Re: Ginkgo biloba extract may inhibit breast cancer

[Guest guest]

When you try something like ginkgo and it makes you dizzy, should you try it again?

or maybe look up:

Case Reports[Publication Type] and gingko in Medline

The case of a 56 year old man who suffered a spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage after regular self medication with the herbal preparation, Ginkgo biloba leaf extract is described, and the possible association is discussed. PMID: 11161079

The use of herbal medications is becoming ever more widespread, but data for them are not yet as robust as for conventional drugs. The available safety information indicates that potential side effects of such use can be due to allergic reactions and bleeding. In this report, a case of frequent ventricular arrhythmias probably due to Ginkgo biloba is presented. The patient complained of palpitations twice in a month and on both occasions symptoms and electrocardiographic evidence of ventricular arrhythmias resolved with discontinuation of Ginkgo biloba. This case underlines that continuing research is needed to elucidate the pharmacological activities of the many herbal remedies now being used. PMID: 12506530

Ginkgo biloba intake was stopped and the hemorrhage resolved with no recurrence during the 18 months of follow-up. Ginkgo biloba is known for platelet inhibition and is extensively used in the elderly because of its beneficial effects as a vascular protector. The clinical progression of the present case strongly suggests that Ginkgo biloba may cause hemorrhage and hyphema, even in the absence of any other predisposing factor. PMID: 12399731

Recent surveys show that 18% of adults in the United States use prescription drugs concurrently with herbal or vitamin products, placing an estimated 15 million patients at risk of potential drug-supplement interactions. Despite this widespread concurrent use of conventional and alternative medicines, documented drug-herb interactions are sparse. This review focuses on possible interactions between drugs and herbal medicines used for phytoestrogen-hormone and antiplatelet-oral anticoagulant therapy. Interactions with phytoestrogens are purely speculative, based on competitive estrogen-receptor binding or antiestrogenic effects. In contrast, several case reports document bleeding complications with Ginkgo biloba, with or without concomitant drug therapy. Case reports are also suggestive of interaction between warfarin and dong quai or Panax ginseng. Recommendations for counseling patients at highest risk of adverse interactions are given. PMID: 10531760

I pass.

Regards.

[ ] Ginkgo biloba extract may inhibit breast cancer

Ginkgo biloba extract: More than just for memory?Washington, DC -- Researchers at town University Medical Centersay they now have a clearer picture of how an extract from the leavesof the Ginkgo biloba tree reduces the risk of aggressive cancer inanimal experiments.In the January-February issue of the journal Anticancer Research, theinvestigators reported that treating mice with an extract of leaves ofGinkgo biloba both before and after implanting human breast or brain(glioma) tumors decreased expression of a cell receptor associatedwith invasive cancer. This decreased expression slowed the growth ofthe breast tumors by 80 percent as long as the extract was used,compared to untreated mice, and also reduced the size of the braintumors, but temporarily, and to a lesser extent.Ginkgo biloba extract is a popular supplement that comes from theleaves of the Gingko tree, which is indigenous to Japan, Korea andChina but can be found all over the world. Many believe it enhancesmemory, and is being currently being tested as a treatment forAlzheimer's disease."It is very encouraging that Ginkgo biloba appeared to reduce theaggressiveness of these cancers, because it suggests that the leavescould be useful in some early stage diseases to prevent them frombecoming invasive, or spreading," said the study's senior author,Vassilios Papadopoulos, DPharm, PhD, Director, Biomedical GraduateResearch Organization and Associate Vice President of townUniversity Medical Center."But I must stress that this is a study in mice, and so we cannot saywhat anticancer effects, if any, Gingko biloba might offer humans," hesaid.Papadopoulos and his research team became interested in Gingko bilobabecause their research suggested that it might interact with theperipheral-type benzodiazepine receptor (PBR), a molecule they havebeen studying for the last 20 years. For example, they have determinedthat this protein (discovered by accident when researchers looked athow the anti-anxiety drug diazepam, better known as Valium®, worked)is involved in bringing cholesterol into a cell's mitochondria.In some cells the mitochondria uses cholesterol to produce steroids,which are regulatory hormones that, among other functions, help a cellgrow, Papadopoulos said. "In fact, we have found that most life forms,including plants, insects, and animals, have receptors like these thathelp regulate growth."So they looked at whether cancer cells -- with their need toproliferate -- produce more of these cholesterol-bearing receptors,and found that some highly invasive cancers do, indeed, over-expressPBR. "Accelerated growth requires production of new cell membranes,and one of the main components of membranes is cholesterol,"Papadopoulos said.The researchers also knew that steroids help regulate brain function,and they found over-expression of PBR is also associated with avariety of neurological disorders. Because the leaf of Ginkgo bilobais an ancient Chinese treatment for dementia that is still widely used-- and which is now being tested in the U.S. to treat Alzheimer'sdisease patients -- Papadopoulos decided to look at the effect ofGinkgo biloba on PBR production.He selected breast cancer cells that over-expressed PBR, implantedthem in mice, and treated the mice with a standardized extract ofGinkgo biloba leaves. After 30 days, tumor size was reduced by 35percent, compared to untreated mice. That research was published in 2000.One aim of this new study, then, was to find whether other cancer celllines also over-express PBR. They found that, in addition to one formof aggressive breast cancer (invasive estrogen-receptor negative),certain brain, colon, and prostate cancers also show higher thannormal levels of PBR.The other part of the research was to see if Ginkgo biloba would showany anticancer effects on these cancer cell lines, and concluded thatthe extract did nothing to cancers that were not invasive, butsignificantly slowed the growth of aggressive cancer cells.Papadopoulos and his team then studied whether a non-commercialinjectable form of a standardized extract of Ginkgo biloba leavesmight have any preventive effects, and selected the aggressive breastcancer and brain glioma to study in mice. The researchers pretreatedthe animals with this pharmaceutical preparation of Ginkgo biloba,then implanted the tumors. The Ginkgo biloba extract inhibited growthof the breast tumors by more than 80 percent, but glioma tumors didnot respond as strongly, and the benefit was maintained for only 50days despite continuous treatment. Tumors implanted in mice that didnot over-express PBR did not respond to the extract.Papadopoulos now plans to examine the notion that a cancer diagnosismight increase production of stress steroids such as corticosteroidsthrough PBR over-expression, and it is this stress that, in effect,pushes a tumor to become invasive. "Ginkgo biloba could possiblyreduce this stress by tamping down PBR," he said.###The study was funded by the National Center for Complementary andAlternative Medicine (NCCAM), National Institutes of Health and theInstitut Henri Beaufour-IPSEN, France. Co-authors from townUniversity Medical Center are first author Ewald Pretner, MD, HakimaAmri, PhD, Wenping Li, MD, PhD, Brown, PhD, Chin-Shoou Lin, MS,and i Makariou, MD. Also contributing to the research were FrancisDefeudis, PhD, from the Institute for Bioscience, in Westborough, MA.,and Katy Drieu, DPharm, from the Institut Henri Beaufour-IPSEN, in Paris.About town University Medical Centertown University Medical Center is an internationally recognizedacademic medical center with a three-part mission of research,teaching and patient care (through our partnership with MedStarHealth). Our mission is carried out with a strong emphasis on publicservice and a dedication to the Catholic, Jesuit principle of curapersonalis -- or "care of the whole person." The Medical Centerincludes the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing and HealthStudies, both nationally ranked, the world-renowned LombardiComprehensive Cancer Center and the Biomedical Graduate ResearchOrganization (BGRO).

