Re: Hepatitis C Infection Blocked By Natural Compound (Quercetin)

[Guest guest]

Thank you PSPam for this contribution.

The more info we all have, the better we can fight the dragon.

I have been following this info since I first found it in the news 01-05-10, and 01-08-10.

I have a link folder on this topic and your post is a welcome addition.

http://health.dir./group/ /links/007___QUERCETIN_001263430044/

I will be watching for future articles about this because perhaps......

Im so excited about all the HCV attention and research going on.

Protease Inhibitors, anti-virals, stem cells, RNA/DNA, vaccines, natural tools, etc.

Even the Govt seems to be finally getting on the band wagon.

I just know this is going to be a good year.

love

don in ks

From: PeachStatePam <figment@...>Subject: [ ] Hepatitis C Infection Blocked By Natural Compound (Quercetin)figment@...Date: Wednesday, January 13, 2010, 6:29 PM

Hepatitis C Infection Blocked By Natural Compound

Researchers have identified two cellular proteins that are important factors in hepatitis C virus infection, a finding that may result in the approval of new and less toxic treatments for the disease, which can lead to liver cancer and cirrhosis. An estimated 270 to 300 million people worldwide are infected with hepatitis C and the conventional treatments -

interferon and ribavirin - can have significant side effects. A new drug targeting cellular proteins rather than viral proteins would be a valuable addition to the treatment arsenal, said French, an assistant professor of pathology and senior author of the study. French and his team set out to identify the cellular factors involved in hepatitis C replication and, using mass spectrometry, found that heat shock proteins (HSPs) 40 and 70 were important for viral infection. HSP 70 was previously known to be involved, but HSP 40 was linked for the first time to hepatitis C infection, French said. They further showed that the natural compound Quercetin, which inhibits the synthesis of these proteins, significantly inhibits viral infection in tissue culture. "This is an important finding because we can block these proteins with the idea of reducing the level of the virus in people and, ideally, completely

eliminate it," said French, who also is a researcher at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. The study appeared in the most recent issue of the journal Hepatology. Since Quercetin has been shown to inhibit hepatitis C infection, French said, a Phase I clinical trial will be launched at UCLA to determine if the compound is safe and effective. Quercetin is a plant-derived bioflavonoid, and is used by some people as a nutritional supplement. Laboratory studies show it may have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and it is being investigated for a wide range of potential health benefits. Currently, there are early-stage clinical trials testing quercetin for safety and efficacy against sarcoidosis, asthma and glucose

absorption in obesity and diabetes. "Because Quercetin targets cellular proteins rather than viral proteins, there is less likelihood of developing viral resistance," French said. "Cellular proteins cannot change like viral proteins can." Many patients in the United States have a type of hepatitis C virus that does not respond to the standard treatments. In these cases, if the virus can't be blocked, end-stage liver disease and, ultimately, death may occur. Once HSP 40 and 70 were identified, French and his team used Quercetin in an attempt to block the proteins and found that the compound "reduced

infectious particle production at non-toxic concentrations," according to the study. "Quercetin may allow for the dissection of the viral life cycle and has potential therapeutic use to reduce virus production with low associated toxicity," the study states. The UCLA clinical trial will most likely target those with type 1 hepatitis C, which is the non-responsive type prevalent in this country. Only about 50 percent of those with type 1 hepatitis C respond to treatment, French said. Volunteers with type 1 hepatitis C who opt not to undergo conventional therapies would be recruited for the study. In other studies in other diseases, Quercetin has resulted in no significant side effects, French said. "A non-toxic treatment for chronic hepatitis C would be great because our current therapies have significant side effects and only a certain percentage of the patient population responds," French said. The three-year

study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Cure Digestive Diseases Research Center and the Stein Oppenheimer Endowment Award. Source: Kim Irwin University of California - Los Angeles ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quercetin is a naturally-occurring polar auxin transport inhibitor.[citation needed]Foods rich in quercetin include capers (1800 mg/kg)[12], lovage (1700 mg/kg), apples (440 mg/kg), tea (Camellia sinensis), onion, especially red onion (higher concentrations of quercetin occur in the outermost rings[13]), red grapes, citrus fruit, tomato, broccoli and other leafy green vegetables, and a number of berries including cherry, raspberry, bog whortleberry (158 mg/kg, fresh weight), lingonberry (cultivated 74 mg/kg, wild 146 mg/kg), cranberry (cultivated 83 mg/kg, wild 121 mg/kg), chokeberry (89 mg/kg), sweet rowan (85 mg/kg), rowanberry (63 mg/kg), sea buckthorn berry (62 mg/kg), crowberry (cultivated 53 mg/kg, wild 56 mg/kg),[14] and the fruit of the prickly pear cactus. A recent study found that organically grown tomatoes had 79% more quercetin than "conventionally grown".[15]

A study[16] by the University of Queensland, Australia, has also indicated the presence of quercetin in varieties of honey, including honey derived from eucalyptus and tea tree flowers.[17]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercetin

[Guest guest]

i've volunteered for trial but don't know if i'll get called

( i wonder if it's massive dosage, i.v., etc. )

gary