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Ingredients Research
Achyranthes Bidentata
Ingredients
Achyranthes Bidentata contains a variety of chemicals such as
triterpenoid saponins, sitosterol (synonymous with
‘beta-sitosterol’- which is actually a super-charged combination of
beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol and brassicasterol),
polysaccharides and alkaloids, rubrosterone, etc.
Research
Effect of alcoholic extract of Achyranthes
bidentata Blume on acute and sub-acute inflammation, Indian Journal of
Pharmacology 34, 2, 115-118. Vetrichelvan, T and M. Jegadeesan (2000b)
Achyranthes bidentata possesses
anti-inflammatory effects in both acute and sub acute inflammation. The
alcoholic extract (375 and 500 mg/kg) showed maximum inhibition of
oedema by 63.52% and 79.73% at the end of 3 h in acute model of
inflammation, respectively.
The research on analgestic and
anti-inflammatory action of different processed products of Achyranthes
bidentata. Lu T, Mao C, Zhang L, Xu W. Zhong Yao Cai. 1997
Oct;20(10):507-9. [Article in Chinese] Nanjin University of Traditional
Chinese Medicine, Nanjin 210029.
Analgestic effect of different processed products of Achyranthes
bidentata in mice was observed in hot plate and acetic acid induced
writhing test. The experiment results showed that water extract of
Achyranthes bidentata and its processed products could inhibit the
pain. Effect of Achyranthes bidentata polysaccharides (ABP) on
antitumor activity and immune function of S180-bearing mice. Zhon ghua
Zhong Liu Za Zhi. 1995 Jul;17(4):275-8.
Yu S, Zhang Y. Department of Macrobiology, Shanghai University of TCM.
Achyranthes bidentata polysaccharides (ABP), extracted from the root of
Achyranthes bidentata Blume, 25-100mg.kg-1.d-1 x 7 could inhibit tumor
growth by 31%-40%.
Alisma Plantago
Ingredients
Alisma Plantago contains chemicals such as Alisol A,Alisol B, and
Alisol C, aliso A monoacetate, alisol B monoacetate, alisol C
monoacetate,Alismol,Epialisol A, 24- acetyl alisol A, 23-acetyl alisol
B, 23- acetyl alisol C,Tricosane; Stearic acid; Glyceryl-1-stearate;
Daucosterol-6'-O-stearate; Alisol B monoacetate; Emodin; Alisol C
monoacetate.
Research
An experimental study of effect of different
extracts of Alisma orientalis on urinary calcium oxalate stones
formation in rats: Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2003
Nov;28(11):1072-5.Cao ZG, Liu JH, Radman AM, Wu JZ, Ying CP, Zhou
SW.Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College,
Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan430030, Hubei,
China.
The ethyl acetate elution of ethyl acetate fraction extract of
Alisma orientalis can significantly inhibit urinary calcium oxalate
stone formation in rats and be the most effective constituent
of Alisma orientalis.
The effects of the active constituents of
Alisma orientalis on renal stone formation and bikunin expression in
rat urolithiasis model: Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi. 2004 Aug
2;84(15):1276-9.Cao ZG, Liu JH, Zhou SW, Wu W, Yin CP, Wu JZ.Department
of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong
University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
The active constituents of Alisma orientalis can down-regulate the
bikunin mRNA expression, decrease the calcium oxalate formation
in rat kidney, and inhibit the renal stone formation in
rat urolithiasis model.
Alisol B acetate, a triterpene from Alismatis
rhizoma, induces Bax nuclear translocation and apoptosis in human
hormone-resistant prostate cancer PC-3 cells. Cancer Lett. 2006 Jan
18;231(2):270-8.Huang YT, Huang DM, Chueh SC, Teng CM, Guh
JH.Pharmacological Institute, College of Medicine, National Taiwan
University, No. 1, Jen-AiRoad, Sect. 1, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
The anti-tumor potential of components from Chinese herbal medicines
has been greatly concerned. Alisol B acetate, a triterpene from
Alismatis rhizoma, induced apoptotic cell death in human
hormone-resistant prostate cancer PC-3 cells in a time-and
concentration-dependent manner.
