A natural compound from magnolia (called “honokiol”) blocks a pathway for cancer growth that was previously considered “undruggable,” researchers have found. It also appears to be particularly effective against breast cancer. In one study, treatment of different human breast cancer cell lines with honokiol resulted in a time- and concentration-dependent growth inhibition in both estrogen receptor-positive and -negative breast cancer cell lines, as well as in drug-resistant breast cancer cell lines such as adriamycin-resistant and tamoxifen-resistant cell lines
 
Other studies have found honokiol to be particularly potent against tumors with activated Ras. One of the effects of Ras is to drive pumps that remove chemotherapy drugs from cancer cells. In breast cancer cell lines with activations in Ras family genes, honokiol appears to prevent Ras from turning on an enzyme called phospholipase D. It also has similar effects in lung and bladder cancer cells in the laboratory. Phospholipase D provides what have come to be known as “survival signals” in cancer cells, allowing them to stay alive when ordinary cells would die.
 
References
 
“Honokiol Suppresses Survival Signals Mediated by Ras-Dependent Phospholipase D Activity in Human Cancer Cells.” Clinical Cancer Research 14, 4267-4274, July 1, 2008. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-08-0102. Avalon Garcia, Yang Zheng, Chen Zhao, Alfredo Toschi, Judy Fan, Natalie Shraibman, H. Alex Brown, Dafna Bar-Sagi, David A. Foster and Jack L. Arbiser ###
 
Eur J Pharmacol. 2008 Jun 12. Anti-tumor effect of honokiol alone and in combination with other anti-cancer agents in breast cancer. Liu H, Zang C, Emde A, Planas-Silva MD, Rosche M, Kühnl A, Schulz CO, Elstner E, Possinger K, Eucker J.

Public release date: 7-Jul-2008
 
Initial stages of laboratory research has shown that resveratrol, even at fairly low concentrations, suppresses the abnormal cell formation that leads to most types of breast cancer, suggesting a potential role for the agent in breast cancer prevention. Resveratrol is a natural substance found in red grapes. It is also commonly sold in extract form as a dietary supplement and yes, red wine also has a decent amount, though the alcohol may counteract some of the beneficial effects depending on how good your detoxification capacity is. Resveratrol and other polyphenols like Quercetin also reduce iron and copper levels which can also be beneficial in cancer prevention.
 
“Resveratrol has the ability to prevent the first step that occurs when estrogen starts the process that leads to cancer by blocking the formation of the estrogen DNA adducts. We believe that this could stop the whole progression that leads to breast cancer down the road,” said Eleanor G. Rogan, Ph.D., a professor in the Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Rogan was the lead author of the report that was published in the July 2008 issue of Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

An earlier blog entry commented on a study assessing the safety of Black Cohosh in cancer patients. Previously it was thought that Black Cohosh exhibited estrogenic activity, but further research has found that Black Cohosh exerts its hormone regulating effects by modulating luteinising hormone. A population based study done in Philadelphia strengthens the case for Black Cohosh use in breast cancer patients, finding that it in fact may be associated with decreased risk of breast cancer.
 
A retrospective case-control study of the use of hormone-related supplements and association with breast cancer. Rebbeck TR, Troxel AB, Norman S, Bunin GR, DeMichele A, Baumgarten M, Berlin M, Schinnar R, Strom BL.
Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6021, USA. trebbeck@cceb.med.upenn.edu

Red clover is one of the herbs that commonly stirs up controversy regarding it’s safety with patients that have hormonally driven tumors. Some practitioners routinely avoid isoflavone containing herbs and foods because of the possibility of antagonizing estrogen receptor positive tumor cells. An overview of the data shows that although there are some studies showing a stimulating effect of these isoflavones in vitro, clinical and epidemiological data does not generally support the conclusions of these studies. Also, isolating and concentrating these isoflavones tends to have a very different effect then when they are administered as part of a whole plant or food. The estrogenicity of red clover is estimated to be weak at best, and this study shows that the isoflavone biochanin A markedly inhibits aromatase of estrogen, decreasing the body’s endogenous estrogen production. It could be that avoiding clover or other herbs and foods because of their reputed estrogenicity could be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
 
The red clover (Trifolium pratense) isoflavone biochanin A inhibits aromatase activity and expression.Wang Y, Man Gho W, Chan FL, Chen S, Leung LK.
Department of Biochemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin NT, Hong Kong.