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Reddening of the skin? Don't discount rosacea
Belleville Intelligencer, Canada - Apr 3, 2008
Rosacure contains Silymarin, obtained from the seeds of the milk thistle plant, a herbal remedy that's been used for over 2000 years. ...
Source: Google News
 

Discovery In Plants Suggests Entirely New Approach To Treating Human Cancers

Article Date: 06 Apr 2007 - 1:00 PDT
For the first time, scientists from the University of Washington School of Medicine, Indiana University Bloomington and the University of Cambridge have determined how a plant hormone -- auxin -- interacts with its hormone receptor, called TIR1. Their report, on the cover of this week's issue of Nature, also may have important implications for the treatment of human disease, because TIR1 is similar to human enzymes that are known to be involved in cancer.

"Learning that auxin regulates TIR1 is a huge advance for plant biology that will probably have important implications for agriculture in the future," said IU Bloomington plant biologist Mark Estelle. "It's a bonus for us that TIR1 is related to proteins in other organisms, including humans. Some of TIR1's human relatives play a role in different human cancers, and it is possible that our work on plants will eventually lead to new cancer drugs."

Until now it was believed enzymes like TIR1, called ubiquitin ligases, could only be controlled through protein-protein interactions. Ubiquitin ligases influence growth and light response in plants, poison mitigation in yeasts and also cancerous cell division in humans.

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"Although ubiquitin ligases have long been recognized as potential drug targets for treating cancers and other human diseases, it's been a bumpy road for scientists to come up with a feasible approach," said University of Washington School of Medicine pharmacologist Ning Zheng, who led the research. "The mechanism by which auxin works points out a new direction for us to develop therapeutic compounds targeting ubiquitin ligases."

The scientists extracted and purified TIR1 from the common plant model Arabidopsis. By x-raying crystals of the protein, Zheng, Estelle and colleagues determined the enzyme's three-dimensional structure -- a first for plant hormone receptors. The scientists then soaked the crystal in a solution containing auxin and repeated the x-ray treatment to determine where the auxin had bound. Finally the scientists added a peptide that TIR1 is known to bind and modify.

The scientists learned that auxin is a sort of "molecular glue" that improves the ability of TIR1 to bind its peptide target. In the absence of auxin, TIR1 does not bind its target as tightly.

Because the architecture of TIR1 is highly conserved among other ubiquitin ligases, including those in human cells, the scientists expect other ubiquitin ligases may be affected by small molecules like auxin. Organic chemists could, hypothetically, synthesize such molecules as a new type of cancer drug.

"A number of human disorders including Parkinson's disease, and colon and breast cancers, are caused by defective interactions between ubiquitin ligases and their substrate polypeptides. What the plant hormone tells us is that it might be possible to rescue these interactions using small molecules," said Zheng.

Two teams of scientists reported in May 2005 (also in Nature) that TIR1 is, in fact, a receptor for auxin. Estelle led one of the two teams; Ottoline Leyser of the University of York led the other. The discovery put to end conjecture about how auxin initiates growth and light response in plants, but it also caught the attention of those studying the molecular biology and biochemistry of human ubiquitin ligases.

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Xu Tan and Changxue Zheng (University of Washington School of Medicine), Luz Irina Calderon-Villalobos (Indiana University Bloomington), and Michal Sharon and Carol Robinson (University of Cambridge) also contributed to the report. It was funded with grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Pew Scholar Program, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy.

"Mechanism of Auxin Perception by the TIR1 Ubiquitin Ligase," Nature, Vol. 446, no. 7136

Contact: David Bricker
Indiana University
 

Two cuppas a day can 'slash skin cancer risk'

Last updated at 09:41am on 19th April 2007

Two cups of a tea day may slash the risk of skin cancer, according to new research.

Scientists found tea-drinkers were at least 65 per cent less likely to get certain types of tumour.

The biggest benefits were seen among long-term drinkers, especially those who downed several cups a day for more than 40 years.

The findings, published in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention, show tea's disease-fighting properties appear to protect the body against squamous cell carcinomas and basal cell carcinomas.

More....

These types of tumours are not as dangerous as malignant melanomas, which have a high mortality rate, but do affect nearly 70,000 people in Britain every year.

They are usually caused by too much exposure to the sun's rays and grow slowly over a period of months or even years.

Squamous cell carcinomas normally appear on the face and turn into an ulcer-like growth that doesn't heal.

Basal cell carcinomas normally show up as a painless lump that gradually expands in size. Although they do not normally spread through the body, they still need be removed through surgery.

Britain's favourite hot drink is packed with powerful disease-fighting chemicals and its ability to ward off illness is well known.

Previous studies have found it can protect against heart disease, ovarian cancer and stress.

