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

Tuesday 4 June 2019

Phytochemical Lycopene Gobbles Up Breast Cancer Cells in Vitro

By Kyle J. Norton

Breast Cancer is a chronic condition associated with the growth of the irregular cells in the breast tissue.

Most cases of breast cancer start in the cell on the surface of the tissues of the breast either from the inner lining of milk ducts (Ductal carcinoma) or the lobules (Lobular carcinoma) that supply the ducts with milk.

In 2010, over 250,000 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in women in the U.S. alone and the risk of getting invasive breast cancer during the lifetime of women is 1/8.

The 5 years survival rate of the early and localized stage of breast cancer is 100%

Most common signs and symptoms of breast cancer at the early stage include, a painless lump in the breast or armpit and most often discovered by you or your partner may discover the lump or your doctor during a routine physical exam, lump (mass) in the breast, lump in the armpit (lymph nodes), nipple discharge (clear or bloody), inverted or retracted nipple, scaly skin on nipple persistent tenderness of the breast and unusual breast pain or discomfort.

If you have experienced some of the aforementioned symptoms that do not recede in a short period of time, please check with your doctor to rule out the possibility of breast cancer.

In the advanced stage of breast cancer, the cancerous cell not only can travel a distance ways from the breast to infect other healthy tissues and organ, but also induce symptoms of bone pain (Secondary tumors in the bone), shortness of breath (secondary tumors in lung), unintentional weight loss and drop in appetite (Secondary tumors in liver) and headaches, neurological pain or weakness (secondary tumors in the nervous system).

Out of many prevalent factors that cause the onset of breast cancer, some researchers suggested that the promotion of Western diet over the past few decades that cause overweight and obesity in the US may have a strong and negative impact on the breast cancer risk.

Dr. Manuel Picon‐Ruiz, the lead scientist wrote, "Recent decades have seen an unprecedented rise in obesity, and the health impact thereof is increasingly evident. In 2014, worldwide, more than 1.9 billion adults were overweight (body mass index [BMI], 25‐29.9 kg/m2), and of these, over 600 million were obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m2)".

And, "Obesity is associated both with a higher risk of developing breast cancer, particularly in postmenopausal women and with worse disease outcome for women of all ages".

Lycopene is a phytochemical 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.

With an aim to find a plant-based secondary metabolite for the treatment of breast cancer with no side effects, scientists examined lycopene found abundantly in cooked tomato alleviated biological cell oxidative injury and inhibited tumor growth activity.

The study included. MCF-7 cells were treated with different lycopene concentrations for the duration of 24, 48, and 72 h.

According to the tested assays used in the experiment, the application of lycopene showed a significant in cancer cell shrinkage and breakage at a dose and duration-dependent manner compared to untreated breast cancer cells.

Furthermore, lycopene also reduced cell proliferation and increased apoptosis, according to the MTT and Flow cytometry assay.

The cancer cell inhibition was also found by the secondary metabolite in the stimulation of the expression of tumor-suppressive gene p53 and a protein associated with cell apoptosis.

Based on the findings, researchers said, "lycopene inhibits proliferation and facilitates apoptosis of MCF-7 cells in vitro, possibly by regulating the expression of p53 and Bax".

Moreover, breast cancer cell treated by carotenoids (lycopene and beta-carotene) at (0.5-10 μM) for 48 and 96 h, showed a significant decrease in the number of viable breast cancer cells.

In other words, the phytochemical reduced the numbers of active cells compared to the untreated cell line.

Additonally, carotenoids injection also promoted cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in the majority of cell lines after 96 h, compared to controls.

Dr. Gloria NF, the lead researcher wrote, "These findings indicate that the effect was cell type-dependent and that carotenoids are potential agents for biological interference with cancer".

Taken altogether, lycopene used alone or combined with another phytochemical may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of breast cancer, 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) In vitro effects and mechanisms of lycopene in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells by Peng SJ1, Li J1, Zhou Y2, Tuo M2, Qin XX2, Yu Q2, Cheng H2, Li YM. (PubMed)
(2) Lycopene and beta-carotene induce cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in human breast cancer cell lines by Gloria NF1, Soares N, Brand C, Oliveira FL, Borojevic R, Teodoro AJ. (PubMed)
(3) Obesity and adverse breast cancer risk and outcome: Mechanistic insights and strategies for intervention by Manuel Picon‐Ruiz, Ph.D., 1 Cynthia Morata‐Tarifa, Ph.D., 2 Janeiro J. Valle‐Goffin, MD, 3Eitan R. Friedman, MD, 4 and Joyce M. Slingerland, MD, Ph.D. (PMC)

Herbal Turmeric the Natural Prevention and treatment of Cholecystitis

By Kyle J. Norton

Cholecystitis is the most common condition caused by the gallbladder stones blockage of the cystic duct, which carries bile from the gallbladder, leading to the inflammation of the gallbladder.

