytochemicals that were discussed here and the identification of new and more potent analogues, in addition to common sunscreens, are areas of development that have the potential to reduce the risk of skin cancer."
Dietary Cancer Chemopreventive Agents – Targeting Inflammation and Nrf2 Signaling Pathway "dietary vegetables and fruits have been regarded as rich sources of chemopreventive agents. Food phytochemicals such as curcumin, EGCG, resveratrol, genistein and isothiocyanates, with strong anti-inflammatory activity, have been shown to inhibit carcinogenesis in preclinical animal models. Epidemiological studies have clearly documented that the frequent consumption of a diet high in fruits and vegetables has been linked to a lower risk of many types of cancers including prostate, colon, oral cavity, stomach, lung and esophagus"
Potential of Spice-Derived Phytochemicals for Cancer Prevention "From the description provided above it is clear that spice-derived phytochemicals have an enormous potential in the prevention and treatment of cancer. They can induce apoptosis, suppress proliferation of tumor cells, inhibit invasion and angiogenesis, and prevent even bone loss. These phytochemicals mediate their effects through multiple targets and yet pharmacologically they are highly safe. More animal studies and clinical trials are needed to prove the usefulness of these agents. Safety, inexpensive cost, years of intake by humans and their efficacy make them ideal agents. Therefore it is not too surprising to note that Vasco de Gama tried to look for these spices almost five centuries ago."
Cytotoxicity Effects of Amoora rohituka and chittagonga on Breast and Pancreatic Cancer Cells " For MCF-7 cancer cells, the chittagonga (Pet-Ether and CH2Cl2) and rohituka (Pet-Ether) extracts induced cytotoxicity; the chittagonga (EtoAC) and rohituka (MeOH) extracts did not induce cytotoxicity. For HTB126, Panc-1, Mia-Paca2, and Capan-1 cancer cells, only the chittagonga CH2Cl2 extract showed a significant cytotoxic effect. The extracts were not cytotoxic to normal fibroblast Hs68 cells, which may be correlated to the specificity of Amoora extracts in targeting cancerous cells. Based on these results, further examination of the potential anticancer properties Amoora species and the identification of the active ingredients of these extracts is warranted."
Polarity Therapy for Cancer-Related Fatigue in Patients With Breast Cancer Receiving Radiation Therapy: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study "The present study supports previous experimental research showing that PT, a noninvasive and gentle energy therapy, may be effective in controlling CRF. PT is an integrative medicine energy therapy based on the Ayurvedic medical system used for thousands of years in India and evidence of its efficacy could lead to further, potentially fruitful, explorations of this ancient medical practice and/or of other energy therapies such as HT, TT, and Reiki."
Sulforaphane (SFN), a potent cancer preventive agent, is a dietary isothiocyanate compound found as a precursor glucosinolate in cruciferous vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli
Oral Glutamine Protects against Acute Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity of Tumor-Bearing Rats "The Gln supplementation resulted in lower cardiac lipid peroxidation and peroxintrite levels and elevated cardiac catalase enzyme activity and GSH compared with the controls, without affecting those of the tumors. DOX-induced alterations of the echocardiographic parameters were significantly reduced in the Gln-supplemented rats. These data indicate that Gln is able to reduce the oxidative damage of cardiomyocytes that occurs soon after DOX administration and thus protects the heart of a tumor-bearing host from DOX-induced cardiomyopathy."
Injectable Sustained Release Microparticles of Curcumin: A New Concept for Cancer Chemoprevention The current study is the first to report the use of an injectable, sustained release formulation, which, after a single dose, results in near-constant systemic concentrations of curcumin for several weeks and a significant inhibition of tumor growth in an orthotopic mammary tumor model. Further, the results of the study show that sustained low levels of curcumin achieved with microparticles may elicit certain antitumor effects not observed after repeated systemic injections.
Harmine activates intrinsic and extrinsic pathways of apoptosis in B16F-10 melanoma "TUNEL assay and flow cytometric analysis also confirmed apoptosis. Furthermore, RT-PCR analysis showed that harmine induced apoptosis in B16F-10 melanoma cells by up-regulating Bax and activating Caspase-3, 9 and p53 and down-regulating Bcl-2. Harmine also up-regulated Caspase-8 and Bid, indicating that harmine affected both extrinsic and intrinsic pathways of apoptosis. This study also showed inhibitory effects of harmine on some transcription factors and pro-inflammatory cytokines that protect cell from apoptosis"
Anticancer Effects of Taiwanofungus camphoratus Extracts, Isolated Compounds and its Combinational use "In addition, various compounds have been further purified from these extracts, such as terpenoids, maleic and succinic acids derivatives, polysaccharides, and other compounds, and they also showed potent cytotoxicity. Besides, T. camphoratus not only has cytotoxic effect but also produces synergistic anticancer effect with trichostatin A, lovastatin, and taxol. It is concluded that T. camphoratus could be considered as a potential anticancer agent to make cancer no longer a frightening nightmare. However, clinical trials of T. camphoratus on human subjects are absent, and the involved mechanism remains unclear. Hence, further investigations would be required."
