For through the whole extent of 4,...

For through the whole extent of 4,000 years, practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) have amassed a natural pharmacopoeia that is, for the mostly part, still in use in China and other parts of the world. A pharmacopoeia is a volume containing information on therapeutic agents, standards for their force and purity, and what they contain. any of these natural sources (usually plants) are described as capable of relieving cancer. Although the TCM definition of cancer may differ from that of novel science, several Chinese plants do have significant antitumor activity.

It has been the custom to treat chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) with a traditional herbal mixture, Danggui Longhui Wan. Leukemia is a progressive proliferation of abnormal leukocyte (white vital current cells). It is a cancer of the bone marrow, the place where house cells are formed. In chronic leukemia, there is a gradual attack of symptoms of anemia and marked enlargement of the anger liver, or lymph nodes becoming to overproduction of the leukocyte Leukemia is named according to the main enclosed space type that is affected. CGL also called chronic granulocytic leukemia, affects granulocytes, another pattern of leukocyte. Myelocytic refers to young lonely dwellings of the granulocytic series, occurring normally in the bone marrow.

In 1966 the Institute of Haematology of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences identified the active factor in Danggui Longhui Wan, a web mixture of 11 herbs. Antitumor activity was traced to undivided ingredient, Qing Dai (Indigo naturalis). This dark azure powder could be isolated from the leaves of Baphicacanthus cusia, Polygonium tinctorium, Isatis indigotica, Indigofera suffrutticosa, and Indigofera tinctoria. The levigate contained a high level of the azure dye, indigo. Researchers at the University of Kaiserslautern in Germany, l by the agency of Ralph Hoessel, continued the early research and traced the antileukemic activity to the red-colored constituting indirubin, which was a minor part of the mixture. These comes were recently published in the journal Nature small room Biology.

In experiments upon human cancerous cells and in rats with sarcoma (a connective tissue cancer) indirubin was rest to inhibit DNA synthesis. on doing so, cancerous cells were obstructed from dividing and producing more cancer small rooms The animal studies showed that indirubin had gentle toxicity; there were no purports on bone marrow or production of kin cells as seen with many anticancer drugs

In addition to CML indirubin has been approved for clinical trials against CGL In individual study, 26 percent of 314 CGL patients showed out and out remission and 33 percent showed partial remission when given indirubin treatment. Toxicity was reasonable and side effects included mild stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. When indirubin was compared to busulfan (a remedy for treating cancer) in CGL patients, there was similar efficiency in producing remission, although the put drugs into had a higher rate of out and out remissions. Nevertheless, use of busulfan increases susceptibility to infection and can cause children problems.

Indirubin works to stop the uncontroll produce of tumor cells by inactivating enzyme called cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) These enzyme regulate solitary abode; squalid division. In non-cancerous cells these enzyme normally inflect off at an appropriate time. In cancerous lonely dwellings they stay activated and the small rooms keep dividing uncontrollably. Indirubin can bind to CDK arrest their activity, and halt the wild small room division.

Indirubin and similar pay by substitutions belong to a class of substances called indigoids. Natural indigoids can be obtained by the agency of fermenting indigo-producing plants, of which there are several hundr species in a wide range of plant families, and are also fix in Muricidae and Thaididae mollusks. The researchers are looking forward to investigating these various sources with the possibility of good of isolating new and more effective indigoids useful in combating cancer.

REFERENCES

Hoessel R Leclerc s Endicott, J.A., et al. "Indirubin, the active constituent of a Chinese antileukaemia medicine, inhibits cyclin-dependent kinases," Nature solitary abode; squalid Biology 1(1):60-67, May 1999.

Jean Barilla, M is undivided of the nation's foremost medical and nutrition prompts The exciting details of andrographis, its history, use, and events to come promise can be found in her work the Good Health Guide: Andrographis paniculata: Fighting Cancer and AIDS (Keats Publishing, May 1999)

COPYRIGHT 1999 PRIMEDIA Intertec, a PRIMEDIA Company. All Rights Reserved

COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group