Phytochemical 3,3'-Diindolylmethane kills Gastrointestinal Cancer Cells In Vivo and Vitro

By Kyle J. Norton

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

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer is a group of cancers, affecting the digestive system, including esophagus, gallbladder & biliary tract, liver, pancreas, stomach, small intestine, bowel, and anus

The digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract and other parts of the accessory organs of digestion including the tongue, salivary glands, pancreas, liver, and gallbladder), involved in the function of breaking down food into smaller and smaller components then absorbed before passing them as nutrients and fluids to the body.

Most cases of gastrointestinal cancer start in the cells on the surface of the inner lining tissues, depending on the location of the affected organs.

At the early stage, most patients are asymptomatic due to the small size of the tumor. However, at the later stage, after penetrating into deeper layers of the organ, cancer cells can travel through blood and fluids circulation to infect other healthy tissues or organs, leading to secondary metastasis.

At this stage, besides sharing the general symptoms of other types of cancer, gastrointestinal cancer also cause symptoms of severe pain and bleeding due to the overgrowth tumor size have suppressed the nearby blood vessels and nerve cells.

The exact causes of gastrointestinal cancer are not identified. However, genetic preposition, unhealthy lifestyle and medical conditions are some of the prevalent risks of the disease.

Some researchers suggested that a poor diet may have a strong implication on the incidence of gastrointestinal cancer.

Dr. Reilly T. Enos, the leads scientist said, "High-fat-diet (HFD) consumption is associated with colon cancer risk".

And, "HFDs with the highest SF content had the greatest concentration of Muc2. Our data suggest that high dietary SF is protective in the AOM/DSS model of colon cancer, which may be due, at least in part, to the ability of SF to maintain intestinal barrier integrity through increased colonic Muc2".

With an aim to find a natural compound for the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, researchers examined the 3,3'-Diindolylmethane (DIM) activity against effective gastrointestinal cancers.

In vivo and vitro, injection of the DIM acted upon several cellular and molecular processes in gastrointestinal cancer cells.

In cancer cells apoptosis, DIM  initiated production reactive oxygen species (ROS) in generating stress, triggering DNA damage by increasing the cytotoxicity.

In angiogenesis, DIM inhibited the protein associated with the generation of a new blood vessel for cells survival and proliferation.

In cell cycle regulation, DIM deactivated the expression of protein kinases which play the critical roles in the cancer cells division.

Furthermore, DIM triggers cellular endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and apoptosis within the cancer cells.

In autophagy, DIM inhibited autophagy that leads to cell death.

In metastasis, DIM  inhibited the growth of human cancer cells by interfering with multiple signaling pathways, involved restraining invasion, migration, and promoting apoptosis.

Furthermore, DIM used combined with conventional chemo drugs or therapeutic chemicals increased the efficacy of other drugs for the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer.

Taken altogether, 3,3'-Diindolylmethane derived from the digestion of indole-3-carbinol may be considered a supplement for the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, 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) Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of 3,3'-Diindolylmethane in Gastrointestinal Cancer by Kim SM. (PubMed)