Curcumin sensitizes TRAIL-resistant xenografts: molecular mechanisms of apoptosis, metastasis and angiogenesis Curcumin is the principal curcuminoid of the popular Indian spice turmeric, which is a member of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae) "The ability of curcumin to inhibit tumor growth, metastasis and angiogenesis, and enhance the therapeutic potential of TRAIL
suggests that curcumin alone or in combination with TRAIL can be used for prostate cancer prevention and/or therapy."
Potent cytotoxic effects of Calomeria amaranthoides on ovarian cancers Calomeria amaranthoides is a common Australian plant "For the first time both crude plant extract from Calomeria amaranthoides and EPD have been shown to have potent anti-cancer effects against ovarian cancer."
Cytotoxic effects of ultra-diluted remedies on breast cancer cells "Study
demonstrates that the ultra-diluted natural product remedies prescribed
in the ‘Banerji Protocol’ induce cell cycle delay/arrest with
subsequent apoptosis in breast adenocarcinoma cells. Though the degree
of the antisurvival effect appeared to correlate with the presence of
the wild-type p53 gene, overall susceptibility to the inhibitory effects
of the remedies appeared independent of the functional p53 and
estrogen-receptor status of the breast carcinoma cells. Finally, the
preferentially elevated cytotoxic effects on breast adenocarcinoma cells
compared with cells derived from normal mammary epithelium raises the
exciting possibility of a window of therapeutic opportunity for preferentially eliminating breast cancer cells with minimaldamage
to the surrounding normal mammary tissue by using the ultra-diluted
remedies investigated in this report. The findings of this study should
encourage further preclinical and animal investigation of these
remedies as preventive and/or therapeutic treatments for breast cancer"
Homeopathic medicines for adverse effects of cancer treatments "254
participants demonstrated benefits from calendula ointment in the
prevention of radiotherapy-induced dermatitis, and another with 32
participants demonstrated benefits from Traumeel S (a complex
homeopathic medicine) over placebo as a mouthwash for
chemotherapy-induced stomatitis. The
homeopathic medicines used in all eight studies did not seem to cause
any serious adverse effects or interact with conventional treatment"
Stimulation of lymphocyte anti-melanoma activity by co-cultured macrophages activated by complex homeopathic medication (CHM) "Co-culture
of macrophages with lymphocytes in the presence of the CHM enhanced
the anti-cancer performance of lymphocytes against a very aggressive
lineage of melanoma cells. These results suggest that non-toxic
therapies using CHMs are a promising alternative approach to the
treatment of melanomas. In addition, they are attractive
combination-therapy candidates, which may enhance the efficacy of
conventional medicines by improving the immune response against tumor
cells
In vitro and in vivo anticancer properties of a Calcarea carbonica derivative complex (M8) treatment in a murine melanoma model "We
found that M8 has at least two functions, acting as both an inhibitor
of cancer cell adhesion and invasion and as a perlecan expression
antagonist, which are strongly correlated with several metastatic,
angiogenic and invasive factors in melanoma tumors....The
findings suggest that this medication is a promising non-toxic therapy
candidate by improving the immune response against tumor cells or even
induce direct dormancy in malignancies".
Effect of Coffee and Green Tea Consumption on the Risk of Liver Cancer: Cohort Analysis by Hepatitis Virus Infection Status Compared
with almost never drinkers, increased coffee consumption was associated
with
a reduced risk of liver cancer in all subjects A similar risk tendency was observed in
those with either or both HCV and HBV infection.
In contrast, no association was observed between
green tea consumption and the risk of liver cancer in all subjects. Our
results
suggest that coffee consumption may reduce the risk
of liver cancer regardless of HCV and HBV infection status, whereas
green
tea may not reduce this risk
"Adjusting for brewing time, the association between skin SCC and hot
black tea consumption suggests a significantly lower risk in consumers
of hot tea compared to nonconsumers.......Our
results show that tea concentration (strength), brewing time, and
beverage temperature have major influences on the potential protective
effects of hot black tea in relation to skin SCC"
1'S-1'-Acetoxyeugenol acetate: a new chemotherapeutic natural compound against MCF-7 human breast cancer cells "It was concluded that AEA isolated
from the Malaysian tropical ginger represents a potential
chemotherapeutic agent against human breast cancer cells with higher
cytotoxicity potency than its analogue, ACA."
