MST An Herbal Extract Inhibits the Development of Pancreatic Cancer
An herb recently found to kill pancreatic
cancer cells also appears to inhibit development of pancreatic cancer as a
result of its anti-inflammatory properties, according to researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson.
The data were presented at the AACR 100th Annual Meeting 2009 in
Denver. (Abstract #494)
Thymoquinone, the major constituent of
the oil extract from a Middle Eastern herbal seed called Nigella sativa,
exhibited anti-inflammatory properties that reduced the release of inflammatory
mediators in pancreatic cancer cells, according to Hwyda Arafat, M.D., Ph.D.,
associate professor of Surgery at the Jefferson Medical College of Thomas
Jefferson University and a member of the Jefferson Pancreatic, Biliary &
Related Cancers Center.
Nigella sativa seeds and oil are used in
traditional medicine by many Middle Eastern and Asian countries. It helps treat
a broad array of diseases, including some immune and inflammatory disorders, Dr.
Arafat said. Previous studies have also shown it to have anti-cancer effects on
prostate and colon cancers.
Based upon their previously published
findings that thymoquinone inhibits histone deacetylases (HDACs), Dr. Arafat and
her colleagues compared the anti-inflammatory properties of thymoquinone and
trichostatin A, an HDAC inhibitor that has previously shown to ameliorate
inflammation-associated cancers. The researchers used pancreatic ductal
adenocarcinoma (PDA) cells, some of which were pretreated with the cytokine
TNF-a to induce inflammation.
Thymoquinone almost completely abolished
the expression of several inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-a,
interleukin-1b, interleukin-8, Cox-2 and MCP-1, an effect that was more superior
to the effect of trichostatin A.
The herb also inhibited the activation
and synthesis of NF-kB, a transcription factor that has been implicated in
inflammation-associated cancer. Activation of NF-kB has been observed in
pancreatic cancer and may be a factor in pancreatic cancer’s resistance to
chemotherapeutic agents. When animal models of pancreatic cancer were treated
with thymoquinone, 67 percent of the tumors were significantly shrunken, and the
levels of proinflammatory cytokines in the tumors were significantly reduced.
Inflammation has been implicated in the
development of several solid tumor malignancies. Chronic pancreatitis, both
hereditary and sporadic, is associated with the risk of developing pancreatic
cancer.
“These are very exciting and novel
results,” Dr. Arafat said. “Not only patients with chronic pancreatitis could
benefit from this, but also several other groups with risk of development or
recurrence of pancreatic cancer, such as high-risk family members and
post-surgical patients. These potent effects show promise for the herb as a
potential preventive and therapeutic strategy for pancreatic cancer. More
importantly, the herb and oil are safe when used moderately, and have been used
for thousands of years without reported toxic effects.”
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading
cause of cancer death in the United States, with approximately 32,000 deaths a
year. Only five percent of individuals with pancreatic cancer live for at least
one year after diagnosis.
Media Only Contact:
Emily Shafer
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Phone: (215) 955-6300
Published: 4/22/2009