The compound, known as 6-shogaol, is produced when the ginger root is dried or cooked. The researchers found that is actively works against cancer stem cells in concentrations that are harmless to healthy cells.
This is drastically different from conventional chemotherapy, which has serious side effects, because in addition to killing malignant, it also destroys healthy cells.
Just like all other stem cells, cancer stem cells can differentiate into various cell types. Although they make up less than 1% of the cells of any tumor, the cells do not respond practically to any known chemotherapy preparation.
They are a major factor in the formation of metastases, which are the cause of death in 90% of cancer cases.
The persistence of cancer stem cells also explains why cancer can return after the tumor has been seemingly successfully removed by surgery, chemotherapy or radiation. “Stem cell cancer is a serious obstacle to cancer therapy, since they lead to bad weather and the return of cancer,” the researchers wrote. “To make matters worse, very few chemotherapy drugs show potential to kill these cells.”
The researchers found that 6-šogaol effect on the stem cells of breast cancer in several ways: reducing the expression of surface markers, changing cycle these cells, increasing their mortality rate, stops the formation of tumors, directly cause programmed cell death of cancer cells and cancer stem cells poisons ( cytotoxicity).
Then the researchers compared the cytotoxicity of the substance 6-shogaol with the widely used chemotherapy drug Taxol.
They found that although taxol shows cytotoxicity in lab one-dimensional tumor model, it does not show it in the three-dimensional model, which is closer to the actual tumor, while the 6-shogaol is effective on both models.
The fact that the substance 6- shogaol is naturally found in a commonly-used spice, it is pretty much a good indicator of its safety for healthy cells.
“The nutritional components are welcome to treat the disease, because due to its long use, the human body is accustomed to them,” the researchers wrote.
Of course, it requires a lot of additional research and clinical trials in order to implement these findings in practice. Meanwhile, nothing prevents us not to include ginger in our daily diet, which is certainly a very healthy spice.
source: http://www.goodmorningcenter.com
