Broccoli-Derived Pill May Help Ward Off Cancer

[Max]

Broccoli-Derived Pill May Help Ward Off Cancer
Mon Aug 19, 6:27 PM ET

By Anne Harding BOSTON (Reuters Health) - A new molecule based on the cancer-fighting chemical found in broccoli, cabbage and other pungent vegetables (called sulforaphane) is safer than the original and much cheaper, Chicago researchers reported here Monday. And it appears, so far, to be equally effective in building the body's defenses against cancer.



Dr. Jerry Kosmeder of the University of Illinois reported on an animal study of the new chemical, oxomate, at the American Chemical Society's annual meeting.

Sulforaphane, found in broccoli, Brussels sprouts and other cruciferous vegetables, strengthens the body's defenses against cancer by promoting the activity of detoxifying chemicals known as phase II enzymes.

But sulforaphane can be toxic, and is very expensive to produce. The going rate for synthesizing 50 grams of sulforaphane, Kosmeder told Reuters Health, is $50,000. Kosmeder and his colleagues "tweaked" the original molecule to come up with oxomate, which also boosts phase II enzyme activity but is 7 to 10times less toxic than sulforaphane. And for $50,000, he told Reuters Health, it's possible to synthesize hundreds of kilograms of oxomate.

The Chicago researchers tested oxomate in female rats that had been given cancer-promoting chemicals. Oxomate produced a 50% reduction in breast tumors in the animals. The team is now investigating whether oxomate can prevent skin cancer in ultraviolet-irradiated mice. They are planning a similar study of colon cancer in the "near future." All research is being funded by the National Cancer Institute ( news - web sites).

The goal of the research, Kosmeder said, is a pill people could take every day, like a vitamin, to help prevent cancer.

"For people who are at risk, like cigarette smokers, this would be very advantageous," he added.

Kosmeder filed for a provisional patent on oxomate last week, with the intention of drawing interest from pharmaceutical companies. Funding from industry, he explained, could speed the development of a nutritional supplement based on the chemical.

Kosmeder anticipates that human studies could begin in 5 years.

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