* APIGENIN

How do you test a chemical or compound against cancer if the test subject (animal) does not have cancer? You give it cancer of course and there are several ways of doing this. Two that I’ve come across: Inject cancer cells into the animal, or transplant them, “xenograft”. Or, expose the subject to known carcinogenic chemicals in doses sufficient to cause a cancer. You can then test various compounds before or after administration of the toxic compound and see what happens. This was done with APIGENIN.

My initial research notes appear below, more detailed discussion of the supporting studies to come later.

-bioflavonoid found in many plants
-believed to exhibit anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-cancer and anti-estrogen properties.
-common foods with relatively high levels of APIGENIN: PARSLEY, ONIONS, APPLES, BASIL, CELERY ROOT, TEA, PEAS, ARTICHOKE, FEVERFEW, ORANGE JUICE, GRAPEFRUIT JUICE, SPINACH, RUTABAGAS, SWEET PEPPERS, CELERY HEART, CELERY, GUAVA, GARLIC,THYME, PEPPERMINT, CHAMOMILE, PERILLA, YARROW, RED WINE, TOMATO SAUCE
-levels of APIGENIN while found in a variety of plants usually are not high enough to get significant amounts on a daily basis. It is suggested that it would be reasonable to take as a supplement.
-inhibits prostate cancer growth.
-induces a process called autophagia (a kind of self destruction of cells)
-reverses the effects of a cancer inducing drug called cyclosporine
-“administering APIGENIN to mice, either before or after innoculation, inhibited the volume of prostate cancer cells in a dose dependent manner by as much as 50% and 53% respectively”…”exposure of prostate cancer cells in culture for as little as 48 hrs resulted in growth inhibition of up to 67%.” “since Americans consume an average of only 13mg per day of APIGENIN, or approximately three to four and one half times less than the lowest comparable dose used…increasing APIGENIN intake may be a prudent dietary strategy for protecting against prostate cancer”
-PC3 cells responded to APIGENIN in a dose dependent manner with a significant and time dependent effect
-DU 145 cells also affected by APIGENIN
-APIGENIN treatment significantly decreased the cell viability of CA-HPV-10 human prostate cancer cells.
induced apoptosis
-APIGENIN interferes with the inappropriate activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-Akt signaling which contributes to the development of several human malignancies…PC3 and DU145 cell lines were used.
-in vitro and in vivo studies APIGENIN suppresses insulin-like growth factor I receptor signaling. Deregulation of IGF-I has been implicated in the development and progression of prostate cancer. DU 145 and PC3 cell lines were used.
-one study of about two dozen flavonoids and their effect on human breast cancer cells demonstrated that APIGENIN was the most effective anti-proliferative.
-a related study showed that it bound to estrogen receptor sites on cell membranes blocking the cells’ response to estrogen.
-APIGENIN RUTIN and QUERCETIN were more effective than VIT C in reducing DNA oxidative damage
-induces apoptosis in human leukemia cells more effectively than QUERCETIN and other flavonoids tested.
-in studies against thyroid cancer cell lines APIGENIN and LUTEOLIN were found to be most effective inhibitors found, same results when compared with other flavonoids against human thyroid cancer cell lines.
-colorectal cancer: APIGENIN and QUERCITIN interfered with epidermal growth factor cell stimulation.
-found in one study that APIGENIN and LUTEOLIN are more potent cancer inhibitors than GENISTEIN
-APIGENIN blocks protein kinase C, which is overexpressed in many human cancers, including, breast and prostate.
-“the mutation and oxidation of estrogens is related to the development of certain cancers. The favorable influence of APIGENIN, GENISTEIN on estrogen metabolism led researchers to speculate that these plant extracts could be used in the prevention or treatment of estrogen-related diseases.”
-sulfation is another mechanism by which cells turn malignant, APIGENIN and ELLAGIC ACID were more potent compared to QUERCETIN in interfering with this process.
-some leukemia cells generate toxic free radical by products, GENISTEIN, APIGENIN followed by DAIDZEIN were potent inhibitors and may have complemented their other anti-cancer effects.
-topical application of APIGENIN in mouse skin tumors showed inhibiting activity
-inhibits some factors in angiogenesis, or the growth of new blood vessels so vital to tumor growth.
-many types of cancer cells rely on COX-2 to propagate, APIGENIN and GENISTEIN interfere with that process
-“epidemiological studies suggest that a diet rich in flavones is related to a decreased risk of certain cancers, particularly of the breast, prostate, digestive tract, skin and some hemotological malignancies”
-APIGENIN inhibits prostate cancer cell motility and adhesion. Mortality is more closely related to metastatic disease than to organ-confined cancers, thus anything that inhibits or reduces a cancer cell’s viability OUTSIDE of the originating tumor/site increases survival.
-able to reduce or delay prostate cancer in vivo in TRAMP mice (transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate)
-APIGENIN, LUTEOLIN, MYRICETIN and RUTIN effective individually in decreasing viability of DU 145 prostate cancer cell line.