Alpinia conchigera, also known locally as 'lengkuas ranting', 'lengkuas
kecil', 'lengkuas padang', 'lengkuas getting' or 'chengkenam' (Janssen
and Scheffer 1985) is found in
eastern Bengal and southwards to Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatera
(Burkill 1966). It is used as a condiment in the northern states of
Peninsular Malaysia and occasionally in traditional medicine in the east
coast to treat fungal infections. In Thailand, the rhizomes are used in
traditional Thai medicine to relieve the gastro-intestinal disorders
and in the preparation of Thai food dishes (Matsuda et al. 2005).
In vitro and in vivo antitumor activity of Macrothelypteris torresiana and its acute/subacute oral toxicity "Macrothelypteris torresiana (Gaud.) Ching (Thelypteridaceae) is widely distributed in the south of China and has been used as folk medicine mainly for the treatment of diseases such as hydropsy and traumatic bleeding (Institute of Botany, 1976; Ding, 1982). This recent scientific attention was because of some unusual flavonoids isolated from the species M. torresiana showing significant antitumor activities. Among of them, a unique flavonoid named protoapigenone showed significant antitumor activity against human cancer cell lines Hep G2, Hep 3B (liver), MCF-7 (breast), A549 (lung) and MDA-MB-231 with [IC.sub.50] values of 1.60, 0.23, 0.78, 3.88 and 0.27 ([mu]g/ml, respectively (Lin et al., 2005)."
First isolation and characterization of a novel lectin with potent antitumor activity from a Russula mushroom. "In summary, a lectin with a distinctive N-terminal sequence, sugar
specificity, hemagglutinating activity with relatively high
thermostability and [Cu.sup.2+] -induced enhancement, and potent
antiproliferative and antitumor activities was isolated from R. lepida
fruiting bodies. The potent antitumor activity of RLL is remarkable and
hopefully it can be developed into an agent for cancer therapy. This
report represents an addition to the existing list of mushroom lectins".
Anti-proliferative effects of carvacrol on a human metastatic breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB 231 Carvacrol,
(2-methyl-5-(l-methylethyl)-phenol), is a major component of the
essential oils of oregano and thyme "The data in the present study clearly demonstrated
anti-tumor effects of carvacrol on human metastatic breast cancer cells,
MDA-MB 231, and that the compound could have a potential therapeutic
significance in treating cancer."
Taste and Smell alterations + Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
Ocimum gratissimum Aqueous Extract Induces Apoptotic Signalling in Lung Adenocarcinoma Cell A549 "In conclusion, the present study provides evidences that OGE treatments significantly alter viability of lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells through a synergy of induction of apoptotic signaling and suppression of antiapoptotic signaling, as shown in Figure 7. Moreover, OGE treatment simultaneously inhibits the activation of ERK and enhances the activation of JNK and p38, which is consistent with the enhanced apoptotic signaling and reduced antiapoptotic signaling based on their well-known effects on these signal cascades (Figure 7). By manipulating both arms of apoptotic and antiapoptotic pathway, OGE represents a promisingly effective chemopreventive agent against lung adenocarcinoma."
Advanced/Recurrent Colorectal Cancer + Peripheral Neurotoxicity Side Effects of Oxaliplatin + Goshajinkigan
Traditional medicinal plants as anticancer agents from Chhattishgarh, India: An overview "Recently, a
greater emphasis has been given towards the researches on complementary
and alternative medicine that deals with cancer management. Plants have
long history of use in the treatment of cancer [5-7].... Medicinal
plants maintain the health and vitality of individuals, and also cure
various diseases, including cancer without causing toxicity. Plants
derived components have played an important role in the development of
several clinically useful anticancer agents. In different region of
Chhattisgarh many traditional healers use various medicinal plants for
treating of various cancer. This review revealed that many of medicinal
plants used by traditional healer are reported to have scientific
evidence. There is a need to explore the plants which are not reported
scientifically by in-vitro or in-vivo screening methods. These plants
can provide potential bioactive compounds for the development of new
‘leads’ to combat cancer diseases"
Breast Cancer + Exercise
Effects of exercise on breast cancer patients and survivors: a systematic review and meta-analysis "Exercise is an effective intervention to improve quality of life, cardiorespiratory fitness, physical functioning and fatigue in breast cancer patients and survivors...Exercise also led to significant improvements in physical functioning and peak oxygen consumption and in reducing symptoms of fatigue... Larger trials that have a greater focus on study quality and adverse effects and that examine the long-term benefits of exercise are needed for this patient group."