Most common symptoms of cholecystitis are severe pain in your upper right or center abdomen, pain that spreads to your right shoulder or back and tenderness over your abdomen when it's touched.

Some patients may also experience symptoms of nausea, vomiting, and fever due to inflammation.

Cholecystitis can be classified into

* Acute cholecystitis is an inflammation of gallbladders that occurs within hours caused by the obstruction of the stone in the bile duct. Calculous cholecystitis is the most common, and less serious, type of acute cholecystitis. accounting 95% of all cases.

* Chronic cholecystitis is a gallbladder inflammation caused by blockage of gallstone that lasts longer than 12 weeks. Most cases of chronic cholecystitis are associated with prior episodes of acute cholecystitis.

Most common risk factors associated with chronic are cholecystitis, infection of the bile duct drainage system, bile duct blockage and excessive cholesterol in the gallbladder that facilitates the onset of gallstone, and decreased blood supply to the gallbladder due to diabetes.

Conventionally, treatment of chronic cholecystitis totally depending on the severity of the condition such as antibiotics for the infection, medicine to dissolve gallstones and pain relief and surgery.

Turmeric is a perennial plant in the genus Curcuma, belonging 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 finding a natural compound for the treatment of cholecystitis, researchers examined the effect of turmeric on cholestasis, a clinically significant symptom and widely associated with liver diseases.

Danning tablet (DNT, a Chinese patent medicine preparation) selected to the study has been clinically used to treat human liver and gallbladder diseases for more than 20 years in China, not only showed significant benefits for the treatment for patients with cholecystitis after cholecystectomy surgery, clinically but also showed protective effect against alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT)-induced cholestasis model in rodent.

Additional differentiation of the efficacy of DNT in patients with cholecystitis, researchers found that curcumin, the major compound derived from DNT, demonstrated the protective effect against cholestasis through farnesoid X receptor (FXR), which plays a pivotal role in regulating bile acid, lipid, and glucose homeostasis.

Furthermore, curcumin also inhibited the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines that cause gallbladder inflammation by restoring the bile acid homeostasis.

In other words, curcumin protected the gallbladder against the onset of cholecystitis by inhibiting the proteins and signaling pathways in the activation of inflammation of the gallbladder tissues.

Based on the findings, researchers wrote, "Collectively, curcumin can be served as a potential treatment option for liver injury with cholestasis".

Taken altogether, turmeric processed abundantly n=bioactive compound may be used alone or combined with other remedies for the prevention and treatment of cholecystitis, 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.

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) Curcumin protects ANIT-induced cholestasis through signaling pathway of FXR-regulated bile acid and inflammation by Fan Yang,1,* Xiaowen Tang,1,* Lili Ding,1 Yue zhou,1 Qiaoling Yang,1 Junting Gong,1Guangyun Wang,1 Zhengtao Wang,a,1 and Li Yang. (PMC)
(2) Therapeutic roles of curcumin: lessons learned from clinical trials by Gupta SC1, Patchva S, Aggarwal BB. (PubMed)

Onion Blocks the Initiation of Prostate Cancer

By Kyle J. Norton

The prostate warped around a tube (the urethra) is a gland of the male reproductive system found in front of the rectum and just below the bladder and responsible for making some of the semen that carries sperm.

The prostate gland is considered a reproductive organ in men.

Prostate cancer is a medical condition caused by cell growth disorderly in the prostate tissue due to the alternation of DNA.

At the advanced stage, the cancerous cell in the prostate can spread to the distance away to inject other healthy tissue and organ, leading to a secondary metastasis through lymph and blood.

Most prostate cancers are slow growing and enlarged prostate and prostate cancer may be detected during the physical (rectum) exams.

