Holistic Health Articles and Research Related to Herbal Medicines, Foods and Phytochemicals

Saturday, 3 August 2019

Bromelain, the Natural Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Rhinosinusitis (RS) With No Side Effects

By Kyle J. Norton

Rhinosinusitis (RS) is a condition associated with the inflammation of the sinuses and nasal cavity.

Chronic Rhinosinusitis (CRS) is an inflammation of the sinuses and nasal cavity that last more than 12 weeks.

According to statistics, the prevalence of CRS in Korea, Europe, and the US is approximately 7%, 10%, and 12%, respectively.

The exact causes of CRS are not identified. However, some researches suggested that infection that does not heal itself due to the inability of the immune system to destroy all the infectious pathogens in the acute phase of infection may play a critical role to the onset of the condition.

Symptoms of CRS are totally depending on the state of severity. Some patients may experience symptoms of facial pressure or pain, post-nasal drainage, nasal blockage, anosmia or hyposmia, or fatigue.

Conventionally, medications used for the treatment of CRS are focusing on reducing symptoms and improved quality of life, inclduing prescribed antibiotics in case of bacterial infection.

If all medicines fail, surgery may be necessary.

Out of many risk factors associated with the onset of CRS, some researchers suggested that cigarette smoking may have a strong and negative impact on the syndrome.

Dr. Douglas D. Reh, the lead scientist wrote, " Environmental factors such as inhaled pollutants like cigarette smoke may play a significant role in diseases of the upper airway including chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS)".

And, "There is clear evidence in the literature that cigarette smoke, either through active smoking or passive exposure to SHS, contributes to CRS".

Bromelain, a proteolytic enzyme found in pineapples (Ananas comosus) has been used in traditional medicine as an inflammatory agent and to treat pains, strains, and muscle aches and pains and ease back pain and chronic joint pain, skin diseases, etc.

With an aim to discover a potential ingredient for the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis, researchers investigated the penetration of bromelain into sinonasal mucosa in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), compared to the control group.

40 participants with CRS were divided into 2 groups equally either treated by bromelain derived from pineapple (Ananas comosus) or control.

Bromelain 500 mg tablet twice daily administered for 30 days in the treatment group displayed a significant effect in reduced inflammation in patients with CRS compared to control.

In other words, bromelain has an excellent distribution from blood to rhinosinusal mucosa in exhibition anti-inflammatory activity.

Based on the findings, researchers said, "Its (bromelain) diffusion ability may allow the use of bromelain as an anti-inflammatory agent in paranasal sinus pathologies".

In a pilot study, researchers evaluated the efficacy, tolerability, and impact on the quality of life (QoL) of bromelain tablets (500 FIP) in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).

According to the results from 12 patients suffering from CRS with (CRS+NP) or without (CRS-NP) nasal polyps who had undergone prior sinus surgery, treatment with bromelain tablets (500 FIP) for 3 months, exerted a strong effect in symptom scores (Total Symptom Scores: TSS); a Total Rhinoscopy Score (TRS) and the Sinonasal Outcome Test 20 (SNOT-20 GAV) with no side effects.

Dr. Büttner L, the lead scientist wrote in the final report, "Preliminary results indicate good tolerability, symptom control, and improvement in QoL for the treatment of CRS using bromelain tablets (500 FIP)".

Taken altogether, bromelain may be considered supplements for the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of bromelain in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Sources
(1) Bromelain's penetration into the blood and sinonasal mucosa in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis by Passali D1, Passali GC2, Bellussi LM1, Sarafoleanu C3, Loglisci M1, Manea C3, Iosif C4, Passali FM. (PubMed)
(2) Efficacy and tolerability of bromelain in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis--a pilot study by Büttner L1, Achilles N, Böhm M, Shah-Hosseini K, Mösges R. (PubMed)
(3) Impact of Tobacco Smoke on Chronic Rhinosinusitis – A Review of the Literature by Douglas D. Reh, MD,1 Thomas S. Higgins, MD,1 and Timothy L. Smith, MD, MPH. (PMC)

Herbal Turmeric Reduces the Risk of Multiple Sclerosis

By Kyle J. Norton

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system) casued by the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers.

