Grape Seed Extract Kills Leukemia Cells

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Grape Seed Extract Kills Leukemia Cells

Tuesday, January 06, 2009 by: Sherry Baker, Health Sciences Editor

http://www.naturalnews.com/025248.html

(NaturalNews) Grapes, grape juice and wine made from grapes have been in the

news for the last few years -- making headlines for their potential heart

protective benefits. Now there's another reason to appreciate the healthy

phytochemicals contained in grapes. Researchers from the University of

Kentucky have found a natural substance in the fruit that's deadly to

malignant leukemia cells. The powerful cancer fighter, derived from grape

seeds, triggered the death of 76 percent of leukemia cells exposed to the

extract in a laboratory experiment.

The scientists just reported this study in the January 1, 2009, issue of

Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer

Research. They also published data that reveals the cell signaling pathway

that grape seed extract impacts to trigger the death, or apoptosis, of

leukemia cells. The University of Kentucky researchers concluded the extract

" turns on " a protein known as JNK that regulates the cancer-cell killing

pathway.

" These results could have implications for the incorporation of agents such

as grape seed extract into prevention or treatment of hematological

malignancies and possibly other cancers, " the study's lead author, Xianglin

Shi, Ph.D., professor in the Graduate Center for Toxicology at the

University of Kentucky, said in a statement to the media.

Dr. Shi and his research team have been studying chemicals called

proanthocyanidins in fruits that epidemiological evidence shows may prevent

the development of cancer. In additional studies, Dr. Shi and colleagues

discovered that apple peel extract contains antioxidant-rich flavonoids

which cause several cancer cell lines to die.

Based on this earlier research, as well as studies from other scientists

showing grape seed extract reduces breast tumors in rats and skin tumors in

mice, the University of Kentucky scientists decided to see what effect the

natural components of grape seed extract might have on leukemia cells.

Although grape seed extract has already shown activity against several other

forms of cancer cell lines in the lab, including skin, breast, colon, lung,

stomach and prostate cancers, this is the first time the natural substance

has been tested on hematological cancers.

This category of cancers, which the National Cancer Institute lists as the

fourth leading cause of cancer incidence and death in the U.S., involve the

uncontrolled growth of cells that have similar functions and origins and

includes leukemias, lymphomas, and myeloma. Leukemia is specifically a

cancer of blood and the bone marrow.

Dr. Shi and his team exposed leukemia cells to a commercially available

grape seed extract in different doses. They found the higher doses had the

most marked effect in causing the death of the cancer cells. They also

discovered that the extract does nothing to harm normal cells.

" What everyone seeks is an agent that has an effect on cancer cells but

leaves normal cells alone, and this shows that grape seed extract fits into

this category, " Dr. Shi stated in the media release.

For more information on the research, visit The American Association for

Cancer Research at http://www.aacr.org/home/public--media/...

About the author

Sherry Baker is a widely published writer whose work has appeared in

Newsweek, Health, the Atlanta Journal and Constitution, Yoga Journal,

Optometry, Atlanta, Arthritis Today, Natural Healing Newsletter, OMNI,

UCLA's " Healthy Years " newsletter, Mount Sinai School of Medicine's " Focus

on Health Aging " newsletter, the Cleveland Clinic's " Men's Health Advisor "

newsletter and many others.