Garlic and Brain Cancer
10-09-2007, 10:16 AM
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Garlic and Brain Cancer
This is a new medical article about the potential efficacy of garlic as inhibitors of glioblastoma.
CHARLESTON -- Numerous studies provide evidence that garlic and its organo-sulfur compounds are effective inhibitors of the cancer process, most notably for prostate and stomach cancers. For the first time, those compounds have been identified as effective against glioblastoma, a type of brain tumor equivalent to a death sentence within a short period after diagnosis.
Swapan Ray, Ph.D.(MUSC Neurosciences/Neurology associate professor), Naren Banik, Ph.D. (MUSC Neurosciences/Neurology professor), and Arabinda Das, Ph.D. (MUSC Neurosciences/Neurology post-doctoral fellow) studied three pure organo-sulfur compounds (DAS, DADS, and DATS) from garlic and the interaction each had with human glioblastoma cells. All three compounds demonstrated efficacy in eradicating brain cancer cells, but DATS (with three sulfur atoms) proved to be the most effective, lending more support to previous studies of that particular compound. The study will be published in the September issue of Cancer, which is the premier journal of the American Cancer Society (ACS).
Cancer cells are known to have an incredibly high metabolism, as they require much energy to divide cells for rapid growth. In this study, it has been shown that garlic compounds produce reactive oxygen species in rapidly growing brain cancer cells, essentially gorging them to death with activation of multiple death cascades.
"This research highlights the great promise of plant-originated compounds as natural medicine for controlling the malignant growth of human brain tumor cells," Ray said. "However, more studies are needed in animal models of brain tumors before application of this therapeutic strategy to brain tumor patients."
Banik is highly enthusiastic about this discovery. "Our basic studies will eventually be translated to the clinics for patient care. Although we may have to wait several years before its application to humans, the significance of this discovery is enormous. The benefits from this research to brain cancer patients will bring great satisfaction to the researchers and clinicians who are now trying to find a successful treatment for this devastating cancer."
Although there are several more steps, including animal and human trials, before brain tumor patients could receive garlic compound-based treatments, Ray and Banik are optimistic about the possible applications of their discovery to patient care. Garlic-derived organo-sulfur compounds are small molecules that would not necessarily require complicated methods of delivery for treating brain tumor patients, the scientists said, and by virtue of their natural origin are probably better for the human body than synthetic treatment options.
Ray has already received two R01 grants (combined funding of approximately $2.5 million), one from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and another from the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke (NINDS), to support his neuro-oncology research program. He has a productive research team that includes five post-doctoral fellows.
As for those who seek to take advantage of any potential anti-cancer benefits from garlic now, certain rules apply. Ray said people should cut and peel a piece of fresh garlic and let it sit for fifteen minutes before eating or cooking it. This amount of time is needed to release an enzyme (allinase) that produces these anti-cancer compounds. Both Ray and Banik caution the public in eating too much garlic, noting that too much of it can cause diarrhea, allergies, internal bleeding, and bad breath and body odor, among other problems, so it is important to monitor garlic consumption.
About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina is the oldest medical school in the South. Today, MUSC continues the tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and residents, and has nearly 10,000 employees, including 1,300 faculty members. As the largest non-federal employer in Charleston, the university and its affiliates have collective annual budgets in excess of $1.3 billion. MUSC operates a 600-bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children's Hospital and a leading Institute of Psychiatry. For more information on academic information or clinical services, visit www.musc.edu or www.muschealth.com.
http://www.musc.edu/pr/garlic.htm
CHARLESTON -- Numerous studies provide evidence that garlic and its organo-sulfur compounds are effective inhibitors of the cancer process, most notably for prostate and stomach cancers. For the first time, those compounds have been identified as effective against glioblastoma, a type of brain tumor equivalent to a death sentence within a short period after diagnosis.
Swapan Ray, Ph.D.(MUSC Neurosciences/Neurology associate professor), Naren Banik, Ph.D. (MUSC Neurosciences/Neurology professor), and Arabinda Das, Ph.D. (MUSC Neurosciences/Neurology post-doctoral fellow) studied three pure organo-sulfur compounds (DAS, DADS, and DATS) from garlic and the interaction each had with human glioblastoma cells. All three compounds demonstrated efficacy in eradicating brain cancer cells, but DATS (with three sulfur atoms) proved to be the most effective, lending more support to previous studies of that particular compound. The study will be published in the September issue of Cancer, which is the premier journal of the American Cancer Society (ACS).
Cancer cells are known to have an incredibly high metabolism, as they require much energy to divide cells for rapid growth. In this study, it has been shown that garlic compounds produce reactive oxygen species in rapidly growing brain cancer cells, essentially gorging them to death with activation of multiple death cascades.
"This research highlights the great promise of plant-originated compounds as natural medicine for controlling the malignant growth of human brain tumor cells," Ray said. "However, more studies are needed in animal models of brain tumors before application of this therapeutic strategy to brain tumor patients."
Banik is highly enthusiastic about this discovery. "Our basic studies will eventually be translated to the clinics for patient care. Although we may have to wait several years before its application to humans, the significance of this discovery is enormous. The benefits from this research to brain cancer patients will bring great satisfaction to the researchers and clinicians who are now trying to find a successful treatment for this devastating cancer."
Although there are several more steps, including animal and human trials, before brain tumor patients could receive garlic compound-based treatments, Ray and Banik are optimistic about the possible applications of their discovery to patient care. Garlic-derived organo-sulfur compounds are small molecules that would not necessarily require complicated methods of delivery for treating brain tumor patients, the scientists said, and by virtue of their natural origin are probably better for the human body than synthetic treatment options.
Ray has already received two R01 grants (combined funding of approximately $2.5 million), one from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and another from the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke (NINDS), to support his neuro-oncology research program. He has a productive research team that includes five post-doctoral fellows.
As for those who seek to take advantage of any potential anti-cancer benefits from garlic now, certain rules apply. Ray said people should cut and peel a piece of fresh garlic and let it sit for fifteen minutes before eating or cooking it. This amount of time is needed to release an enzyme (allinase) that produces these anti-cancer compounds. Both Ray and Banik caution the public in eating too much garlic, noting that too much of it can cause diarrhea, allergies, internal bleeding, and bad breath and body odor, among other problems, so it is important to monitor garlic consumption.
About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina is the oldest medical school in the South. Today, MUSC continues the tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and residents, and has nearly 10,000 employees, including 1,300 faculty members. As the largest non-federal employer in Charleston, the university and its affiliates have collective annual budgets in excess of $1.3 billion. MUSC operates a 600-bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children's Hospital and a leading Institute of Psychiatry. For more information on academic information or clinical services, visit www.musc.edu or www.muschealth.com.
http://www.musc.edu/pr/garlic.htm
