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| Resveratrol inhibits cancer by many mechanisms, including anti-inflammatory activity, antioxidant activity, and induction of Phase II detoxifying enzymes. 148 It has been found to inhibit the development of promyelocytic leukemia in mice given a carcinogen that induces this type of cancer. When incubated with hepatoma cells, resveratrol induced Phase II detoxifying enzymes that detoxified and inhibited the proliferation of these cells. Resveratrol also inhibited the development of preneoplastic lesions when mice were exposed to tumor initiators and promoters.149 |
| Grape skins, leaves, juice and red wine are all good sources of resveratrol. Source Naturals (see Resources) packages resveratrol as a supplement. |
| Modified Citrus Pectin |
| Modified citrus pectin (MCP) is a specially prepared (pH modified) complex carbohydrate fiber that appears to block, or jam up, the metastatic process of cancer development. Carbohydrate lectins foster a cancer cell's adhesion to the blood vessel Wall of any organ it attempts to colonize. By binding these lectins to a specially processed pH-modified pectin instead, the hope is to keep cancer cells circulating in the bloodstream until they either die or are eliminated. MCP is rich in galactosyl, a specific lectin that competes with cancer cells for the receptor site, thereby interfering with the cancer cell's interaction with mecastatic target sites. |
| In a number of human cancers, the amount of galectin (one particular lectin used by cancer cells) produced increases proportionally as the cancer grows from the earliest to the most advanced stages. It is reasonable to theorize that higher galectin levels permit greater adhesion of cancer cells as well as increase the ability of these cells to bind to noncancerous cells at a target site. The lectin receptors that bind to cell-surface carbohydrates and glycoproteins may serve as the cement that allows cancer cells to clump together and form metastatic tumors. |
| MCP has been shown to significantly inhibit the adhesion of a number of cancers to the endothelium, including human prostate adenocarcinoma cells, human breast carcinoma cells, human melanoma cells, and human laryngeal epidermoid carcinoma cells. MCP also appears to inhibit lung and kidney cancers. The antiadhesive effects of MCP extend to a variety of different malignant cell lines. This means that MCP is able to inhibit the metastatic cascade through a nontumor-specific mechanism.150 |
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