To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: AACR MEETING: Natural Sugar-Phosphate Compound Shows Promise In Cancer URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/68786.htm Doctor's Guide March 30, 1998
BALTIMORE, MD -- March 30, 1998 -- What if a common, naturally occurring substance could shrink tumours, stop their growth, even make cancer cells normal again? A University of Maryland School of Medicine researcher is finding that it can. In a study of human liver cancer cells treated with inositol hexaphosphate (IP6) and transplanted into mice, Abulkalam Shamsuddin, MD, PhD, professor of pathology, and colleagues found that IP6 slowed or stopped the growth of liver cancer cells and shrank existing tumours three- to four-fold. The Maryland researchers reported their findings at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting in New Orleans today. "IP6 does not kill cancer cells -- it tames them and makes them behave like normal cells," Shamsuddin said. His research has focused on the cancer-fighting properties of the sugar-based compound for more than a decade. Inositol hexaphosphate is a sugar molecule attached to six phosphate molecules. It is found throughout nature, in wheat and rice bran, legumes such as soybeans and virtually every kind of mammalian cell. It plays an important role in regulating vital cellular functions, including cell proliferation and differentiation. IP6 decreases proliferation of cancer cells and causes them to differentiate, often reverting to the size, shape and structure of normal cells, Shamsuddin said. "IP6 has striking anticancer action, both in vitro and in vivo," he explained. In the human liver cancer cell study, Shamsuddin's team treated human hepatocellular carcinoma cells with varying doses of pure IP6. The result was partial to complete inhibition of cell growth and proliferation, depending on the dose. Treated cells transplanted into mice produced no tumours over the 41 days of the experiment, while 71 percent of mice receiving untreated cancer cells developed tumours. Mice that developed tumours from the human cancer-cell line were injected with IP6 for 12 consecutive days. After the last treatment, their tumours weighed three- to four-fold less than they had before the injections, Shamsuddin said. IP6 has moved in and out of medical favour ever since its discovery. Its antioxidant properties sparked excitement, followed by concern that IP6 binds tightly with important minerals such as calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc, preventing the body from absorbing them properly. Recent studies have shown that concern to be unfounded, Shamsuddin explained. It is true that IP6, when consumed, combines with various proteins and other large molecules to form insoluble compounds which are not readily absorbed or metabolised, the researcher notes. For that reason, adding IP6 to the diet would be less effective than giving it in a pure form, dissolved in water and either drunk or injected, the researcher said. "Although IP6 is the substance responsible for cereal's anticancer effects, intake of pure IP6 may be a more practical approach than gorging on enormous quantities of dietary fibre to prevent cancer," he remarked. Shamsuddin also has tested IP6 on colon, lung, breast and prostate cancer cells, on leukemias, fibrosarcomas and muscle cell cancers in children. "IP6 has a potential for use as a novel preventive measure and treatment for a variety of cancers," Shamsuddin said. It also holds promise for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease, kidney stones and possibly even immune-system disorders like AIDS, he says. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.