MS causes communication problems between the brain and the rest of the body.

SHARON BEGLEY in examing the genetic preposition involved in MS wrote, " A newly discovered genetic mutation gives people who carry it a whopping 70 percent chance of developing multiple sclerosis, potentially opening the way toward new therapies for a debilitating neurological disorder whose ultimate cause has stumped researchers for decades".

The author continued, "The 70 percent chance of developing MS compares to a 0.1 percent risk in the general population, and the 100 or so previously known genetic variants increase the chance of MS to only about 0.3 percent at most, with no single gene packing much of a punch".

In other words, people having certain genes inherited from the parent are at the substantial risk of MS developing comapred to people who do not.

According to the statistics, in 2010/2011, approximately 93,500 Canadians were diagnosed with the disease or 290 cases per 100,000 population. Believe it or not, MS is the most prevalent in Canada comapred to other parts of the world.

Conventionally, MS treatments are focusing on controlling inflammation that injures nerve fibers, reduces the frequency and severity of relapses, and preventing the accumulation of further nerve damage and improving symptoms and quality of life.

Most common symptoms of MS are numbness or weakness in one or more limbs, electric-shock sensations associated with certain neck movements, tremor, and lack of coordination physically.

In the vision, MS also induces symptoms of partial or complete loss of vision, prolonged double vision and blurry vision.

Additionally, patients with MS may also experience symptoms of slurred speech, fatigue, headache, dizziness, and reduced sexual, bowel and bladder function.

Turmeric is a perennial plant in the genus Curcuma, belongings to the family Zingiberaceae, native to tropical South Asia.

The herb has been used in traditional medicine as anti-oxidant, hypoglycemic, colorant, antiseptic, wound healing agent, and to treat flatulence, bloating, and appetite loss, ulcers, eczema, inflammations, etc.

On findings a potential compound for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers examined the efficacy of curcumin on a cascade of inflammation in the progression of different stages in MS patients.

Based on the tested analysis, curcumin inhibited the migration Th17cell into the central nervous system across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in the induction of the tissue inflammation and tissue destruction by decoupling the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin (IL)-17 and IL-22).

Where Th17 has been found to associated with hallmarks of many immune-inflammatory diseases.

In other words, curcumin blocked the axon degeneration and the various manifestations of nerve-muscle disorders associated with the onset of MS.

Furthermore, by searching the publication involved in curcumin treatment of MS, researchers found that the efficacy of curcumin for the treament of MS was attributed to numerous properties such as anti-inflammation and inhibition of secretion of proinflammatory cytokines.

Taken altogether, turmeric processed abundantly bioactive compound curcumin may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of MS, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of turmeric in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

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Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

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) Curcumin as a therapeutic candidate for multiple sclerosis: Molecular mechanisms and targets by Ghanaatian N1, Lashgari NA1, Abdolghaffari AH2,3,4,5, Rajaee SM5, Panahi Y6, Barreto GE7,8, Butler AE9, Sahebkar A. (PubMed)
(2) Therapeutic potential of curcumin for multiple sclerosis by Qureshi M1, Al-Suhaimi EA2, Wahid F3, Shehzad O4, Shehzad A. (PubMed)
(3) Discovery of multiple sclerosis gene could inspire new therapies — if it’s right by SHARON BEGLEY. (Stat)

Healthy Food Cranberry, the Natural Antioxidant

By Kyle J. Norton

Free radicals are unstable molecules with unpaired electrons in the outermost ring produced daily internally including cell metabolism and externally including the air we breathe and the food we eat.

Reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen without being controlled by antioxidant can induce a domino's effect by stealing an electron from other molecules, leading to a continued reaction that cannot stop until all single electrons are paired or inhibited by the presence of antioxidant molecules.

Antioxidants are stable atoms produced either by the host body or intake of dietary antioxdant rich food.

In this cascade, free radicals overexpression induces oxidative stress. A major cause of protein, lipid and cell damage that increase risk of the early onset of many chronic diseases.

On other words, oxidative stress is an imbalanced ratio of the free radicals and antioxidants.