According to the statistics provided by the American Cancer Society, approximately 174,650 cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in 2019. Prostate cancer will cause the death of 31620 Americans.

The exact causes of prostate cancer are not known. However, epidemiologically, below are some of the most prevalent factors associated with prostate cancer risk

*Age
The risk of developing prostate cancer increases with the age of over 45

* Family history
Statistic showed that if one of your directed family members has prostate cancer, you are twice at risk to develop it as well.

*Race
Prostate cancer is more likely to strike black and white or Hispanic men in the US.

* Heredity
Certain genes mutation is associated in promoting the growth of prostate cancer, including hereditary prostate cancer gene 1 (HPC1), transmembrane protease, serine 2-ERG or transmembrane protease, serine 2-ETV1/4, etc.

Researchers found that up to 70 percent of men with prostate cancer have lost one copy of the Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) gene at the time of diagnosis. The tumor protein 53
(p53) mutations are a late event in pathology of prostate cancer.

* Low levels of vitamin D in the blood
Researchers found that men with a deficiency of level of vitamin D in the blood are at higher risk to develop prostate cancer.

* Excessive drinking
Excessive drink not only increases the risk of liver cancer but also associated with a higher risk of prostate cancer as it interferes with folate metabolism. Risk of prostate cancer is much high for men with excessive drinking habit and folate deficiency.

* Enlarged prostate
Men with an enlarged prostate are at high risk in developing prostate cancer.

* Sexual transmitting diseases
Infected diseases such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis are associated with a higher risk of the diseases.

*Obesity
In a study of Obesity May Raise Risk of Prostate Cancer Spread, Christopher J. Keto, MD, a urological oncology postdoctoral associate at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C. found that overweight men were three times more likely to have their cancer spread.

The onion is a plant in the genus Allium, belongings 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.

With an aim to find a potential compound for the promotion of prostate health, researchers examined the effect of onion on prostate cancer in vivo and vitro.

According to a population-based case-control study in Shanghai, Hsing et. al. participants in the highest of 3 intake categories of total Allium vegetables, including onion showed a significant effect in reducing the risk of prostate cancer with the relative odds ratio risk of .53 compared to those with the lowest intake.

In the Italian and Swiss case-control networks study, researchers surprisingly showed that participants with the highest intake of both onions do not have significantly decreased OR of prostate cancer compared to those with the lowest intake, However, according to the differentiation, there was evidence of a trend of decreased odds with increasing intake.

In other words, over time, increased intake of onion may have significant activity in reducing the prostate cancer risk.

The results strongly suggested, over time, regular consumption may decrease the risk of prostate cancer, depending on the amount of onion intake daily.

Taken altogether, onion used alone or combined with conventional medicine may be considered a remedy for the prevention and treatment of adjuvant rheumatic diseases, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Sources
(1) Garlic and onions: Their cancer prevention properties by Holly L. Nicastro,1 Sharon A. Ross,2 and John A. Milner. (PubMed)
(2) Prostate Cancer by Kyle J. Norton

Monday 3 June 2019

Fermented Cucumber, the Natural probiotics With No Side Effects

By Kyle J. Norton

Probiotics are good bacteria that not only balance the ratio of gut microbiota in the intestine but also react with other body systems to provide optimal health in the human.

Most common types of probiotics are lactobacilli (like Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus GG), bifidobacteria (like Bifidobacterium bifidus) and some yeasts (like Saccharomyces boulardii).

Although all probiotics shared the same functions to improve the gastrointestinal microbiome community, different probiotics have different effects.

Most common probiotic foods are

* Yogurt, a dairy product made by fermenting milk is one of the best sources of probiotics. Epidemiologically, yogurt not only provides protein and calcium for the body but also enhance healthy gut bacteria.

Additionally, the fermented products also protect against osteoporosis, irritable bowel disease, and aids digestion.

* Kefir.
Kefir is a fermented probiotic milk drink made from kefir grains Kefir or kephir similar to those of thin yogurt.

According to the article by By Megan Ware RDN LD, Kefir as probiotic has been found to process a number of health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose, improved lactose tolerance, and stomach health, weight control and promoted wound healing.

More precisely,
* In immunity, probiotics stimulate the immune function against inflammatory immune disorders.

* In the digestive system, probiotics protect the gut against gastrointestinal diseases and non-gastrointestinal diseases.caused by overexpression of bad bacteria.

