Identification of Arctigenin as an Antitumor Agent Having the Ability to Eliminate the Tolerance of Cancer Cells to Nutrient Starvation (2006)
The growth of cancerous tumours in many cancers is facilitated by the cancer cells’ ability to tolerate oxygen and nutrition starvation and avoid apoptosis (death). This tolerance is promoted by the Akt pathway. Researchers looked for ways to inhibit this pathway so that the cancer cells would succumb to nutrient deprivation. Pancreatic cancer is considered one of the most deadly cancers because it resists almost all known chemotherapeutic agents and is high tolerant of extremely nutrient-starved conditions. This study demonstrated the ability of Arctigenin, found in the Burdock plant, to be a toxic element to pancreatic cancerous cells by blocking the Akt pathway and inhibiting tumour growth.
Published:
American association for Cancer Research 2006 Feb 1;66(3):1751-7 doi: 10.1158/0008-5472. CAN-05-3143
Attribution:
Suresh Awale¹, Jie Lu², Surya K. Kalauni¹, Yukiko Kurashima², Yasuhiro Tezuka¹, Shigetoshi Kadota¹, and Hiroyasu Esumi²; ¹Institute of Natural Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Toyama, Japan and ²investigative Treatment Division, National Cancer Center Research Institute East, Chiba, Japan