Most common diseases or syndromes associated with the onset of oxidative stress are
* Aging, is a process characterized by the progressive loss of tissue and organ function due to the accumulation of RONS-induced damages.

* Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are diseases associated with involving the heart or blood vessels, inclduing heart disease, and stroke.

* Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a class of lung disease including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Most cases of COPD are caused by smoking.

* Chronic kidney disease is a medical condition that causes the gradual loss of kidney function kidney affecting filter wastes and excess fluids from the blood.

* Neurodegenerative diseases is the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, including dementia.
* Cancer is the class of diseases caused by irregular cell growth due to the alternation of cell DNA

There are many risk factors which can increase the overexpression of free radicals, including fried foods, alcohol, tobacco smoke, pesticides, air pollutants.

Cranberry is an evergreen dwarf shrub, genus Vaccinium, belongings to the family Ericaceae, native to Northern America and Southern Asia. Because of its health benefits, cranberry has been cultivated in some parts of the world for commercial profit and used in traditional and herbal medicine to treat wounds, urinary disorders, diarrhea, diabetes, stomach ailments, and liver problems.

On finding a potential compound for the treatment of disease associated with oxidative stress, researchers examined the effect of cranberry products and especially cranberry juice (CJ) antioxidant activity.

According to the tested analysis on the products, the order of the number of total polyphenols that exert antioxidant activity in cranberry foods on a fresh weight basis is dried > frozen > sauce > jellied sauce.in the deceasing order.

Furthermore, in the comparison of the effect of the consumption of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and ascorbate with CJ antioxidants or without CJ (control) given to 10 normal individuals after an overnight fast, by recording the plasma antioxidant capacity, glucose, triglycerides, and ascorbate measured 6 times over 7 h after the consumption of a single 240 mL serving of the two different beverages, researchers found that

* HFCS caused a slight decrease in plasma antioxidant capacity at all time points and thus inducing oxidative stress with or without ascorbate

*CJ produced an increase in plasma antioxidant capacity at all time points, particularly compared to

HFCS.

Furthermore, postprandial triglycerides induced oxidative stress caused by HFCS were associated with the oxidative stress in HFCS treated group.

Based on the findings, researchers said, " Cranberries are an excellent source of high-quality antioxidants and should be examined in human supplementation studies".

Taken altogether, cranberry may be considered a remedy for the prevention and treatment of diseases associated with oxidative stress, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Sources
(1) Antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of bioactive phytochemicals from cranberry by Baranowska M1, Bartoszek A. (PubMed)
(2) Cranberries and cranberry products: powerful in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo sources of antioxidants by Vinson JA1, Bose P, Proch J, Al Kharrat H, Samman N. (PubMed)

Herbal Ashwagandha Effects on Chronic Sress Induced Anxiety

By Kyle J. Norton

Chronic stress is the response to emotional pressure in demanding situations over a period of time, leading to the release of hormone cortisol and adrenaline.

Most common factors associated with stress incidence include psychological pressures, such as work deadlines, and exams, high-pressure jobs, and financial difficulties.

Overtime unresolved chronic stress can cause a wide range of symptoms and increase the risk of developing certain illnesses, including anxiety.

Anxiety disorder is a class of medical conditions associated with chronic worries and fear, leading to symptoms of the fast heart rate and shakiness.

Most people with anxiety may experience the feeling of nervousness in responding to events such as a problem at work, before taking a test, or before making an important decision.

According to the statistics, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in Canada and approximately 1 in every 8 Canadians is affected by the illness. In other words, over 250,000 people in Canada suffer from anxiety.

Most common prevalent factors that induce the risk of the condition are, family history, gender (women are more likely diagnosed with the condition compared to men), chronic stress, people with traumatic life experiences and the use of substances are some prevalent risk factors of anxiety.

However, some researchers suggested a moderate physical activity, mind-body practices of breathing exercises, yoga, and meditation has been found to reduce stress, a strong positive impact against anxiety.

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America wrote, "Whether, in good times or bad, most people say that stress interferes at least moderately with their lives. Chronic stress can affect your health, causing symptoms from headaches, high blood pressure, and chest pain to heart palpitations, skin rashes, and loss of sleep".