Cancer General, Metastasis, Ovarian Cancer, Melanoma + Ginseng
Chemistry and Cancer Preventing Activities of Ginseng Saponins and Some Related Triterpenoid Compounds "Anti-tumor activities are the properties characteristic not only to Ginseng saponins but also to other pentacyclic triterpenes.It is noteworthy, however, that ginsenosides, tetracyclic dammarane-type triterpenoid saponins, could be applied safely due to their mostly non-toxic and non-hemolytic characteristics. Ginseng has been employed in Chinese medicine and folklore medicine in the Eastern Asia regions without any noticeable side effects for more than 2000 yr. Apart from triterpenoid saponins in ginseng, acetylenic alcohol obtained from Ginseng, especially panaxytriol, showed anti-cancer activity against melanoma B16 when intramuscularly administered"
Yoga for Persistent Fatigue in Breast Cancer Survivors: Results of a Pilot Study There was a significant improvement in fatigue scores from pre- to post-intervention that was maintained at the 3-month post-intervention followup. Significant improvements were also observed in measures of physical function, depressed mood, and quality of life. These results support the acceptability of this intervention and suggest that it may have beneficial effects on persistent post-treatment fatigue. However, results require replication in a larger randomized controlled trial.
Psorinum Therapy in Treating Stomach, Gall Bladder, Pancreatic, and Liver Cancers: A Prospective Clinical Study The limitation of this study is that it did not have any placebo or treatment control arm; therefore, it cannot be concluded that Psorinum Therapy is effective in improving the survival and the quality of life of the participants due to the academic rigours of the scientific clinical trials. This study also cannot rule out the effects of the implemented allopathic and homeopathic supportive measures in the observed results. However, the results of the study showed a fair number of complete and partial tumor responses along with impressive survival outcomes in difficult to treat cancer types. Therefore, randomized double-blind clinical trial, detailed molecular, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics studies should be conducted for further scientific exploration of this alternative cancer treatment to determine if it can be integrated into the mainstream oncology.
Protein, Dairy Foods and Cancer
Video Cornell University professor T. Colin Campbell Phd presents the overwhelming evidence showing that animal protein is one of the most potent carcinogens people are exposed to.
Anticancer activity of a sub-fraction of dichloromethane extract of Strobilanthes crispus on human breast and prostate cancer cells in vitro "Leaves are used in folk medicine for their antidiabetic, diuretic, anticancer and blood pressure lowering properties. Crude extracts of this plant have been found to be cytotoxic to human cancer cell lines and protective against chemically-induced hepatocarcinogenesis in rats.....A dichloromethane sub-fraction of S. crispus displayed potent anticancer activities in vitro that can be further exploited for the development of a potential therapeutic anticancer agent."
Chemopreventive, Cancer general + DNA damage + Moringa oleifera Lam
Moringa oleifera Lam. leaves prevent Cyclophosphamide-induced micronucleus and DNA damage in mice "Moringa species have long been recognized by folk medicine practitioners as having value in tumor therapy" "The results show that the extract has anti-genotoxic effects on CP-induced lesions in mice. The present results eventually lead us to conclude that ethanolic extract of M.oleifera leaves possess anti-genotoxic phytoconstituents".
Cytotoxic activity of proteins isolated from extracts of Corydalis cava tubers in human cervical carcinoma HeLa cells "The Corydalis sp. tubers are a rich source of many biologically active substances, with the extensive use in European and Asian folk medicine. They have analgetic, sedating, narcotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic and anti-tumour activities" The cytotoxic effect of studied proteins toward HeLa cell line cells has been evident and dependent on increasing dose of the protein
Anticachexia (weight loss, anorexia and weakness) + Colon cancer + Coptidis rhizoma
Non melanoma skin cancer, oesphageal + colon cancer + Berberine (isoquinoline alkaloid present in roots, rhizome + stem bark of a number of important medicinal plant species
Cancer General, Liver toxicity + Berberine (isoquinoline alkaloid present in roots, rhizome and stem bark of a number of important medicinal plants)
Hepatoprotective effects of berberine on carbob tetrachloride-induced acute hepatotoxicity in rats "Berberine is an active compound in Coptidis Rhizoma (Huanglian) with multiple pharmacological activities including antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, cholesterol-lowering and anticancer effects. The present study demonstrates that berberine possesses hepatoprotective effects against CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity and that the effects are both preventive and curative"
Cancer general + Berries - Berries contain many known chemopreventive agents such as anthocyanins and ellagitannins that can be greatly concentrated in freeze-dried berry powders.