* In metabolism, probiotics influence the nutrient extraction from the diet, thus reducing the risk of obesity and obese complication.

* Neurologically, probiotics control brain insulin signaling and metabolite levels that play a critical role in neurobehaviors.

The cucumber plant is a species of Cucumis Sativus, belongings to the family Cucurbitaceae and native to Western Asia. It is a creeping vine with roots in the ground and grows up with the support of frames.

With an aim to find a natural compound with probiotic potential, researchers investigated 3 bacterial strains designated as 437F, 1630F and 1020G were isolated from a traditional pickle.

According to the tested results, all strains showed high acid and bile tolerance and exhibited antagonistic activity against various pathogens.

The straits also demonstrated the antioxidant activity, auto- and co-aggregation ability on the surface hydrophobicity and attachment capacity in the range of other well-known probiotic strains without inducing toxicity.

Dr.Talebi S, the lead scientist wrote at the end of the experiment, "With respect to their characteristics and safety aspect, these Bacillus species may have potential to consider as probiotics for animal and/or human applications".

Additional differentiation of the effect of fermented cucumber activity as probiotics, researchers examined a total of 38 strains which were isolated from the pickled samples.

According to the tested assays, all strain showed a significant resistance after incubation at pH 2.5 did not change markedly, above 90 % (10(9) CFU/mL) survival rate was observed.

More precisely, the strains also exhibited a high survival rate at pH 3.5 (>90 %), compared to all dead at pH 1.5 except four strains that could survive 90 min.

In bile salt solution incubation, at 0.2 %, the survival rates were 81-94 % after 24 h, compared to 59-94 % in 2 and 4 %.

Similar to the aforementioned study, the tested strains also exerted the auto- and co-aggregation ability on the surface hydrophobicity and attachment capacity.

Only four of tested strains were excluded due to safety precautions, according to antibiotic resistance patterns and certain metabolic activities.

In other words, most tested strains isolated from the fermented cucumber process the ability to improve the ratio of microbiota composition in the gut.

Taken altogether, fermented cucumber may be used as probiotics to improve the human digestive health, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

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

Sources
(1) Three novel Bacillus strains from a traditional lacto-fermented pickle as potential probiotics by Talebi S1, Makhdoumi A1, Bahreini M1, Matin MM1,2, Moradi HS. (PubMed)
(2) In vitro screening of selected probiotic properties of Lactobacillus strains isolated from traditional fermented cabbage and cucumber by Zielińska D1, Rzepkowska A, Radawska A, Zieliński K. (PubMed)
(3) Seven benefits of kefir By Megan Ware RDN LD. (Medical News Today)

Herbal Turmeric Ameliorates Symptoms of Biliary Dyskinesia, Researchers Say

By Kyle J. Norton

Biliary dyskinesia is a medical disorder associated with the gallbladder and sphincter of oddi affecting the biliary system to facilitate the normal flow of the bile.

Some researchers suggested that the condition is a symptom of bladder disease such as cholecystitis, gallstone or pancreatitis, rather than being a disease itself.

Mose common symptom is pain on the right upper quadrant where the gallbladder located.

However, some patients may also experience the symptom of pain that does not stop with medication, including pain in the under the ribs and in the back right shoulder blade.

Other patients may also experience symptoms of nausea and vomiting, indigestion, bloating and belching.

If you have experience persistently aforementioned pain that can be relieved by medication, please check with your doctor to rule out the possibility.

The cause of biliary dyskinesia is unknown. However, researchers do know that people who are in older age, obesity group, and female gender are at a higher risk of the condition.

Believe it or not, women who are or who have been pregnant, taking birth control pills or in their menopausal years are at substantial risk of biliary dyskinesia developing compared to others.

Turmeric is a perennial plant in the genus Curcuma, belonging 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 finding a potential compound for the treatment of biliary dyskinesia, researchers investigated the turmeric effect on the right upper abdominal pain in biliary dyskinesia patients.

74 patients with the condition were selected into the trial, randomly assigned to either received Cholagogum (dried extracts from Schöllkraut and Curcuma) (39 patients) or placebo (37 patients) for 3 weeks.

According to the tested assays, dumpy and colicky pain was more rapid during the first treatment week in Cholagogum F group compared to placebo.

However, both groups exerted similar effects in reducing the feeling of being filled up, food intolerance, nausea, vomiting, meteorism, during the whole treatment period.

