Cancer Cure in Daffodils

by Rathi Manohar on  November 03, 2010 at 8:24 PM Alternative Medicine News
  •   Print
  •   Share
  •   Comments
  •  Text 
 Cancer Cure in Daffodils
Aggressive forms of human brain cancers could be treated with narciclasine, a natural compound and a potential powerful therapeutic, found in daffodil bulbs, claim scientists.

"We are planning to move a narciclasine derivative toward clinical trials in oncology within a three to four year period in order to help patients with brain cancers, including gliomas, as well as brain metastases," said Robert Kiss, co-author of the study from the Laboratory of Toxicology at the Institute of Pharmacy at the Universite Libre de Bruxelles in Brussels, Belgium.

"We hope narciclasine could be given to brain cancer patients in addition to conventional therapies."

To make this discovery, Kiss and colleagues used computer-assisted techniques to identify targets for narciclasine in cancer cells. The strongest potential candidate to emerge was the eEF1A elongation factor.

Researchers then grafted human melanoma brain metastatic cells into the brains of genetically altered mice. Results showed that the injected mice survived significantly longer when treated with narciclasine than those mice left untreated. The researchers believe that narciclasine selectively inhibits the proliferation of very aggressive cancer cells, while avoiding adverse effects on normal cells. Narciclasine could be used in the near future to combat brain cancers, including gliomas, and metastases such as melanoma brain metastases.

"Scientists have been digging in odd corners to find effective treatments for brain cancer for decades, and now they've found one in daffodils." said Gerald Weissmann, Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal.

Page 1 Page 1 | 2  Next
 Email Email   RSS Feeds RSS Feeds   Print this page Print   Save this page Save   Link Link   Syndicate Syndicate   Comments Comments   Bookmark and Share
 
Comment & Contribute
Comments should be on the topic and should not be abusive. Comments are normally moderated and are reviewed after they are posted.
* Your comment can be maximum of 2500 characters

Notify me when reply is posted
I agree to the terms and conditions
  
If you have a question about health related issues, you can now post it in our Ask An Expert section on our community website Medwonders.com and get answers from our panel of experts.
X

Medwonders Health Network

  • Health News Index
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
News Archive
Date :
Category :
Keyword :
Quiz on Cancer
Looking for information on cancer? Go through medindia's Cancer quiz.
  • News Quick Links
News Central Health Watch
Latest Health News Health In Focus
News Category (500+) Breaking Health News
Popular News Celebrating Life
Health News and Press Release Medindia - Exclusive
News Photo Gallery India Special
News Video Gallery Lifestyle and Wellness
News From Other Resources
Cancer
Complete Medindia Resources
News Categories:  
Senior Health Center

Alternative Medicine Related News

» Chinese Herb May Curb Binge Drinking, Treat Alcoholism » Acupuncture and Progress In People With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Appear To Be Linked
» Expert Says Alternative Medicines Potentially Unsafe » Acupuncture and Hypnosis may Help You Kick the Butt
» PAPupuncture can Provide Long Lasting Pain Relief » Acupuncture Improves Skeletal Muscle Atrophy
» Better Health, Mobility, Self-esteem for Wheelchair Tai Chi Practitioners » 'Toxic Ingredients' in Traditional Chinese Medicines Exposed
Read More >>