In the latest study, carried out at Dartmouth Medical School in New Hampshire, US, scientists analysed over 1,400 patients aged between 25 and 74 with one of the two types of tumour.

They compared their diet, drinking habits and lifestyle with a similar group who did not have cancer.

The results showed regular tea drinkers were 65 per cent less likely to have squamous cell carcinoma and almost 80 per less at risk of a basal cell carcinoma.

Dr Judy Rees, who led the research, said: "The constituents of tea have been investigated for their activity against a variety of diseases and cancers. But the most potent appear to be polyphenols."

These are antioxidants that block the damaging effects in the body of molecules known as free radicals.

But she stressed more research is needed to confirm it is the tea, not some other lifestyle factor, which is protecting against the illness.

The study was carried out in the US, where more people drink lemon tea than in the UK. Previous studies have suggested it may be the lemon which actually protects the skin.

Dr Alison Ross, from Cancer Research UK said the results were interesting but "did not provide firm evidence" that tea protects against skin cancer.

She said limiting exposure to the sun's rays was still the best way to reduce the risk.

5 people have commented on this story so far.

Here's a sample of the latest comments published.

All very interesting, but then there's the affect that milk has on any healthy affects of tea, and most people have milk in their tea. Only four months ago research found that milk in tea destroys its ability to protect against heart disease. Perhaps it's the same in regard to cancer (since there have been links between milk and cancer) and these things should be investigated before claims are made about one particular product that is usually taken with another.

- Carol, Adelaide, South Australia

Tea has long been recognised for its health giving qualities and its protection. One of the reasons people did not succumb to many awful diseases in the 19th century was because of the huge amounts of strong tea they drank. However, as with all things, it is not a cure all and should not be perceived as such.

- Shirley, UK

So that's this weeks cancer deterrent! What food or drink will it be next week?

- Steg, Hinckley
 
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Contact: Judy Erickson
media.inquiries@sagepub.com
SAGE Publications

Is milk thistle effective in cancer treatment?

Special issue of Integrative Cancer Therapies Journal, published by SAGE, presents summary of research on herbal supplement

Milk thistle extract, an herbal remedy since the times of the ancient Greeks and Romans, is today one of the most popular herbal supplements, with U.S. retail sales of nearly nine million dollars.

The current issue of Integrative Cancer Therapies (ICT) published by SAGE, contains a summary of current research on and clinical application of silymarin, the mixture of chemicals found in milk thistle. The special issue features new research from Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian and Columbia University Medical Center finding liver-protective effects for silymarin in children receiving cancer chemotherapy. Guest edited by Drs. Kara Kelly, Janice Post-White, and Elena Ladas, the issue covers the entire scope of milk thistle use in cancer treatment, as well as in fighting other diseases like hepatitis C, diabetes, and HIV, reporting on such subjects as:

  • Recent advances in the use of milk thistle

  • Clinical trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of milk thistle

  • The molecular makeup of silymarin

  • Benefits of silymarin use before and during toxic insults to the liver, including damage from alcohol; cancer chemotherapy and other drugs; solvents; and mushroom poisoning

  • Direction for future research on milk thistle for cancer patients

"This special issue presents both preclinical and clinical studies demonstrating the potential role of milk thistle as an anticancer agent. No other medications or supplements are currently available that preserve liver function and provide clinical benefits," write the guest editors in their opening editorial.

"The clinical potential for a liver-protective supplement in cancer care is significant, as I've observed in many years of integrative medical practice," writes Dr. Keith Block, ICT editor. "Several chemotherapy drugs, as well as many of the other drugs cancer patients take, have extremely problematic liver toxicities. With this exclusive edition, the scientific community will have a resource to guide and inspire further research on this very interesting herbal medicine."

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The special issue of Integrated Cancer Therapies, guest edited by Kara Kelly, M.D. and Elena Ladas, both at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center, and Janice Post-White, RN, PhD, FAAN, of the University of Minnesota, is available for a limited time at http://ict.sagepub.com/current.dtl.

About SAGE

SAGE Publications is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for academic, educational, and professional markets. Since 1965, SAGE has helped inform and educate a global community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students spanning a wide range of subject areas including business, humanities, social sciences, and science, technology and medicine. A privately owned corporation, SAGE has principal offices in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, and Singapore. www.sagepublications.com

About Integrative Cancer Therapies

Written for everyone involved in comprehensive cancer treatment and care¡Xfrom health care professionals to informed patients, and edited by Dr. Keith Block, Medical and Scientific Director of the Institute for Integrative Cancer Care ¡X Integrative Cancer Therapies focuses on the scientific mechanisms of cancer therapies, the physiology of disease conditions, as well as the psychosocial and spiritual needs of the patient. http://ict.sagepub.com

 


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