There are no side-effects in the treatment group.

In other words, dried extracts from Schöllkraut and Curcuma inhibited the symptoms of biliary dyskinesia, without inducing any side effects.

Dr. Niederau C the lead scientist after taking into account co and confounders said, "The study presents the first solid indication that extracts from Schöllkraut/Curcuma (Cholagogum F Nattermann) which have widely been used in daily practice for many decades have beneficial effects on pain due to biliary dyskinesia".

Taken altogether, turmeric used alone or combined with another remedy may be considered supplements for the treatment of the symptoms of biliary dyskinesia,, 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.

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) [The effect of chelidonium- and turmeric root extract on upper abdominal pain due to functional disorders of the biliary system. Results from a placebo-controlled double-blind study].[Article in German] by Niederau C1, Göpfert E. (PubMed)
(2) Therapeutic roles of curcumin: lessons learned from clinical trials by Gupta SC1, Patchva S, Aggarwal BB. (PubMed)

Bromelain Blocks the Onset of Endometriosis

By Kyle J. Norton

Endometriosis is a medical condition characterized by the growth of endometrial cells somewhere else instead of the inside of the uterus.

More precisely, on the last stage of the menstrual cycle, instead of a layer of endometriosis lining on the inside of the uterus expelled, known as menstruation blood, some of the endometriosis tissues grow somewhere in the body.

Most endometriosis tissues do not travel far. Most cases of endometriosis are diagnosed within the pelvic region, on the lining of peritoneum, in the ovaries, and on the surface of the uterus's an outside wall, however, the condition can also be found anywhere in the body such as well as fallopian tubes, the cervix, the vagina, and even the vulva.

Believe it or not, about

* 20% of reproductive age women with endometriosis present without symptoms.

*55% of women who have developed the new onset of severe menstrual cramps.

* 25% of women with sub-fertility (less fertile than a normal couple)

Endometriosis can be classified into different stages, depending on the severity of the disease

* Minimal stage:
Commonly they are found on the top surface, of the inside wall of uterus, ligaments, and ovary with a few in numbers.

* Mild stage:
Deeper implants, greater numbers are presented. Commonly found in the same area as a minimal stage.

* Moderate stage:
Many implants, endometrial cysts present, affecting ovary function, causing scar tissues and adhesion are also present.

* Severe stage:
Intensive peritoneal implants, large endometromas present and dense adhesion.
Each woman experiences differently to endometriosis. Some women may have extensive endometrial tissues in their body but feel little or no pain at all, compared to other women in the early stage of endometriosis with excessive pain.

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.

On finding a potential compound for the treatment of endometriosis, researchers evaluated the efficacy of an association of N-acetyl cysteine, alpha-lipoic acid, and bromelain (NAC/LA/Br) in vivo murine model and in vitro human endometriotic endothelial cells (EECs) and on endothelial cells isolated from the normal uterus (UtMECs.

In endometrial cells EECs preincubated with NAC/LA/Br, levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines associated with TNF-α were significant reduced observed by lower expression of the inflammatory "marker" VCAM1.

On human endometriotic cysts intraperitoneally into SCID mice, NAC/LA/Br exerted a strong apoptotic activity against EECs without affecting the endothelial cells isolated from the normal uterus (UtMECs).

Furthermore, compared to untreated mice, mice treated with NAC/LA/Br presented a lower number of cysts, smaller in size.

Based on the findings, researchers said, "these dietary supplements may have potential therapeutic uses in the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases like endometriosis".

Moreover, in order to reveal more information about NAC/LA/Br on symptoms of endometriosis, researchers examined the effect of N-acetyl cysteine, alpha lipoic acid, and bromelain on endometriosis- pelvic pain.

In a total, 398 patients with a mean age of 34.6 ± 7.2 years, treatment of the combination of N-acetyl cysteine, alpha lipoic acid, and bromelain for 6 months showed a significant improvement in endometriosis-associated pelvic pain compared to the baseline.

More precisely, compared to the baseline of 92.7% of the patients had pain intensity > 4 on the visual analog scale (VAS); treatment of NAC/LA/Br at 3 months decreased the percentage of patients to 87.2% (p = 0.074) and at 6 months to 82.7%, respectively.

