Posted on 04/05/2022 2:30:47 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
Cardamonin—a natural compound found cardamom —could have therapeutic potential for triple-negative breast cancer, according to a new study using human cancer cells. The findings also show the compound targets a gene that helps cancer cells elude the immune system.
About 10-15% of breast cancers are triple-negative, which means they don't have receptors for estrogen or progesterone and don't make excess amounts of a protein called HER2. These tumors are difficult to treat because they don't respond to the hormone-based therapies used for other types of breast cancer. They also tend to be more aggressive and have a higher mortality rate than other breast cancers.
"It has been challenging to develop a targeted therapy for triple-negative breast cancer that is safe and effective at the same time," said Patricia Mendonca, Ph.D. "Because of this, there is a critical need to investigate medicinal plants as a new way to combat this cancer."
"The fact that cardamonin has been used for centuries as a spice and, more recently, as a supplement shows that its intake is safe and may bring health benefits," said Mendonca. "Our research shows that cardamonin holds potential for improving cancer therapy without as many side effects as other chemotherapeutic agents."
For the new study, the researchers investigated how cardamonin affected the expression of the programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) gene, which is found in tumor cells. PD-L1 is overexpressed during breast cancer progression and plays a critical role in helping breast cancer cells evade the body's immune system.
They found that cardamonin treatment caused a dose-dependent decrease in cell viability in both cell lines. It also reduced PD-L1 expression in the Caucasian cell line but not the African American cell line, indicating that cells from different races may respond differently to cardamonin because of genetic variations among races.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
It might be time to start having more cardamom tea, for some people, at least.
May God bless you all.
A slice of pumpkin pie each day
Keeps the booby boos away.
I put cardamom in apple pie.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.