Herbal extract helps combat Pancreatic cancer: study

Researches in US have found herbal extract to be helpful in combat cancer. The herbal extract rich with Thymoquinone, anti-inflammatory agent is said to be helpful in obstructing pancreatic cancer and thereby its process.

Extracted from a Middle Eastern herbal seed Nigella sativa the herbal oil cuts down inflammatory mediators in pancreatic cancer cells.

The study leader, Dr. Hwyda Arafat of the Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, was quoted as saying that thymoquinone could be able to get rid of the expression of many inflammatory cytokines like TNF-alpha, interleukin-1beta, interleukin-8, Cox-2 and MCP-1 among others.

Thymoquinone scores over trichostatin A in effect as inflammation inhibitor and is proved to be effective in ameliorating inflammation-associated cancers, besides obstructing synthesis of NF-kappaB, a transcription factor.

"These are very exciting and novel results," declared Arafat. "These potent effects show promise for the herb as a potential preventive and therapeutic strategy for pancreatic cancer. More importantly, the herb and oil are safe when used moderately, and have been used for thousands of years without reported toxic effects," he concluded.