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1.   BBC NEWS | Health | Grapes 'may prevent cancer scarring'

Grapes could help women to avoid the painful scarring often associated ... Professor John Yarnold and colleagues at the Institute of Cancer ...

SOURCE: Cancer Research UK (http://www.cancerresearchuk.org)

Grapes 'may prevent cancer scarring'

 

Grapes contain powerful antioxidants

Grapes could help women to avoid the painful scarring often associated with breast cancer treatment.

Doctors at The Institute of Cancer Research in London believe the antioxidants in grapes may protect against radiation fibrosis.

This condition affects thousands of women around the world each year. It causes tissue around the breast to become hard and stiff. In some cases, it is painful.

I believe grape seed extract has interesting potential


Professor John Yarnold,
Institute of Cancer Research

This scarring can occur years after the women undergo radiotherapy to treat breast cancer.

In recent years, advances in radiotherapy treatment have meant that the likelihood of women developing radiation fibrosis has fallen.

However, it can still occur and doctors cannot offer women guarantees that they will not have any scarring.

Cell damage

While doctors do not know what causes radiation fibrosis, they suspect it may be caused by the continuous release of free radicals triggered by radiotherapy.

Free radicals spread like a kind of biological rust and can cause havoc in cells, even damaging DNA.

Antioxidants can mop up these potentially damaging molecules.

Professor John Yarnold and colleagues at the Institute of Cancer Research are now looking to see if the antioxidant properties in grapes could have a role to play.

"Grape seeds contain a mixture of compounds called flavanoids, also found in other fruits and vegetables," said Professor Yarnold.

"They have antioxidant properties that may be superior to known antioxidants like vitamin E or C.

"There have already been promising small scale trials with antioxidants, but I believe grape seed extract has interesting potential."

Tissue hardening

The doctors are planning to recruit 72 patients initially. Half will be given tablets containing grape seed extract while the others will receive a dummy pill.

This will enable the researchers to determine if the grape seed extract can protect women from fibrosis.

Professor Yarnold said: "Radiotherapy is followed over the years by tissue hardening and tenderness in the breast and underlying muscles in some women.

"We aim to test if grape seed extract reverses these changes and improves patients' quality of life."

He added: "If successful, we aim to conduct further clinical trials in radiotherapy patients cured of other cancers where fibrosis may cause other serious medical problems."

Sir Paul Nurse, chief executive of Cancer Research UK which is funding the study, said: "We hope this trial will eventually lead to a treatment for patients who previously had no respite from the symptoms of radiation fibrosis."

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Written by Omid   
Thursday, 06 March 2008

 

Type 2 Diabetes: Inflammation, Not Obesity, Cause Of Insulin Resistance

ScienceDaily (Nov. 7, 2007) - Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have discovered that inflammation provoked by immune cells called macrophages leads to insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes.Their discovery may pave the way to novel drug development to fight the epidemic of Type 2 diabetes associated with obesity, the most prevalent metabolic disease worldwide.

Adapted from materials provided by University of California – San Diego.

University of California – San Diego (2007, November 7). Type 2 Diabetes: Inflammation, Not Obesity, Cause of Insulin Resistance.

 ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 8, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071106133106.htm 

 

 

Grape-seed derived procyanidins interfere with adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 cells at the onset of differentiation

International Journal of Obesity (2005)

Twenty four hour-GSPE treatment at the onset of differentiation reduces adipose-specific markers and maintains the expression of preadipocyte marker preadipocyte factor-1 (Pref-1) significantly elevated. These effects were not found in other time points. Microarray analysis of gene expression after GSPE treatment at the early stage of differentiation showed a modified gene expression profile in which cell cycle and growth-related genes were downregulated by GSPE.

CONCLUSION: 

These results suggest that GSPE affects adipogenesis, mainly at the induction of differentiation, and that procyanidins may have a new role in which they impede the formation of adipose cells. 

Molecular mechanisms of cardioprotection by a novel grape seed proanthocyanidin extract

February 2003

Free radicals and oxidative stress play a crucial role in the pathophysiology of a broad spectrum of cardiovascular diseases including congestive heart failure, valvular heart disease, cardiomyopathy, hypertrophy, atherosclerosis and ischemic heart disease. We have demonstrated that IH636 grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) provides superior antioxidant efficacy as compared to Vitamins C, E and β-carotene.

 A series of studies were conducted using GSPE to demonstrate its cardioprotective ability in animals and humans. GSPE supplementation improved cardiac functional assessment including post-ischemic left ventricular function, reduced myocardial infarct size, reduced ventricular fibrillation (VF) and tachycardia, decreased the amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as detected by ESR spectroscopy and reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) formation in the heart perfusate.

 

 

Inhibitory effects of grape seed extract on lipases

The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA. October 2003

Objective

The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of grape seed extract (GSE) on the fat-metabolizing enzymes pancreatic lipase, lipoprotein lipase, and hormone-sensitive lipase in vitro and evaluate its potential application as a treatment for obesity.

Results

The GSE rich in bioactive phytochemicals showed inhibitory activity on the fat-metabolizing enzymes pancreatic lipase and lipoprotein lipase, thus suggesting that GSE might be useful as a treatment to limit dietary fat absorption and the accumulation of fat in adipose tissue. The observed reduction in intracellular lipolytic activity of cultured 3T3-L1 adipocytes may reduce the levels of circulating free fatty acids that have been linked to insulin resistance in obese patients.
Conclusion                                                                                                                                                     The GSE rich in compounds that inhibit lipases may provide a safe, natural, and cost-effective weight control treatment.
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 25 March 2008 )
 
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