"Physical activity is a proven way to reduce stress. Regular participation in aerobic exercise has been shown to decrease overall levels of tension, elevate and stabilize mood, and improve sleep and self-esteem. Other effective methods include mind-body practices of breathing exercises, yoga, and meditation".

Ashwagandha also is known as Withania somnifera is a nightshade plant in the genus of Withania, belongings to the family Solanaceae, native to the dry parts of India, North Africa, Middle East, and the Mediterranean.

The herbal medicine has been considered as Indian ginseng and used in Ayurvedic medicine over 3000 years to treat tumors and tubercular glands, carbuncles, memory loss, and ulcers and considered as anti-stress, cognition-facilitating, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aging herbal medicine.

On finding a potent compound for the treatment of anxiety, researchers examined the safety and efficacy of a high-concentration full-spectrum extract of Ashwagandha roots in reducing stress and anxiety.

The single-center, prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial included a total of 64 patients with a history of chronic stress received either each capsule contained 300 mg of high-concentration full-spectrum extract from the root of the Ashwagandha plant on Day 15, Day 30 and Day 45 or placebo, was conducted by the Department of Neuropsychiatry and Geriatric Psychiatry, Asha Hospital,

According to the performing relevant clinical examinations and laboratory tests, compared to the baseline, the extracts treatment group showed a exhibited a significant reduction in scores on all the stress-assessment scales on Day 60.

Compared to the placebo group, anxiety associated with the serum cortisol levels were decreased substantially in the Ashwagandha group.

There are only mild and tolerate adverse effect comparable in both the groups. In other words, Ashwagandha showed no serious side effects during the experiment.

Collectively, herbal Ashwagandha and its extract enhanced the hormone expression associated with stress in the initiation of anxiety.

Dr. Chandrasekhar K, the lead scientist said, " a high-concentration full-spectrum Ashwagandha root extract safely and effectively improves an individual's resistance towards stress and thereby improves self-assessed quality of life".

Taken altogether, Ashwagandha may be considered a functional herb for the prevention and treatment of chronic stress and anxiety with no side effects, pending to the results of the larger sample size and multicenter study

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You How-To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

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) Body Weight Management in Adults Under Chronic Stress Through Treatment With Ashwagandha Root Extract: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial by Choudhary D1, Bhattacharyya S2, Joshi K. (PubMed)
(2) A prospective, randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study of safety and efficacy of a high-concentration full-spectrum extract of ashwagandha root in reducing stress and anxiety in adults by Chandrasekhar K1, Kapoor J, Anishetty S. (PubMed)
(3) Understand the Facts, Stress by The Anxiety and Depression Association of America

Friday, 2 August 2019

Phytochemical Lycopene Inhibits the Risk of Coronary Artery Disease in Men

By Kyle J. Norton

Coronary artery disease (CAD)is a medical condition caused by the damage of major blood vessels that supply the heart with blood, oxygen, and nutrients (coronary).

Acute coronary syndrome is a medical emergency caused by suddenly reduced blood flow to the heart, leading to heart muscle damage and brain apoptosis, depending on the affected location.

An acute coronary syndrome is associated with the severity of buildup of plaque deposits on the walls of the coronary arteries.

Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances found in the blood.

Arteries formed a part of blood vessels and circulatory system with function to deliver oxygen and nutrients to heart muscles.

Most cases of coronary artery disease onset are associated with inflammation of cholesterol-containing plaques in the arteries.

According to the statistics, approximately 1 of every 13 Americans aged 18 years and older are living with coronary artery disease. CAD is a leading cause of death in the ethnic group in the US, particularly in Hispanic American.

Believe it or not, CAD is predicted by scientists to become the most common cause of death worldwide by 2020.

Although CAD is a lowly progressive disease, the disease may become clinically apparent by age 40. People 65 years of age and older have been found in most patients with CAD.

Depending on the severity of the blockage, a complete blockage is life-threatening. Symptoms of coronary artery disease, chest pain or discomfort, pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the jaw, neck, back or stomach, shortness of breath, dizziness, and nausea.

