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Ancient Chinese Medicine May Help

Chemotherapy Patients
ScienceDaily (Aug. 23, 2010) — A centuries-old traditional
Chinese medicine may reduce the intestinal side effects of
chemotherapy in cancer patients by stimulating gut cell division
and reducing inflammation, a new study in mice suggests.

See Also:
Health & Medicine
% Alternative Medicine
% Colon Cancer
% Personalized Medicine
Plants & Animals
% Mice
% Biology
% Veterinary Medicine
Reference
% Nanomedicine
% Metastasis
% List of medical topics
% Stem cell treatments

The research will appear in the Aug. 18 issue of Science Translational


Medicine, which is published by AAAS, the nonprofit science society.
Peonies and a pretty purple flower called skullcap, together with licorice and
fruit from a buckthorn tree form Huang Qin Tang (pronounced Hu-ang Chin
Tong), an ancient herbal medicine used in China to treat intestinal disorders
such as diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Recently, a Western-style phase 1/2
trial confirmed that this drug reduces gut damage caused by chemotherapy in
colon and rectal cancer patients.
In the new study, Yung- Chi Cheng, along with Wing Lam and colleagues from
Yale University School of Medicine and a company called PhytoCeutica, Inc.
use a carefully prepared, lab formulation of this medicine (called PHY906) and
show that the healing effects of this blend of plants arise from its ability to
target numerous biological processes in mice.
"The reductionist approach to treating multiple side effects triggered by cancer
chemotherapy or complicated disease may not be sufficient. Rigorous studies
of the biology of traditional herbal medicines, which target multiple sites with
multiple chemicals, could lead to the development of future medicines," said
Cheng.
Dr. Cheng is a scientific founder of and has equity interest in PhytoCeutica,
Inc., which develops traditional Chinese medicine into drugs for the treatment
of cancer and that licenses PHY906 from Yale University. Additionally, two
authors of this paper own stock in PhytoCeutica, Inc. Yale University holds a
patent on the herbal composition PHY906 and its use in chemotherapy.
In the study, the researchers treated cancerous mice with chemotherapy,
which shrank tumors but also caused massive destruction in the intestinal
lining of the animals. After a few days of treatment with PHY906, the medicine
restored the damaged intestinal linings in the mice. The team found that stem
cell signaling molecules (known as Wnts) were present in higher than normal
levels in the guts of the treated mice. TAncient
Chinese
Medicine May Help Chemotherapy Patients
ScienceDaily (Aug. 23, 2010) — A centuries-old traditional
Chinese medicine may reduce the intestinal side effects of
chemotherapy in cancer patients by stimulating gut cell division
and reducing inflammation, a new study in mice suggests.

See Also:
Health & Medicine
% Alternative Medicine
% Colon Cancer
% Personalized Medicine
Plants & Animals
% Mice
% Biology
% Veterinary Medicine
Reference
% Nanomedicine
% Metastasis
% List of medical topics
% Stem cell treatments

The research will appear in the Aug. 18 issue of Science Translational


Medicine, which is published by AAAS, the nonprofit science society.
Peonies and a pretty purple flower called skullcap, together with licorice and
fruit from a buckthorn tree form Huang Qin Tang (pronounced Hu-ang Chin
Tong), an ancient herbal medicine used in China to treat intestinal disorders
such as diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Recently, a Western-style phase 1/2
trial confirmed that this drug reduces gut damage caused by chemotherapy in
colon and rectal cancer patients.
In the new study, Yung- Chi Cheng, along with Wing Lam and colleagues from
Yale University School of Medicine and a company called PhytoCeutica, Inc.
use a carefully prepared, lab formulation of this medicine (called PHY906) and
show that the healing effects of this blend of plants arise from its ability to
target numerous biological processes in mice.
"The reductionist approach to treating multiple side effects triggered by cancer
chemotherapy or complicated disease may not be sufficient. Rigorous studies
of the biology of traditional herbal medicines, which target multiple sites with
multiple chemicals, could lead to the development of future medicines," said
Cheng.
Dr. Cheng is a scientific founder of and has equity interest in PhytoCeutica,
Inc., which develops traditional Chinese medicine into drugs for the treatment
of cancer and that licenses PHY906 from Yale University. Additionally, two
authors of this paper own stock in PhytoCeutica, Inc. Yale University holds a
patent on the herbal composition PHY906 and its use in chemotherapy.
In the study, the researchers treated cancerous mice with chemotherapy,
which shrank tumors but also caused massive destruction in the intestinal
lining of the animals. After a few days of treatment with PHY906, the medicine
restored the damaged intestinal linings in the mice. The team found that stem
cell signaling molecules (known as Wnts) were present in higher than normal
levels in the guts of the treated mice. Taking a closer look, the researchers
discovered that PHY906 itself did not stimulate Wnt signaling, but that mixing
PHY906 with a bacterial enzyme common in the gut triggered Wnt signaling,
which drives the replacement of damaged intestinal stem cells with healthy
ones.
In addition to replenishing healthy gut cells, the herbal medicine blocked the
migration of inflammatory cells to the gut and reduced inflammation--effects
that seem to be caused by multiple actions of PHY906. These results suggest
that traditional Chinese medicine may be a model approach for drug
developers, who are eagerly testing combinations of agents in the hope that
they hope will work better than any one alone.
"We will continue to refine these processes to better study and understand the
sophisticated nature of herbal medicines. Revisiting history may lead us to
discovering future medicines," said Cheng.
PHY906 is currently only available for patients enrolled in a clinical trial. The
authors caution that many herbal products claiming to be Huang Qin Tang
may contain harmful or ineffective substitutes and should be avoided.aking a
closer look, the researchers discovered that PHY906 itself did not stimulate
Wnt signaling, but that mixing PHY906 with a bacterial enzyme common in the
gut triggered Wnt signaling, which drives the replacement of damaged
intestinal stem cells with healthy ones.
In addition to replenishing healthy gut cells, the herbal medicine blocked the
migration of inflammatory cells to the gut and reduced inflammation--effects
that seem to be caused by multiple actions of PHY906. These results suggest
that traditional Chinese medicine may be a model approach for drug
developers, who are eagerly testing combinations of agents in the hope that
they hope will work better than any one alone.
"We will continue to refine these processes to better study and understand the
sophisticated nature of herbal medicines. Revisiting history may lead us to
discovering future medicines," said Cheng.
PHY906 is currently only available for patients enrolled in a clinical trial. The
authors caution that many herbal products claiming to be Huang Qin Tang
may contain harmful or ineffective substitutes and should be avoided.

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