PARSLEY SAGE APPLES ONIONS FEVERFEW. The same foods come up repeatedly in my research. There are so many of them that combined can change a lifestyle or save a life. These are foods herbs and plants that have been a part of human dietary life for thousands of years. One has to ask why? Those individuals who ate the healthiest lived the longest and passed their genes on to the next generation. Are our genes more “receptive” to these phytonutrients? More so than they are to artificial chemicals and food additives that they have never come across before? What do you think?

martin

@ CHERRIES, a bowlfull

I never quite ‘understood’ CHERRIES when I was a kid. Why would someone want to eat something that had a hard pit in it, tough skin and a color that could hide anything living in it. The color! If you happened to drop one on the floor and get it mashed into the carpet you were in trouble! Nor did they ever taste like Luden’s Wild Cherry Cough Drops!

then I got cancer.

CHERRIES were one of the earliest things I researched and I kept learning more and more about them. It is in part due to their color that makes some of what is in a CHERRY an important part of changing your diet to be more cancer unfriendly. CHERRIES as well as most any food with intense color, will help provide protection towards preventing prostate and other cancers.The list of phytonutrients that are in CHERRIES is pretty long. Many of these compounds will be described in this blog for their ability to inhibit prostate cancer. Many of them are not unique to any one single plant or source, which makes it easier to shape one’s diet in a way most diets cannot be shaped: To your liking.

1) QUERITRIN
2) ISOQUERITRIN
3) ELLAGIC ACID
4) PERILLYL ALCOHOL
5) CYANIDIN
6) D-GLUCARATE ACID
7) APIGENIN
8) MELATONIN (If anyone can tell me why I am getting a smiley face here I would REALLY appreciate it!)
9) ANTHOCYANINS (SEVERAL)
10) QUERCETIN
11) GENISTEIN
12) NARINGENIN
13) GENISTIN
14) CHLOROGENIC ACID

The CHERRY ‘world’ is divided into two general categories, TART CHERRIES and SWEET CHERRIES. Examples of TART CHERRIES: Montmorency, Balaton, Morello, and Northstar, and examples of SWEET CHERRIES: Bing, Stella, Lambert, Tulare, and Rainier. The phytonutrient profiles for each of the two main groupings are slightly different.

I don’t necessarily recommend buying jars of maraschino CHERRIES. There are several very good ways of getting one’s daily CHERRY ‘requirement’. Aside from fresh sweet CHERRIES when in season, or tart CHERRIES in various pies and pastries, you can find dried tart CHERRIES and incorporate them into an anti-prostate cancer trail mix. You can also find concentrated CHERRY juice (it is NOT sour or tart) which when poured over Soy Delicious’s Pomegranate Chip, is wonderful. (Note the presence of POMEGRANATE, CHERRIES, and SOY. Note also that DAIRY foods have been associated with an increase in cancer risk). There are also supplements available that provide concentrated CHERRY phytonutrients.

