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Herbal extract inhibits pancreatic cancer development

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Originally posted at oleander soup group:

 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090419133905.htm

 

Herbal extract inhibits pancreatic cancer development

April 20th, 2009 - 2:15 pm ICT by ANI Tell a Friend -

 

Washington, Apr 20 (ANI): A herb used in traditional medicine by many

Middle Eastern and Asian countries not only kill pancreatic cancer cells

but also appears to inhibit development of pancreatic cancer as a result

of its anti-inflammatory properties, researchers from the Kimmel Cancer

Center at Jefferson found.

Hwyda Arafat, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of Surgery at the

Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, said that

thymoquinone, the major constituent of the oil extract from a Middle

Eastern herbal seed called Nigella sativa, exhibited anti-inflammatory

properties that reduced the release of inflammatory mediators in

pancreatic cancer cells.

 

Dr. Arafat said that Nigell a sativa seeds and oil, used in traditional

medicine by many Middle Eastern and Asian countries, helps treat a broad

array of diseases, including some immune and inflammatory disorders.

 

Previous studies have also shown it to have anti-cancer effects on

prostate and colon cancers.

 

Based upon their previously published findings that thymoquinone

inhibits histone deacetylases (HDACs), Dr. Arafat and her colleagues

compared the anti-inflammatory properties of thymoquinone and

trichostatin A, an HDAC inhibitor that has previously shown to

ameliorate inflammation-associated cancers.

 

The researchers used pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) cells, some

of which were pretreated with the cytokine TNF-alpha to induce

inflammation.

Thymoquinone almost completely abolished the expression of several

inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-alpha, interleukin-1beta,

interleukin-8, Cox-2 and MCP-1, an effect that was more superior to the

effect of trichostatin A.

 

The herb also inhibited the activation and synthesis of NF-kappaB, a

transcription factor that has been implicated in inflammation-associated

cancer.

Activation of NF-kappaB has been observed in pancreatic cancer and may

be a factor in pancreatic cancer's resistance to chemotherapeutic

agents.

 

When animal models of pancreatic cancer were treated with thymoquinone,

67 percent of the tumours were significantly shrunken, and the levels of

proinflammatory cytokines in the tumours were significantly reduced.

 

Inflammation has been implicated in the development of several solid

tumour malignancies. Chronic pancreatitis, both hereditary and sporadic,

is associated with the risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

 

" Not only patients with chronic pancreatitis could benefit from this,

but also several other groups with risk of development or recurrence of

pancreatic cancer, such as high-risk family members and post-surgical

patients. These potent effects show promise for the herb as a potential

preventive and therapeutic strategy for pancreatic cancer. More

importantly, the herb and oil are safe when used moderately, and have

been used for thousands of years without reported toxic effects. " Dr.

Arafat said

The study was presented at the AACR 100th Annual Meeting 2009 in Denver.

(ANI)

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