3,3'-Diindolylmethane, the Phytochemical Which Gobbles Up Liver Cancer Cells

By Kyle J. Norton

Scientists may have found a bioactive ingredient for the treatment of liver cancer with no side effects, according to studies.

The liver is the largest internal organs in the human body which plays a critical role for maintaining the integrity of cells wall, production of vitamin D and steroid hormone and aiding the digestive system in absorption of nutrients, through the production of cholesterol.

Additionally, the liver also filters out waste from the blood coming from the digestive system before passing them to the other parts of the body.

Liver cancer is a medical condition caused by irregular cell growth in the tissues of the liver.

Most cases of liver cancer start in the cells on the surface of the inner lining of the liver tissues before penetrating into deeper layers of the liver.

At the early stage due to the small size of the tumor and lack of nerve tissues, most patients are asymptomatic.

However, at the advanced stage, cancer cells can travel a distance away from the liver to infect other healthy tissues and organs, leading to secondary metastasis.

Patients at this stage may experience the general symptoms of cancers such as gastrointestinal discomforts, unintended weight loss, loss of appetite and fatigue accompanied by the symptoms of persistent upper abdominal pain, abdominal swelling, jaundice, and chalky stools.

If you have some of the aforementioned symptoms, please make sure you check with your doctor to rule out the possibility of liver cancer.

Out of many risk factors associated with the onset of liver cancer, some researchers suggested that people who carry hepatitis viral may have a substantially higher risk of the disease.

Dr. Marc Ringehan, the lead researcher said, "Hepatitis B and C viruses are a global health problem causing acute and chronic infections that can lead to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). These infections are the leading cause of HCC worldwide and are associated with significant mortality, accounting for more than 1.3 million deaths per year". 

And, "The majority of viral-associated HCC cases develop in subjects with liver cirrhosis; however, hepatitis B virus infection can promote HCC development without prior end-stage liver disease".


Scientists in seeking potential and bioactive compounds for the treatment of liver cancer examined 3'3-Diindolylmethane (DIM, the major product of the acid-catalyzed oligomerization of indole-3-carbinol anti-liver cancer properties.

In two HCC cell lines SMMC-7721 and MHCC-97H, injection of DIM inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of cancer cells.

In nude mice, DIM significantly decreased the volumes of SMMC-7721 orthotopic liver tumor and suppressed lung metastasis.

Furthermore, DIM decreased the level of phospho-FAK (Tyr397) which is found elevated in both vitro and in vivo.

The DIM anti-cancer cells efficacy on proliferation, migration, and invasion are probably due to the inhibition of the expression of matrixes (MMP2-9) associated with the promotion of cancer cells growth and invasion.

Dr. Li WX, the lead scientist wrote, "These results demonstrated that DIM blocks HCC cell metastasis by suppressing tumor cell migration and invasion".

Moreover, in order to reveal more information about DIM anti-liver cancer activity, researchers investigated whether diindolylmethane effect on HA59T cells. 

At concentrations of 10-75 μM, diindolylmethane killed cells in a concentration-dependent manner, particularly, in diindolylmethane (25-50 μM) induced apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner.

The cytotoxic effect of diindolylmethane against the tested liver cancer cell line was not reversed by chelating cytosolic Ca(2+).

Where Calcium (Ca2+) ions are important for cellular signaling. Its flow plays an essential role in regulating several secondary messenger systems in neural adaptation for visual, auditory, and the olfactory system. 

The results suggested that DIM inhibited the onset and progression of liver cancer through a number of mechanisms, including proteins involved in anti-cell proliferation and migration, and promotion of apoptosis.

Taken altogether, 3,3'-Diindolylmethane derived from the digestion of indole-3-carbinol may be considered a supplement for the prevention and treatment of liver cancer, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of 3,3'-diindolylmethane in form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

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Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) 3'3-Diindolylmethane inhibits migration, invasion and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma by suppressing FAK signaling by Li WX1, Chen LP2, Sun MY1, Li JT1, Liu HZ1, Zhu W. (PubMed)
(2) Effect of diindolylmethane on Ca(2+) movement and viability in HA59T human hepatoma cells by Cheng JS1, Shu SS, Kuo CC, Chou CT, Tsai WL, Fang YC, Kuo LN, Yeh JH, Chen WC, Chien JM, Lu T, Pan CC, Cheng HH, Chai KL, Jan CR. (PubMed)
(3) Viral hepatitis and liver cancer by Marc Ringehan,1,2,3 Jane A. McKeating,4,5 and Ulrike Protzer. (PMC)