He Shou Wu
Ingredients
The herb contains nine compounds including emodin, chrysophanol, rhein,
6-OH-emodin, emodin-8-_-d-glucoside, polygonimitin B,
2,3,5,4_-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-_-d-glucoside, gallic acid and
lecithin. The herb contains several derivatives of tetrahydroxystilbene
that are antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds investigated for
their effects on neurons. The red wine component resveratrol is a
similar compound; it is a trihydroxystilbene. An abundant
natural source of resveratrol, fo-ti or he-shou-wu is grown
commercially in China for production of resveratrol in dietary
supplements.
Resveratrol is a polyphenol found in such foods as peanuts, grapes (and
consequently, wine), and mulberries. Resveratrol acts as a
potent estrogen antagonist (while also acting as an agonist
in some tissues, similar to the drugs clomiphene and tamoxifen). Resveratrol
is the potent anti-aging compound found in red wine and tha thas been
found to cut a man's risk of prostate cancer in half! Not only
that but the protective effect appears to be strongest against the most
aggressive forms of the disease, according to a new study led by
investigators at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The findings,
by Janet L. Stanford, Ph.D., and colleagues in Fred Hutchinson's Public
Health Sciences Division, appear online in The International Journal of
Cancer.
-As an antioxidant, it helps sweep
dangerous, cancer-causing free radicals from the body.
-The compound also reduces cell proliferation, curtailing the number of
cell divisions that could lead to cancer or the continued growth of
cancer cells.
-It also enhances apoptosis, or programmed cell death, which helps rid
the body of cancerous cells.
-It may act as an estrogen, reducing levels of circulating male
hormones such as DHT that fuel the growth of prostate cancer.
Studies with resveratrol indicate that this polyphenol inhibits the
activity of aromatase in breast cancer cells, a particularly important
fact considering aromatase is expressed at a higher level in breast
cancer tissue than in surrounding healthy tissue. In fact,
resveratrol inhibits the conversion of estrogen and decreases the
synthesis of the aromatase enzyme, thus indicating that it may support
the health of individuals concerned about breast cancer.
Sarkar FH, Li Y. Indole-3-carbinol and prostate
cancer. J Nutr. 2004 Dec;134(12 Suppl):3493S-3498S.
Research indicates that resveratrol also is
effective at preventing several stages of carcinogenesis. It
decreases tumor initiation, promotion, and progression, and induces
apoptosis in many types of cancer cells.Eng ET, Williams D, Mandava
U, Kirma N, Tekmal RR, Chen S. Anti-aromatase chemicals in red wine.
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2002 Jun;963:239-46.Research
Resveratrol Suppresses Prostate Cancer
Progression in Transgenic Mice
Curt E. Harper1, Brijesh B. Patel1, Jun Wang1, Alireza Arabshahi1, Isam
A. Eltoum2,3 and Coral A. Lamartiniere1,2,*
1 Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Alabama at
Birmingham, Birmingham,Alabama
2 UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham,
Birmingham, Alabama
3 Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham,
Birmingham, Alabama
To whom requests for reprints should be addressed: Dr. Coral A.
Lamartiniere, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of
Pharmacology and Toxicology, 1670 University Blvd., Volker Hall 124,
Birmingham, AL, 35294-0019. Email: Coral@uab.edu.