If the chest pain is persistent with no sign of stopping, please call 911 immediately.

Lycopene is a phytochemical found in tomato in the class of carotenoid, a natural pigment with no vitamin A activity found abundantly in tomatoes and other red fruits and vegetables, such as red carrots, watermelons, and papayas,

Tomatoes provide about 80% of the lycopene in the world diet. In plants, lycopene protects the host against excessive photodamage and perform various functions in photosynthesis.

On finding a potential compound for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), researchers examined the role of lycopene on acute coronary events and stroke in the prospective Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor (KIHD) Study that included 725 middle-aged men free of coronary heart disease and stroke.

According to the tested analysis, men with the lowest quartile of serum levels of lycopene had a 3.3-fold (P < 0.001) risk of the acute coronary event or stroke as compared with others.

Also in men, low plasma levels of lycopene were associated with an 18% increase of intima-media thickness (IMT) associated with plaque accumulation compared to men with higher plasma levels of lycopene.

However, In women, there was no significantly different after the adjustments.

The results strongly suggested that the circulating levels of lycopene have a strong effect on the risk of cardiovascular disease in Finland, at least in men.

Based on the findings, researchers said, "circulating levels of lycopene, a biomarker of tomato-rich food, may play a role in early stages of atherogenesis and may have clinical and public health relevance".

Taken altogether, lycopene found in tomato may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of coronary artery disease, pending on the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of lycopene in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You. How-To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

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) Lycopene, atherosclerosis, and coronary heart disease by Rissanen T1, Voutilainen S, Nyyssönen K, Salonen JT. (PubMed)
(2) Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) by Continuing Education for Health Professionals

Thursday, 1 August 2019

Indicaxanthin a chemo-active Phytochemical

By Kyle J. Norton

Chemotherapy is a type of therapy that use of drugs to destroy cancer cells by keeping them from proliferation and migration.

Under normal circumstance, cell growth is a natural process. Every day millions of cell grow to replace millions of dead cells and to keep our body in balance and healthy.

Sometimes, acceleration of cells growth is necessary to prevent further damage to the body organ, such as cut, injure, etc., but after fulfilling their purposes, the growth of cells are back to a normal growth rate again.

Cancer cells are fast-growing cells ignored the cell cycle inhibitors that stop the cell from growing after certain cell cycle division compared to normal cells.

According to the statistics provided by the National Cancer Institute, approximately 38.4% of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetimes. In 2017, an estimated 15,270 children and adolescents ages 0 to 19 were diagnosed with cancer and 1,790 died of the disease.

Conventionally, chemo drugs used for chemotherapy are powerful for the treatment of cancers, however, they also can cause damage to nearby healthy cell, leading to the serious adverse effects.

Cancer is a class of chronic diseases caused by cells growth and multiplies disorderedly and uncontrollably in the body.

Depending on the types and grade of cancer, some cancers can be progressively worse and damaged other healthy tissues. Sometimes cancers can spread to other tissues and organs in the body via lymph or blood.

The exact causes of cancer are unknown. Carcinoma accounting for over 90% of cancer diagnosed, is a malignant tumor found in anywhere of epithelial tissues lining the cavities, surfaces of structures and glands, including breast, prostate, lung, and colon.

Treatment of cancer conventionally is totally depending on types, grade and stage of cancer. Surgery, radiation and chemo drugs are used for the treatment in most cases of invasive cancer.

Indicaxanthin is phytochemicals in the class of red and yellow indole-derived pigments of Betacyanins, belongings to the group of Betalains found abundantly in beets, chard, etc.

On finding a potential compound which processes chemo-activity, researchers examined the effect of Indicaxanthin as a natural chemoactive and chemopreventive agent.

According to the tested analysis, the bioactive compound showed significant activity neuromodulation and inflammatory regulation that prevent cellular damage.

Indicaxanthin protects the integrity of the neuron against alternation of cell DNA.

Moreover, the phytochemical also inhibited the overexpression of cancer tissues. Indicaxanthin inhibited the parameters associated with the cancer expression in the cells of breast, thyroid, and prostate cancer, including anti-proliferative activity.

More importantly, indicaxanthin also inhibited the proteins involved in the initiation and progression in the cancer cells.