[Guest guest]

When you try something like ginkgo and it makes you dizzy, should you try it again?

or maybe look up:

Case Reports[Publication Type] and gingko in Medline

The case of a 56 year old man who suffered a spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage after regular self medication with the herbal preparation, Ginkgo biloba leaf extract is described, and the possible association is discussed. PMID: 11161079

The use of herbal medications is becoming ever more widespread, but data for them are not yet as robust as for conventional drugs. The available safety information indicates that potential side effects of such use can be due to allergic reactions and bleeding. In this report, a case of frequent ventricular arrhythmias probably due to Ginkgo biloba is presented. The patient complained of palpitations twice in a month and on both occasions symptoms and electrocardiographic evidence of ventricular arrhythmias resolved with discontinuation of Ginkgo biloba. This case underlines that continuing research is needed to elucidate the pharmacological activities of the many herbal remedies now being used. PMID: 12506530

Ginkgo biloba intake was stopped and the hemorrhage resolved with no recurrence during the 18 months of follow-up. Ginkgo biloba is known for platelet inhibition and is extensively used in the elderly because of its beneficial effects as a vascular protector. The clinical progression of the present case strongly suggests that Ginkgo biloba may cause hemorrhage and hyphema, even in the absence of any other predisposing factor. PMID: 12399731

Recent surveys show that 18% of adults in the United States use prescription drugs concurrently with herbal or vitamin products, placing an estimated 15 million patients at risk of potential drug-supplement interactions. Despite this widespread concurrent use of conventional and alternative medicines, documented drug-herb interactions are sparse. This review focuses on possible interactions between drugs and herbal medicines used for phytoestrogen-hormone and antiplatelet-oral anticoagulant therapy. Interactions with phytoestrogens are purely speculative, based on competitive estrogen-receptor binding or antiestrogenic effects. In contrast, several case reports document bleeding complications with Ginkgo biloba, with or without concomitant drug therapy. Case reports are also suggestive of interaction between warfarin and dong quai or Panax ginseng. Recommendations for counseling patients at highest risk of adverse interactions are given. PMID: 10531760

I pass.

Regards.

