Principal Investigator: Debasish Tripathy, UCSF Presenter: Michael J. Campbell Co-investigatros: Bobbi Hamilton, Mark Shoemaker, Isaac Cohen (I KNOW HIM TO BE AN ACUPUNCTURIST), Mary Tagliarferri, Uwe Christian, Wolfgang Jacobsen (Uof Colorado) Using an ethnopharmacological approach, seventy-one substances that are used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of cancer were obtained and evaluated for their effects on the growth of breast cancer cell lines in culture. Each herb was boiled in water and the resulting "tea" was tested for growth inhibitory activity on four human breast cancer cell lines (SK-BR-3, MCF7, MDA-MB-231, and BT-474) and one mouse breast cancer cell line (MCNeuA). Nineteen of the 71 extracts (27%), tested at a 1:10 dilution, demonstrated >50% growth inhibition on three or more of the five cell lines. Sixteen of the 71 extracts (23%) exhibited pronounced effects (>75%) growth inhibition) on at least one of the five cell lines. Dose/response curves were obtained for several of the most promising extracts and demonstrated potencies (ID50 values), ranging from (<10ug/ml to >1 mg/ml. Seven of these active extracts were also evaluated with respect to apoptosis (cell death) induction. Six induced high molecular weight DNA fragmentation, which is a prelude to cell death and one of these produced low molecular weight DNA fragments as well. Cell cycle analysis of two herbal extracts demonstrated cell cycle arrest in g\G2/M, as well as some apoptotic cells (as indicated by a sub-G0/G1 population). We have also performed bioassay-guided fractionation of two of the active herbs, to begin to identify their active consitutents. One of these we have purified to a single major peak (and a minor peaks) on HPLC. Future studies with these crude aqueous extracts will improve our understanding of how these herbs may be acting in cancer patients and may also lead to the isolation of novel active anti-tumor compounds Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.