Clues to colon cancer may be
in bark of Mahogany tree
Newswise — An unexpected entry in a
traditional medicine book from the Republic of Guinea has led a
University of South Carolina cancer researcher to study whether
medicinal properties in the bark of mahogany trees may hold clues to
understanding colon cancer.
Funded by a $300,000, two-year
grant from the National Cancer Institute, Dr. Michael Wargovich will
examine mahogany -- and four other medicinal plants native to West
Africa -- in a quest to discover novel, anti-inflammatory compounds
that could prevent or treat colon cancer.
The study, the first of
its kind, could be a major first step to other studies of
medicinal plants and cancer. Specifically, Wargovich is
looking at how native medicinal plants in West Africa, used
traditionally for pain relief, fever and inflammation,
interact to inhibit the growth of cancer tumors.
“The link between inflammation and
cancer is not known,” said Wargovich, who researches the link
between non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) and cancer.
NSAIDS appear to block the
function of Cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)
enzymes that are found at sites of inflammation, he said.
“Studies have shown that regular
use of NSAIDS, such as Celebrex and Vioxx, may reduce the risk for
several types of cancer, particularly colon cancer,” said Wargovich,
a USC School of Medicine pathology professor and researcher with the
S.C. Cancer Center.
“Yet, recently we’ve learned that
long-term use of these drugs can put patients at risk for health
problems, such as heart attack, stroke and gastrointestinal
bleeding,” he said. “Some NSAIDS have been removed from the market.”
The solution, Wargovich said, is
to find these same anti-inflammatory properties in plants.
The USC cancer researcher
virtually stumbled upon the concept of studying the medicinal
properties of West African plants. While visiting the Republic of
Guinea and meeting with some of the country’s top health officials,
he was given a book, “Pharmacopée Traditionale Guineenne,” that
highlighted about 60 of the country’s different plants and their
health properties. He found that about 15 plants had
anti-inflammatory properties.
“This was such an unusual,
unexpected find,” he said. “Very few people probably have even seen
this book. And, here I was, a scientist with an interest in how the
inflammation process may be linked to cancer, and I find a listing
of specific plants that I had not thought about studying before.”
For his study, Wargovich will
focus on extracts from five West African plants: the neem tree,
baobab tree, Senegal mahogany, African basil and kinkirissi bush.
“We believe that these African
botanicals will have NSAID-like effects and will inhibit the COX
pathways involved in cancer but will have a wider margin of safety,”
he said.
Wargovich is working with Clemson
University researcher Dr. Feng Chen, whose expertise is in the
chemistry of natural products. Chen is looking for the compounds in
the mahogany bark that may be responsible for inhibiting
inflammation.