[ ] Ginkgo biloba extract may inhibit breast cancer

Ginkgo biloba extract: More than just for memory?Washington, DC -- Researchers at town University Medical Centersay they now have a clearer picture of how an extract from the leavesof the Ginkgo biloba tree reduces the risk of aggressive cancer inanimal experiments.In the January-February issue of the journal Anticancer Research, theinvestigators reported that treating mice with an extract of leaves ofGinkgo biloba both before and after implanting human breast or brain(glioma) tumors decreased expression of a cell receptor associatedwith invasive cancer. This decreased expression slowed the growth ofthe breast tumors by 80 percent as long as the extract was used,compared to untreated mice, and also reduced the size of the braintumors, but temporarily, and to a lesser extent.Ginkgo biloba extract is a popular supplement that comes from theleaves of the Gingko tree, which is indigenous to Japan, Korea andChina but can be found all over the world. Many believe it enhancesmemory, and is being currently being tested as a treatment forAlzheimer's disease."It is very encouraging that Ginkgo biloba appeared to reduce theaggressiveness of these cancers, because it suggests that the leavescould be useful in some early stage diseases to prevent them frombecoming invasive, or spreading," said the study's senior author,Vassilios Papadopoulos, DPharm, PhD, Director, Biomedical GraduateResearch Organization and Associate Vice President of townUniversity Medical Center."But I must stress that this is a study in mice, and so we cannot saywhat anticancer effects, if any, Gingko biloba might offer humans," hesaid.Papadopoulos and his research team became interested in Gingko bilobabecause their research suggested that it might interact with theperipheral-type benzodiazepine receptor (PBR), a molecule they havebeen studying for the last 20 years. For example, they have determinedthat this protein (discovered by accident when researchers looked athow the anti-anxiety drug diazepam, better known as Valium®, worked)is involved in bringing cholesterol into a cell's mitochondria.In some cells the mitochondria uses cholesterol to produce steroids,which are regulatory hormones that, among other functions, help a cellgrow, Papadopoulos said. "In fact, we have found that most life forms,including plants, insects, and animals, have receptors like these thathelp regulate growth."So they looked at whether cancer cells -- with their need toproliferate -- produce more of these cholesterol-bearing receptors,and found that some highly invasive cancers do, indeed, over-expressPBR. "Accelerated growth requires production of new cell membranes,and one of the main components of membranes is cholesterol,"Papadopoulos said.The researchers also knew that steroids help regulate brain function,and they found over-expression of PBR is also associated with avariety of neurological disorders. Because the leaf of Ginkgo bilobais an ancient Chinese treatment for dementia that is still widely used-- and which is now being tested in the U.S. to treat Alzheimer'sdisease patients -- Papadopoulos decided to look at the effect ofGinkgo biloba on PBR production.He selected breast cancer cells that over-expressed PBR, implantedthem in mice, and treated the mice with a standardized extract ofGinkgo biloba leaves. After 30 days, tumor size was reduced by 35percent, compared to untreated mice. That research was published in 2000.One aim of this new study, then, was to find whether other cancer celllines also over-express PBR. They found that, in addition to one formof aggressive breast cancer (invasive estrogen-receptor negative),certain brain, colon, and prostate cancers also show higher thannormal levels of PBR.The other part of the research was to see if Ginkgo biloba would showany anticancer effects on these cancer cell lines, and concluded thatthe extract did nothing to cancers that were not invasive, butsignificantly slowed the growth of aggressive cancer cells.Papadopoulos and his team then studied whether a non-commercialinjectable form of a standardized extract of Ginkgo biloba leavesmight have any preventive effects, and selected the aggressive breastcancer and brain glioma to study in mice. The researchers pretreatedthe animals with this pharmaceutical preparation of Ginkgo biloba,then implanted the tumors. The Ginkgo biloba extract inhibited growthof the breast tumors by more than 80 percent, but glioma tumors didnot respond as strongly, and the benefit was maintained for only 50days despite continuous treatment. Tumors implanted in mice that didnot over-express PBR did not respond to the extract.Papadopoulos now plans to examine the notion that a cancer diagnosismight increase production of stress steroids such as corticosteroidsthrough PBR over-expression, and it is this stress that, in effect,pushes a tumor to become invasive. "Ginkgo biloba could possiblyreduce this stress by tamping down PBR," he said.###The study was funded by the National Center for Complementary andAlternative Medicine (NCCAM), National Institutes of Health and theInstitut Henri Beaufour-IPSEN, France. Co-authors from townUniversity Medical Center are first author Ewald Pretner, MD, HakimaAmri, PhD, Wenping Li, MD, PhD, Brown, PhD, Chin-Shoou Lin, MS,and i Makariou, MD. Also contributing to the research were FrancisDefeudis, PhD, from the Institute for Bioscience, in Westborough, MA.,and Katy Drieu, DPharm, from the Institut Henri Beaufour-IPSEN, in Paris.About town University Medical Centertown University Medical Center is an internationally recognizedacademic medical center with a three-part mission of research,teaching and patient care (through our partnership with MedStarHealth). Our mission is carried out with a strong emphasis on publicservice and a dedication to the Catholic, Jesuit principle of curapersonalis -- or "care of the whole person." The Medical Centerincludes the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing and HealthStudies, both nationally ranked, the world-renowned LombardiComprehensive Cancer Center and the Biomedical Graduate ResearchOrganization (BGRO).