SINGAPORE, July 25 /PRNewswire-Asia/ — Scientists
from Singapore, Australia and Hong Kong have found that
gamma-tocotrienol is potent in killing prostate cancer stem cells.
This small group of cells is responsible for the initiation of
prostate cancer and is resistant to conventional chemotherapy
drugs. It causes relapses in the cancer by producing new
chemo-resistant cancer cells. Gamma-tocotrienol is a member of the
Vitamin E family and is derived naturally from palm oil.
This study aimed to find a way to eradicate prostate cancer stem
cells. It follows an earlier report that demonstrated the
effectiveness of gamma-tocotrienol in targeting the bulk of the
prostate tumour mass. This latest finding highlights the
considerable potential of gamma-tocotrienol as a natural remedy to
prevent and treat prostate cancer.
This research study involves collaboration between scientists at
Davos Life Science (Singapore) and
researchers at Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre — Queensland and The Hong Kong University. The findings were
reported in the latest edition of the International Journal of
Cancer (IJC).
The scientists found that low doses of gamma-tocotrienol cause
apoptosis in the prostate cancer stem cells and suppress their
colony formation capability. This results in a lower prostate
cancer stem cell population (as defined by the protein markers
CD133 and CD44). Further tests in mice models were conducted, where
mice implanted with hormonal refractory prostate cancer cells were
given gamma-tocotrienol orally. The results showed that gamma-
tocotrienol not only reduced tumour size
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