Parsley And Celery In The Fight Against Breast Cancer

Apeginine substance,which in its natural form is found in parsley and celery,according to scientists provides a great help in preventing breast cancer.

 
Researchers from the University of Missouri found that apeginin has the ability to reduce the size of cancerous tumors in case that their growth is stimulated by the hormone progesterone - a hormone that is often prescribed to women in order to alleviate the symptoms of menopause(hormone replacement therapy).

To the mice were implanted cancer cells (type BT- 474 ) which traditionaly leads to rapid growth of malignant tumors and the high mortality rate. After that,the test animals were given progesterone in the form of medroxyprogesterone acetate,which is prescribed to women in menopause.

 
The test group received apeginin and the control group did not.In the test group,tumor growth was standard and in the control group which received apeginin in 90 % of cases the tumor has started to decrease,while others grew very slowly.The detrimental effect on the entire body was smaller and the possibility of metastases was virtually excluded .

The mechanism of action of apeginine in chemical level is not known. But its effect on human breast cancer cells is obvious : Inhibition of cell proliferation caused the death of cancer cells,and by decreasing gene expression for dissemination blood courts,affects the blood circulation in the tumor.This is very important because by limiting the circulation the flow of nutrients to the tumor is reduces,leading to tumor starvation and loss of its ability to spread.

Scientists believe that apeginin can prevent the occurrence of certain types of cancer,but to confirm this hypothesis additional research is necessary.