Dr. Lete I, the lead scientist said, "Women with endometriosis who wish to become pregnant and are treated with a preparation containing N-acetyl cysteine, alpha lipoic acid and bromelain experienced a significant improvement in endometriosis-associated pelvic pain and required lower intake of rescue analgesics".

Taken altogether, bromelain combined with conventional medicine may be considered a remedy for the prevention and treatment of endometriosis and endometrial symptoms, 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) Effectiveness of an antioxidant preparation with N-acetyl cysteine, alpha lipoic acid and bromelain in the treatment of endometriosis-associated pelvic pain: LEAP study by Lete I1, Mendoza N2, de la Viuda E3, Carmona F. (PubMed)
(2) The combination of N-acetyl cysteine, alpha-lipoic acid, and bromelain shows high anti-inflammatory properties in novel in vivo and in vitro models of endometriosis by Agostinis C1, Zorzet S2, De Leo R1, Zauli G1, De Seta F3, Bulla R. (PubMed)
(3) Endometriosis part I - Definition, Stages, Symptoms, Causes, and Effects Of Endometriosis by Kyle J. Norton

Phytochemical Carotenoids Blocks the Liver cancer Onset and Progression

By Kyle J. Norton

Liver cancer is a medical condition casued by irregular cell growth in the liver tissue due to the alternation of the cells DNA.

The liver is the largest internal organ located in the upper right portion of the abdomen, beneath your diaphragm and above your stomach.

Since the organ is a soft tissue with less nerve, most liver cancer patients are diagnosed in the later stage of cancer.

liver cancer remains the fifth most common malignancy in men and the eighth in women worldwide.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common form of primary liver cancer.

According to the statistic, approximately 42,030 adults (29,480 men and 12,550 women) in the United States will be diagnosed with primary liver cancer in 2019 in the US.

Believe it or not, since 1980, the incidence of liver cancer has tripled. Between 2006 and 2015, the number of people diagnosed with the disease increased by approximately 3% annually.

The exact causes of liver cancer are not identified. However, epidemiologically, age, gender, geography, cirrhosis (severe scarring in the liver) and medical conditions such as diabetes and obesity are some of the most common prevalent factor associated with liver cancer developing.

Some researchers suggested the increased liver cancer incidence may be associated with the promotion of a high-fat diet over the past few decades.

Dr. VanSaun MN, the lead scientist wrote, "Chronic changes induced by the prolonged consumption of a high-fat diet alone culminate in the development of primary liver dysplasias".

And, "High fat diet-induced steatosis, coupled with a splenic injection model of experimental liver metastasis using syngeneic MC38 colon cancer cells, resulted in an increased number of secondary tumor nodules and metastatic burden in steatotic livers. Metastatic nodules were associated with focal peritumoral areas of infiltrating inflammatory cells and associated apoptotic cell populations".

Carotenoids is a class of mainly yellow, orange, or red fat-soluble pigments, including lycopene and carotene, found abundantly in ripe tomato, pumpkins, carrots, corn, and daffodils.

On finding a potential ingredient for the treatment of liver cancer researchers examined the carotenoids effects on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression.

According to the tested results of the delivery of siFOXC1 using novel carotenoid functionalized dendritic nanoparticles (CDN), the CDN not only displayed a markedly reduced toxicity profile but also achieved ∼90% FOXC1 knockdown.

In other words, the established delivery CDN inhibited the expression of transcription factor FOXC1 which has been found to induce hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression.

Including carotenoids, the CDN achieve the ∼18% greater delivery efficiency compared to treatments of particles with no carotenoid tagging.

Researchers after taking other factors into account said, "thereby emphasizing the role of carotenoid mediated cell internalization in the efficient delivery of CDN-siFOXC1 complex in liver cancer cells".

More precisely, using the aforementioned delivery system, carotenoids are more effective in the inhibition of liver cancer compared to oral injection.

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

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

Sources
(1) Carotenoid Nanovector for Efficient Therapeutic Gene Knockdown of Transcription Factor FOXC1 in Liver Cancer by Misra SK1, Ray T2, Ostadhossein F1, Kim B2, Ray PS2, Pan D. (PubMed)
(2) High fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis establishes a permissive microenvironment for colorectal metastases and promotes primary dysplasia in a murine model by VanSaun MN1, Lee IK, Washington MK, Matrisian L, Gorden DL. (PubMed)