Resveratrol, a natural polyphenolic phytochemical, has been reported to
act as an antioxidant and provide anti-cancer activities. We
hypothesized that resveratrol would exert a chemopreventive effect
against prostate cancer via regulation of sex steroid receptor and
growth factor signaling pathways. In the current study, Transgenic
Adenocarcinoma Mouse Prostate (TRAMP) males were fed resveratrol (625
mg resveratrol/kg AIN-76A diet) or phytoestrogen-free, control diet
(AIN-76A) starting at five weeks of age. Mechanisms of action and
histopathology studies were conducted at 12 and 28 weeks of age,
respectively. Resveratrol in the diet significantly reduced the
incidence of poorly differentiated prostatic adenocarcinoma by
7.7-fold. In the dorsolateral prostate (DLP), resveratrol significantly
inhibited cell proliferation, increased androgen receptor (AR),
estrogen receptor-ß (ER-ß), and insulin-like growth
factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R), and significantly decreased IGF-1, and
phospho-extracellular regulating kinase 1 (phospho-ERK 1). In the
ventral prostate (VP), resveratrol significantly reduced cell
proliferation and phospho-ERKs 1 and 2, but did not significantly alter
IGF-1R and IGF-1. Serum total testosterone, free testosterone,
estradiol, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and sex hormone binding globulin
(SHBG) concentrations and SV-40 Tag expression in the prostate were not
altered in resveratrol-treated mice. Total resveratrol concentration in
the blood serum of 12 week old mice treated for three weeks with 625 mg
resveratrol/kg diet was 52 ± 18 nM. The decrease in cell
proliferation and the potent growth factor, IGF-1, the down-regulation
of downstream effectors, phospho-ERKs 1 and 2, and the increase in the
putative tumor suppressor, ER-ß, provide a biochemical basis for
resveratrol suppressing prostate cancer development.
Received October 25, 2006; revised June 11, 2007; accepted June 11,
2007.
Estrogen Balancing for Women and Men: Why Females
and Males Should Consider Phytonutrient Support By Nieske Zabriskie, ND
Estrogen is a hormone typically associated with female health.
Estrogen, however, also plays a lesser-known role in male health. The
increasing level of environmental estrogens such as estrogen-mimicking
pesticides along with a tendency for males to convert testosterone into
estrogen, indicates that a discussion about balancing estrogen levels
in the body is equally important to both sexes.
In men, the conversion of testosterone to estrogen
plays a role in the development of prostate cancer. This tendency was
demonstrated in animal models, where the addition of estrogen to
testosterone significantly increased the incidence of prostate cancer.
In addition, testosterone and other androgens may increase prostate
cancer progression. This evidence suggests that it is the conversion of
androgens to estrogens by aromatase that may be a causal factor in
cancer initiation and that testosterone induces tumor promotion after
the initial insult. This same study also showed that estrogen caused
DNA damage in prostate cells, which can lead to the development of
cancer at the exact location of the damage.1 Furthermore, the active
testosterone metabolite 5-alpha-dihydrotestosterone, which cannot be
aromatized to estrogen, is not known to induce prostate cancer,
supporting a critical role of estrogen in prostate carcinogenesis.1
In women, a substantial amount of research has shown that estrogen
metabolism is strongly associated with hormone-related cancers such as
breast cancer. Estrogen, via its binding to the estrogen receptor,
plays an important role in breast cancer cell proliferation and tumor
development.
Estrogen can be metabolized through either beneficial or harmful
biochemical pathways. The optimal pathway breaks down estrogen into
2-hydroxyestrone. Metabolizing estrogen via this pathway decreases
hormone related cancer risk. The other pathway metabolizes estrogen to
the carcinogenic products 16-hydroxyestrone and to a lesser extent
4-hydroxyestrone. An elevated ratio of these metabolites to the
preferential 2-hydroxyestrone metabolites in women is associated with
increased risk of invasive breast cancer.2
In both men and women, hormone balance is also related to the function
of the aromatase enzyme. This enzyme is found in adipose tissue,
muscle, breast tissue, ovaries, brain, the prostate and malignant
breast tumors. Aromatase is the rate-limiting step in estrogen
metabolism. This enzyme converts the androgens testosterone and
androstenedione to theestrogens estradiol and estrone. In
post-menopausal women, aromatase in adipose tissue is the primary
source of circulating estrogens.
Modulation of hormone levels and activity is an important avenue for
overall health. Therefore, in this article, I will discuss select
phytonutrients that research indicates can favorably affect estrogen
and androgen metabolism. |