PRUNUS CERASUS……sour cherry (aka “tart”)
PRUNUS AVIUM……..wild or sweet cherry

-PERILLYL ALCOHOL helps stunt growth of cancer cells by depriving them of the proteins they need to grow. “works on every type of cancer it has been tested against”. Can cause tumors to regress.
-QUERITRIN, a potent flavonoid, is rich in CHERRIES and has been found by researchers to be one of the most potent anti-cancer agents.
-they also contain ELLAGIC ACID, a plant phenolic also known to have anti-cancer and anti-mutagenic effects. “Clinical tests at the Hollings Center…show that ELLAGIC ACID may be the most potent way to prevent cancer”.
-D-GLUCARATE ..cancer inhibitor.
-compounds within them reduce pain and inflammation
-anthocyanins block COX-1 and COX-2
-tart/sour CHERRIES contain substantially more melatonin than many other sources. Montmorency contains 6x as much as the Balaton variety.
-can reduce pain of gout.
-study found that a CHERRY-enriched diet lowered total weight, body fat (especially the important “belly” fat), inflammation and cholesterol, all risk factors associated with heart disease.
-20x more beta carotene than blueberries.
-darker the CHERRY the greater the health benefits
-“tart CHERRY juice concentrate has the highest antioxidant potency score of all other fruits or vegetables”
-tart CHERRIES.. one of the few food sources of MELATONIN…acts as a powerful antioxidant, providing neuroprotective and immune-modulating effects
-high MELATONIN levels associated with lower breast cancer risk
-extracts inhibit cancer cell proliferation
-tart CHERRIES only “sour” in relation to sugary “sweet” CHERRIES
-antioxidant activity of tart black CHERRIES is greater than vitamin E
-Balaton CHERRIES are particularly rich in ANTHOCYANINS with a total of 37.5mg/100g
-contain pain-relieving compounds they deliver a dose of cox inhibitors comparable to Advil
…all from just 20 (TWENTY) CHERRIES.
-over 17 natural compounds that work synergistically to promote health (hmmm I’ve missed a few!)
-researchers found evidence that PERILLYL ALCOHOL may slow or even reverse the progression of colorectal cancer
-tart CHERRY juice concentrate has 12,800 ORAC units
-dried tart CHERRIES have 6,800 ORAC units
– ORAC units in other fruits: Prunes 5,770, BLUEBERRIES 2,400, BLACKBERRIES 2,036, STRAWBERRIES 1,540, RASPBERRIES 1,220, PLUMS 949, ORANGES 750, RED GRAPES 739.
-ORAC units selected vegetables: KALE 1,770, SPINACH 1,260, BRUSSELS SPROUTS 980, ALFALFA SPROUTS 930, BROCCOLI florets 890, BEETS 840, RED BELL PEPPER 710
-ORAC (oxygen radical absorption capacity)
-an element of the Mediterranean Diet (ANTHOCYANINS)
-COMPOUNDS IN CHERRIES SUPPRESS THE FIRST STEP OF HETEROCYCLIC AROMATIC AMINES ENZYMATIC ACTIVATION WHICH IS FORMED DURING THE COOKING OF MEAT AND FISH AT HIGH TEMPERATURES.

To this day, there is something exciting about the research I did on CHERRIES. They have become a part of my life where they never had been before. I make trail mixes with dried CHERRIES. Sometimes I add concentrated CHERRY syrup to my teas, soy moo’s or smoothies. And when they are in season, will sit and eat them one at a time, quite happily and unconcerned about them staining anything (I am the parent now!).
Each time I look at one of those pits (a source of amygdalin) I remember my grandmother making bean bags out of the boiled pits and how she’d never let me keep one of them. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but with CHERRIES you will always win. (Cant say the same for greasy potato chips!)

This is not the end of the story there are so many hints as to what the future holds for this fruit, that we are likely to find that it will fight a lot of other things besides what is listed above. There is some research that suggests even Alzheimers may be ‘helped’ by consuming CHERRIES.

Do you need to wait any longer? I am not,
good eating,
good health
good luck
mm

* GENISTEIN (Soy Beans)

Soy beans and soy products contain a number of valuable ISOFLAVONES: GENISTEIN, DAIDZEIN, GLYCITEIN,EQUOL.
While some studies GENISTEIN alone may have some toxic effects, together with DAIDZEIN and other phytonutrients in Soy Bean products, it is more effective than either alone. One of the most amazing things that I have seen in this research is how some phytochemicals appear not only in the plant herb, seed, fruit nut or oil that they are expected to appear in but how they show up elsewhere!

Plants that have GENISTEIN in them make for a long list: PARSLEY, SAGE, RED CLOVER, CHICK PEAS (major ingred. in Hummus), ALFALFA, CURRANTS, RAISINS, BARLEY MEAL, BROCCOLI, CAULIFLOWER, CLOVER SEEDS, PEANUTS, FAVA BEANS, KUDZU, SUNFLOWER SEEDS, CARAWAY SEEDS, and of course SOY BEANS.

