Parsley could help in breast cancer treatment
May 10th, 2011 - 1:32 pm ICT by IANSWashington, May 10 (IANS) Parsley carries a potent compound that can halt breast cancer cells from reproducing, according to researchers.
Salman Hyder, professor of biomedical sciences at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, exposed rats with breast cancer to apigenin, a compound found in parsley and other plant products.
The exposed rats developed fewer tumors and experienced significant delays in tumour formation as compared to normal rats, the journal Cancer Prevention Research reports.
Apigenin is most prevalent in parsley and celery, but can also be found in apple, orange, nuts and other plant products, according to a Missouri statement.
“Six to 10 million women in the US receive hormone replacement therapy (HRT),”
Hyder said. “We know that certain synthetic hormones used in HRT accelerate breast tumor
development.
“In our study, we exposed the rats to one of the chemicals used in the most common HRTs received in the US - a progestin called medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) - which also happens to be the same synthetic hormone that accelerates breast tumour development.”
When tumor cells develop in the breast in response to MPA, they encourage new blood vessels to form within tumors. The blood vessels then supply needed nutrients for the tumours to grow and multiply.
Hyder found that apigenin blocked new blood vessel formation, thereby delaying, and
sometimes stopping, the development of the tumours.
However, apigenin is not absorbed efficiently into the bloodstream. So scientists are unsure of how much can or should be ingested.
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- How progesterone and estrogen increase breast cancer risk - Jan 19, 2011
- How HRT and the Pill can lead to breast cancer - Sep 30, 2010
- Small molecule drug may help treat hormone-accelerated breast cancer - Jan 29, 2009
- Compound used to control cholesterol may also kill breast cancer - Feb 23, 2011
- Key culprit in breast cancer metastasis identified - Feb 17, 2011
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- Estrogen helps women pile on pounds - Oct 06, 2011
- How breast cancer cells dodge immune system and survive - Feb 02, 2011
- HRT raises risk of kidney stones - Oct 13, 2010
- Drop in breast cancer rates linked to reduced hormone therapy - Dec 01, 2010
- Estrogen alone can cut risk of breast cancer - Dec 10, 2010
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