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Adelaide research reveals how traditional Chinese herbal medicine works to kill cancer cells
ADELAIDE research has revealed how a traditional Chinese medicine works to kill cancer cells.
The combination of herbs, Kushen and Baitulin, given as an injectable liquid in China is not allowed in Australia, but University of Adelaide Professor David Adelson says that could change if clinical trials also prove successful.
Laboratory experiments on breast cancer cells show the herbal mixture acts on the same biological pathways as western chemotherapy, just through different genes.
“These genes regulate the cell cycle of division and death,” Professor Adelson said.
“It seems that compound kushen injection alters the way the cell cycle is regulated to push cancer cells down the cell death pathway, therefore killing the cells.”
The research is published in the journal Oncotarget.
Professor Adelson is director of the Zhendong Australia — China Centre for the Molecular Basis of Traditional Chinese Medicine, established at the University in 2012.
He says there is plenty of evidence that these medicines have a therapeutic benefit, but little understanding of how or why that might be.
“If we broke down and tested the components of many traditional Chinese medicines, we would find that individual compounds don’t have much activity on their own,” he said.
“It’s the combination of compounds which can be effective, and potentially means few side-effects as well.”
The Centre was established with a donation by the Zhendong Pharmaceutical Company, with the aim of understanding how Traditional Chinese Medicine works, and the long-term aim of possible integration into western medicine.
Originally published as How Chinese herbal mixtures can kill cancer
Source: Herald Sun