-content: PARSLEY = 1539.70 MG/100 grams; SAGE = 433.70 mg/100g; DRY SOY BEANS = 49.04mg/100g. It is astounding how these foods are right in front of us and we often completely miss them!
-RED CLOVER excellent source of GENISTEIN
-CURRANTS and RAISINS are highest fruit sources.
-at concentrations obtainable in humans, can block the action of both the epidermal growth factor and HER-2/NEU receptors. This means that GENISTEIN can theoretically block one of the major mechanisms by which prostate cancer cells become HORMONE REFRACTORY!
-soy ISOFLAVONES appear to block tumor angiogenesis
-highest levels of GENISTEIN found in and absorbed much more effectively from fermented soy products such as MISO, NATTO, TEMPEH
-blood levels of GENISTEIN may underestimate levels in the prostate, where they tend to be 5 to 10 times higher
-in a UK study comparing DAIDZEIN and GENISTEIN , GENISTEIN caused DNA damage while DAIDZEIN did not.
-in another study evaluating risk among several soy phytonutrients, which included GENISTEIN it was found that higher plasma concentrations of GENISTEIN were associated with lower risk of prostate cancer.
-PC3 prostate cancer cell line treated with isomolar GENISTEIN, APIGENIN, and MYRICETIN suppressed PC3 proliferation by 73%, 70% and 59% respectively.
-researchers have identified MEK4 as a pro-invasion protein and THE target for GENISTEIN…in prostate cancer cells.
-computer modeling shows GENISTEIN can bind to the active site of MEK4.
-GENISTEIN and RESVERATROL suppress prostate cancer in SV-40 tag rats, either alone or in combination.
-phytoestrogen intake was not associated with breast cancer among women or colorectal cancer among men.
A positive trend between enterolignan intake and prostate cancer risk was seen in men. BUT phytoestrogen intake was seen to increase prostate cancer.
-APIGENIN, CURCUMIN, BAICALEIN, EGCG, GENISTEIN QUERCETIN AND RESVERATROL were combined and studied in vivo for their combined effect against prostate cancer…..act similarly to the Hedgehog antagonist CYCLOPAMINE …in vitro it has been shown that all seven compounds also inhibit growth in human and mouse prostate cancer cell lines.
-GENISTEIN acts as a radio-sensitizer for prostate cancer both in vitro and in vivo…pure GENISTEIN promoted increased metastasis to lymph nodes. …while a mixture of GENISTEIN, DAIDZEIN and GLYCITEIN did not cause increased metastasis, but potentiated radiotherapy….it was tested whether DAIDZEIN could negate GENISTEIN induced metastasis….mice bearing PC3 tumors were treated with DAIDZEIN, GENISTEIN or both…it was concluded that DAIDZEIN could be the component in soy that protects against GENISTEIN induced metastasis
-GENISTEIN and SELENIUM combination induces growth arrest in prostate cancer cells.
-whole soy was found to be more effective than individual soy components/extracts

Have you ever eaten EDAMAME? Did you hate those green things in succotash called (ew) (shudder) LIMA BEANS? Is THAT why you wont touch SOY BEANS now? Soy beans taste the way you WISHED lima beans tasted when you were a kid. Wanna grow up and have the prostate cancer boogey man get you? THEN EAT YOUR SOY BEANS!
just try them! (not the dried ones in bottles cans and bags, they’re awful, in my opinion)
mm

* ZEAXANTHIN

I would not start eating corn chips simply because of their content of ZEAXANTHIN. There are other and more healthier choices. ZEAXANTHIN is named from ZEA MAYS, common yellow corn, of which it is the primary yellow pigment. It is the same pigment that gives PAPRIKA and SAFFRON their characteristic color. It is one of the two primary XANTHOPHYLL CAROTENOIDS within the retina of the eye and has been shown with LUTEIN to reverse some of the symptoms of age related macular degeneration.

My notes from my initial stages of research appear below, more detailed discussion of the supporting studies to come later.

