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Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Ganoderma inhibits colorectal cancer
By Zosimo T. Literatus, R.M.T.
Breakthroughs
“Like mushrooms,” wrote US business executive Harold Geneen, in his book The Synergy Myth (1997), on the vogue of management consultancy concepts, “they look enticing, but their nutritional value can be suspect. Some are even poisonous.”
By family, mushrooms belong to the fungi family, the same family that brings you athlete’s foot, ringworm, bun-i, an-an, and the rest. Poisonous mushrooms contain organic toxins that destroy cells in the central nervous system, blood vessels, kidney, liver, and musculature, and are thus lethal. However, Ganoderma lucidum functions differently.
A recent study, led by JT Xie, shows that Ganoderma extract inhibits the proliferation of human colorectal cancer cells. Xie and colleagues are researchers of the Tang Center for Herbal Medicine Research at the Pritzker School of Medicine in the University of Chicago (Illinois, USA).
The study used SW 480 human colorectal cancer cell line for treatment by Ganoderma lucidum extract (GLE). Cell proliferation assay evaluated Ganoderma’s inhibitive effect against the SW 480 cells.
The results, published in Experimental Oncology (June 12 issue), show that GLE significantly inhibited the proliferation of SW 480 cells. Researchers observed that GLE inhibited the synthesis of DNA (a gene-building block) in the cancer cells and reduced its formation of radicals, which allowed it to spread (a measure of antioxidant capability).
“Mushroom,” wrote English historian Thomas Fuller in his book The Holy State and the Profane State, “which Pliny recounts to be the greatest miracle in nature, because (of) growing and having no root.” (For comments and suggestions, email to ztliteratus6046@lycos.com, or text to 0927-979-3519.)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (August 2, 2006 issue)
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