Glioblastoma multiforme treatment with natural
compounds
June 27 2018
The most common form of brain cancer in adults is glioblastoma multiforme, probably is a set of diseases, rather than a single disease. Dr. Neil Hayes of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill says each subtype of glioblastoma multiforme may begin from different types of cells, meaning each needs a different treatment approach. Dr. Neil Hayes says the findings will not affect how doctors currently treat brain tumors. Glioblastoma multiforme, or GBM, spreads quickly to other parts of the brain, making it difficult to treat. Most people with GBM die within about 14 months of diagnosis. In recent years, three of every 100,000 Americans have been diagnosed with GBM.
J Clin Oncol. 2014. Glioblastoma Multiforme Metastasis Outside the CNS: Three Case Reports and Possible Mechanisms of Escape.
The risk for developing a form of brain cancer known as glioma appears to go up with long-term use of hormonal contraceptives such as the Pill, Oct. 26, 2014, British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, online.
Treatment, radiation, chemotherapy
Glioblastoma is the most malignant and frequent primary brain tumor. The current
standard of care consists of maximum safe resection and radiotherapy with
concomitant and subsequent temozolomide (TMZ) treatment. With this treatment
plan, the prognosis of patients with GBM remains dismal, with a 5-year survival
rate of less than 10%.
Radiation and chemotherapy can cause structural changes in the healthy brain tissue of patients with glioblastoma brain tumors. There is significant decrease in whole brain volume -- the overall amount of brain tissue -- throughout chemoradiation. The reduced amount of brain tissue becomes apparent within a few weeks after the start of chemoradiation and is primarily seen in gray matter.
Natural treatment
There is very little human research with natural treatments.
Ashwagandha extracts
J Neurooncol. 2016. Withaferin A and its potential role in glioblastoma (GBM).
Within the Ayurvedic medical tradition of India, Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)
is a well-known herb. A large number of withanolides have been isolated from
both its roots and its leaves and many have been assessed for their
pharmacological activities. Amongst them, Withaferin A is one of its most
bioactive phytoconstituents. Due to the lactonal steroid's potential to modulate
multiple oncogenic pathways, Withaferin A has gained much attention as a
possible anti-neoplastic agent. This review focuses on the use of Withaferin A
alone, or in combination with other treatments, as a newer option for therapy
against the most aggressive variant of brain tumors, Glioblastoma. We survey the
various studies that delineate Withaferin A's anticancer mechanisms, its
toxicity profiles, its pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and its immuno-modulating
properties.
Berberine
Biol Pharm Bull. 2008.
Berberine induces G1 arrest and apoptosis in human glioblastoma T98G cells
through mitochondrial/caspases pathway.
Caesalpinia sappan
Molecules. 2013. Brazilin inhibits growth and induces apoptosis in human
glioblastoma cells. Brazilin, isolated from the methanol extract of the heart
wood of Caesalpinia sappan, sensitizes cancer cells to apoptosis.
Curcumin and turmeric
Eur J Med Chem. 2016. Prospective of curcumin, a pleiotropic signalling molecule
from Curcuma longa in the treatment of Glioblastoma. Dietary polyphenol curcumin,
isolated from the rhizome of the Curcuma longa (turmeric), has emerged as
remarkable anti-cancer agent in the treatment of various peripheral cancers such
as blood, lymphomas, multiple myeloma, melanoma as well as skin, lung, prostate,
breast, ovarian, bladder, liver, gastrointestinal tract, pancreatic and
colorectal epithelial cancers with a pleiotropic mode of action and also showed
promise in alleviation of GBM.
Garlic
Mol Cells. 2014. Systemic approaches identify a garlic-derived chemical, Z-ajoene,
as a glioblastoma multiforme cancer stem cell-specific targeting agent. Our
biological and bioinformatic analyses collectively demonstrate that Z-ajoene is
a potential candidate for the treatment of GBM by specifically targeting GBM
cancer stem cells.
Olive leaf extract
Biomed Pharmacother. 2017.
Olive leaf extract and bevacizumab synergistically exhibit beneficial
efficacy upon human glioblastoma cancer stem cells through reducing angiogenesis
and invasion in vitro.
Tinospora cordifolia
PLoS One. 2013. Aqueous ethanolic extract of Tinospora cordifolia as a potential
candidate for differentiation based therapy of glioblastomas. Tinospora
cordifolia, also named as 'heavenly elixir' is used in various Ayurvedic
decoctions as panacea to treat several body ailments. The current study
investigated the anti-brain cancer potential of 50% ethanolic extract of
Tinospora cordifolia using C6
glioma cells. TCE significantly reduced cell proliferation in dose-dependent
manner and induced differentiation in C6 glioma cells.
Tripterygium wilfordii
J Int Med Res. 2007. Inhibitory effect of triptolide on glioblastoma multiforme
in vitro. This study investigated the effect of triptolide, derived from the
traditional Chinese herb Tripterygium wilfordii, on the growth of glioblastoma
multiforme cells.
Correspondence
I enjoy learning from your web site. Thank you for all the
great information! Can you tell me if fucoidan is being takes for glioblastoma
multiforme?
A. I am not aware of such studies as of 2018.