Taken altogether, indicaxanthin may be considered a chemo active remedy, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Sources
(1) Reverse screening on indicaxanthin from Opuntia ficus-indica as natural chemoactive and chemopreventive agent by Tutone M1, Virzì A2, Almerico AM2. (PubMed)

Indicaxanthin Kills Colorectal Cancer Cells In Vitro

By Kyle J. Norton

The bowel formed a lower part of the digestive system consists of the small bowel (or small intestine) and the large bowel(colon and rectum).

The large bowel plays an essential role to absorb water, restore and remove waste.

Cancer is a class of medical condition caused alternation of cell DNA that starts on the surface of the inner lining of the tissue of a specific organ. Compared to a benign tumor, invasive tumor cells at the advanced stage can travel a distance away to infect other healthy tissue through blood and fluid circulation.

Colorectal Cancer is a medical condition caused by cell growth disorderly in the tissues of colon or rectum.

According to the statistics provided by the American Cancer Society in 2019, approximately
101,420 new cases of colon cancer and 44,180 new cases of rectal cancer will be diagnosed in the US.

Furthermore, the overall, lifetime risk colorectal cancer of developing is 1 in 22 (4.49%) for men and 1 in 24 (4.15%) for women.

Colorectal cancer is relatively very common and slowly growing and progressing cancer. It is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in developed countries, including the U.S. and Canada.

Most patients with colorectal cancer at the early stage are assymptomatic. However, at the advanced stage patients might experience symptoms of changes in bowel habits, narrow stools, constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, intermittent, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, diverticulosis, peptic ulcer disease, abdominal pain, accompanied by the general symptoms shared by other types of cancer.

Conventionally, treatment of colorectal cancer is totally depending on the stage of cancer, including localized(0), regional (1) and distance spread cancer (2 - nearby tissue, 3 - spread to the lymph node, 4, spread to organs and tissues)

Most common types of colorectal cancer are Adenocarcinomas which are originated in the surface of the inner layer that line the cavities and organs of the body.

The onion is a plant in the genus Allium, belonging to the family Alliaceae, a close relation of garlic. It is often called the "king of vegetables" because of its pungent taste and found in a large number of recipes and preparations spanning almost the totality of the world's cultures.

Depending on the variety, an onion can be sharp, spicy, tangy, pungent, mild or sweet.
Indicaxanthin is phytochemicals in the class of red and yellow indole-derived pigments of Betacyanins, belongings to the group of Betalains found abundantly in beets, chard, etc.

On finding a potent compound for the treatment of colorectal cancer, researchers examined the effect of the aqueous extract and of its betalain pigment indicaxanthin (Ind), on the proliferation of human colorectal cancer Caco-2 cells.

According to the tested assays, administration of whole extract and Ind exerted a strong activity to induce apoptosis and anti-proliferation at nutritionally relevant amounts, with IC50 400±25 mg fresh pulp equivalents/mL, and 115±15 μM (n=9), respectively at a dose-dependent manner.

More importantly, the inhibited of colorectal cancer cells by whole extract and Ind without causing toxicity for post-confluent differentiated cells.

In chemical analysis, Ind was found to account for ∼80% of the effect of the whole extract. Ind did cause oxidative stress in proliferating Caco-2 cells.

Furthermore, Ind was found to act as a de-methylation of the tumor suppressor p16(INK4a) gene promoter, in the activation of cell cycle arrest in the G2/M-phase in the tested cell line.

More precisely, Ind kills cancer cells by decreasing hyper-phosphorylated associated with cell cycle division and promoting hypo-phosphorylated associated with cell cycle arrest without alternating the cell division enzyme cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CD4).

Taken altogether, indicaxanthin may be considered a remedy for the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Sources
(1) Anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic activity of whole extract and isolated indicaxanthin from Opuntia ficus-indica associated with re-activation of the onco-suppressor p16(INK4a) gene in human colorectal carcinoma (Caco-2) cells by Naselli F1, Tesoriere L1, Caradonna F1, Bellavia D1, Attanzio A1, Gentile C1, Livrea MA. (PubMed)