Chemical Found in Celery, Parsley Effectively Treats Breast Cancer

May 16, 2012

Image Credit: Photos.com

Apigenin Slowed The Progression of a Human Cancer Accelerated by Hormone Replacement Therapy

Apigenin is a natural substance found in the grocery store produce aisles. It shows promise as being a non-toxic treatment for an aggressive form of human breast cancer, following a new study at the University of Missouri. They found apigenin shrank a type of breast cancer tumor that is stimulated by progestin which is a synthetic hormone given to women to help ease symptoms related to menopause.

This is the first study to show that apigenin, which can be extracted from celery, parsley and many other natural sources, is effective against human breast cancer cells that had been influenced by a certain chemical used in hormone replacement therapy, said co-author Salman Hyder, the Zalk Endowed Professor in Tumor Angiogenesis and professor of biomedical sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center.

In the study, Hyder and his colleagues implanted cells of a fast-growing, deadly human breast cancer, known as BT-474, into a specialized breed of mouse. Some of the mice were treated with medroxyprogesterone acetate(MPA), a type of progestin commonly given to post-menopausal women. A control group did not receive MPA.

Later one group of MPA-treated mice was treated with apigenin. Cancerous tumors grew rapidly in the group of mice that did not receive apigenin. In the mice treated with apigenin, breast cancer cell growth dropped to that of the control group, and the tumors shrank.

We dont know exactly how apigenin does this on a chemical level, Hyder said. We do know that apigenin slowed the progression of human breast cancer cells in three ways: by inducing cell death, by inhibiting cell proliferation, and by reducing expression of a gene associated with cancer growth. Blood vessels responsible for feeding cancer cells also had smaller diameters in apigenin-treated mice compared to untreated mice. Smaller vessels mean restricted nutrient flow to the tumors and may have served to starve the cancer as well as limiting its ability to spread.

In the future, apigenin injections could be a safe alternative or supplement to the highly toxic chemotherapy drugs now in use.

Chemotherapy drugs cause hair-loss, extreme fatigue and other side effects, Hyder said. Apigenin has shown no toxic side-effects even at high dosages. People have eaten it since pre-history in fruits and vegetables.

See the rest here:
Chemical Found in Celery, Parsley Effectively Treats Breast Cancer