Foodstuffs for Preventing Cancer: The Preclinical and Clinical Development of Berries "The objective of this approach is to selectively kill specific types of cancer cells with minimal effects on their normal counterparts. In contrast, berry powders contain a mixture of compounds that seem to affect the expression levels of a wide range of cancer-related genes (to lesser extents than therapeutic agents;), thus preventing the conversion of premalignant cells to malignancy at doses that cause minimal or no cytotoxicity. In this regard, berries seem to fulfill the requirement of an “ideal” chemopreventive agent . The same is undoubtedly true of many other foodstuffs; for example, a freeze-dried aqueous extract of broccoli sprouts was effective at dietary levels in inhibiting chemically induced bladder cancer with no observable toxicity in rats"
Chemopreventative, Cancer general + Resveratrol (a dietary polyphenol derived from grapes, berries, peanuts, and other plant sources)
Cancer Prevention and Treatment with Resveratrol: From Rodent Studies to Clinical Trials "The anticancer property of resveratrol has been supported by its ability to inhibit proliferation of a wide variety of human tumor cells in vitro. These in vitro data have led to numerous preclinical animal studies to evaluate the potential of this drug for cancer chemoprevention and chemotherapy. This review provides concise, comprehensive data from preclinical in vivo studies in various rodent models of human cancers, highlighting the related mechanisms of action. Bioavailability, pharmacokinetic, and potential toxicity studies of resveratrol in humans and ongoing interventional clinical trials are also presented. The conclusion describes directions for future resveratrol research to establish its activity and utility as a human cancer preventive and therapeutic drug".
Head + Neck cancers + malodorous necrotic ulcers. Malodorous necrotic ulcers in cancer patients are of major concern as it leads to social isolation and poor quality of life + Eucalyptus Essential Oil
Antibacterial essential oils in malodorous cancer patients: Clinical observations in 30 patients "All patients experienced complete resolution of the foul smell by only the third or fourth day of therapy. As a secondary effect we saw that besides smell reduction the oils had anti-inflammatory effects on neoplastic ulcers. In some patients ulcers started to heal and achieved complete re-epithiliazation. The patients experienced great personal relief upon resolution of their malodorous conditions. Quality of life improved significantly with the resulting reintroduction of social contact with friends and relatives."
Chemoprevention + Cancer general + tea + curcumin + Resveratrol + Pomegranate, Lycopene + Luteolin + Genisten and other promising natural agents.
Perspectives for Cancer Prevention With Natural Compounds "Various epidemiological and preclinical findings and the results of several early clinical studies convincingly argue for a definitive role of selected dietary products in the prevention and treatment of cancers. Many of these agents target multiple signal transduction pathways, which vary widely depending on cancer origin.....Since drug-associated toxicity remains a significant barrier for currently available chemotherapeutic and chemopreventive drugs, using natural compounds (which have better safety profiles) as adjuvant therapy with current chemotherapeutic agents may help to mitigate drug-associated toxicities. For example, genistein was found to sensitize prostate cancer to radiation in animal studiesand a recent clinical trial suggested that soy isoflavones could prevent radiation-induced bladder and bowel adverse effects and erectile dysfunction"
Prostate cancer + curcumin. Curcumin is the principal curcuminoid of the popular Indian spice turmeric, which is a member of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae)
Chemopreventive potential of curcumin in prostate cancer "These results are consistent with this compound’s ability to up-induce pro-apoptotic proteins and to down-regulate the anti-apoptotic counterparts. Alone or in combination with TRAIL-mediated immunotherapy or radiotherapy, curcumin is also reported to be a good inducer of prostate cancer cell death by apoptosis. Curcumin appears thus as a non-toxic alternative for prostate cancer prevention, treatment or co-treatment."
Melanoma + capsaicin (trans-8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) is one of the major pungent ingredients found in red pepper, which is among the most commonly and frequently used spices in the world
Inhibitory effect of capsaicin on B16-F10 melanoma cell migration via the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt/Rac1 signal pathway "The present study provides novel insights into the molecular mechanisms of capsaicin. Furthermore, anti-migration of highly metastatic B16-F10 melanoma cells by capsaicin can be considered an effective approach for the suppression of cancer invasion and metastasis"
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