– LUTEIN and ZEAXANTHIN are very closely related and have identical chemical formulas. They are described as “isomers”.
-Korean research has shown not only do LUTEIN and ZEAXANTHIN have eye health benefits but perhaps in the algae they were obtained from appear to be the most bio-active substances.
-The Korean study also indicated that the extracts had a more powerful effect against cancer when used in combination than in isolation ..inhibited colon cancer.
-ZEAXANTHIN strongly induces apoptosis in neuroblastoma cells
-the significant inhibitory effect of ZEAXANTHIN on mouse lung tumor formation was demonstrated.. Journal of Kyoto Prefecture University of Medicine VOL 110 No 1, 2001
-in a Dutch study: 58,000 Dutch men: dietary intakes of LUTEIN and ZEAXANTHIN were associated with a decreased lung cancer risk in a 6 year study
-a long term study of 83,234 women found that intake of LUTEIN and ZEAXANTHIN may reduce risk of breast cancer.
-foods rich in ZEAXANTHIN:
CORN, EGG YOLK, ZUCCHINI, RED SEEDLESS GRAPES, CUCUMBER, GREEN PEPPER, CELERY, ORANGE JUICE, HONEYDEW, ORANGE PEPPERS, ORANGES, MANGO, SPINACH, GOJI BERRIES, KALE, TURNIP GREENS, COLLARD GREENS, ROMAINE LETTUCE, BROCCOLI, KIWI FRUIT, GARDEN PEAS, SWISS CHARD, BRUSSELS SPROUTS,PUMPKIN, WATERMELON, TOMATOES
-high circulating levels of LYCOPENE, LUTEIN/ZEAXANTHIN, and BETA-CRYPTOXANTHIN are associated with a low risk of prostate cancer. 2005 Nutr. Cancer.
-does not contribute to disease progression.
-AVOCADO high in LUTEIN and ZEAXANTHIN… “An acetone extract of AVOCADO containing these carotenoids and tocopherols was shown to inhibit the growth of both androgen dependent (LNCaP) and androgen independent (PC-3) prostate cancer cell lines in vitro.”
-study: Prostate cancer risk declined with increasing consumption of LYCOPENE, ALPHA-CAROTENE, BETA-CAROTENE, BETA-CRYPTOXANTHIN, LUTEIN AND ZEAXANTHIN.
-study: ZEAXANTHIN is an effective inhibitor of migration of stromal fibroblasts….induced by …melanoma cells.

Oddly a study showing that a phytonutrient or phytochemical does NOT contribute to disease progression can be a very important step in the discovery process of singling out phytonutrients that may or may not fight cancer, specifically prostate cancer. Some individual phytonutrients alone have been shown to promote disease progression, ie. GENISTEIN, but the same items can in combination with others fight prostate cancer. Again for example, GENISTEIN as a part of a whole food such as SOY BEANS. This aspect of whole foods, and whole extracts I saw over and over in the studies and articles I researched on prostate cancer.
ZEAXANTHIN has also been shown to do no harm.

The carotenoids are an interesting group of phytonutrients, but before you reach for that carrot (BETA CAROTENE) think about the other whole foods that give you a much more varied and larger sampling of the carotenoids.

It is amazing the differences between foodstuffs and the life saving phytonutrients they carry. Please give some thought to your health the next time you are in the grocery store or the ‘snack-shop’.

best
mm

@ RED CLOVER

-shown to inhibit normal prostate cells
-contains isoflavones
-trinovin a supplement derived from RED CLOVER causes early stage PC cells to die in numbers 5x greater than an untreated control group.
-contains: BIOCHANIN GENISTEIN FORMONONETIN DAIDZEIN
-suppresses and blunts the effects of DHEA which can cause growth in PC cells
-inhibits proliferation, promotes apoptosis of benign prostatic hyperplasia stromal cells
-induces apoptosis in low and medium grade PCa
-reduces hot flashes

(brief highlights from my research, more to come later)

@ PARSLEY

-Contains Polyacetylenes which seem to protect against certain cancer causing substances in tobacco smoke.
-may also help regulate the body’s production of prostaglandins which are a powerful tumor promoter.
-contains FLAVONOIDS and MONOTERPENES which have been shown to slow the development of some cancers.
-rich in POTASSIUM.
-closely related to celery.
-contains: LUTEOLIN, LUTEIN, APIGENIN, CHRYSOERIOL, KAEMPFEROL, QUERCETIN, ISORHAMNETIN, GENISTEIN, MYRISTICIN, ZEAXANTHIN and APIOL.
-the volatile oils in parsley have been found to inhibit tumor formation in animal studies
-a Dutch study indicates that it may prevent leukemia cell development. Primary active ingredient in this effect: APIGENIN
-other studies show APIGENIN is an important foe in ovarian cancer.
-1/4 cup provides more than 300% of the daily value for vitamin K
-is considered a “top source” for APIGENIN which in addition to protecting the prostate may also help support breast colon skin and thyroid health.

(more detailed information on some studies performed on APIGENIN and parsley to come later)