Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Antidepressant may also alleviate multiple sclerosis symptoms

Skeletal formula of clomipramine
The antidepressant clomipramine may also alleviate symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), specifically in its progressive form, i.e. when it occurs without relapses or remissions. As yet, drugs for this type of MS have been virtually non-existent. Researchers collaborating with Prof V. Wee Yong, PhD, from the University of Calgary and Dr Simon Faissner from Ruhr-Universität Bochum screened 1,040 generic therapeutics and, based on preclinical studies, identified one that is suitable for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. They published their results in the journal "Nature Communications" from December 19, 2017.
Today, twelve drugs have been approved for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis; for the progressive types, on the other hand, only a few therapy approaches exist. "The mechanisms causing damage in progressive MS are not always the same as in relapsing-remitting MS. This is why the latter requires different therapeutic approaches," says Simon Faissner. As postdoctoral researcher of the Department of Neurology at St Josef-Hospital in Bochum, he contributed to a study carried out at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary as a visiting scholar, funded by the grant for medical research awarded by the Ruhr-Universität's Faculty of Medicine.
Potential side effects already well-documented
The team worked with approved drugs, the side effects of which have already been amply documented. From among those drugs, the researchers selected 249 well-tolerated therapeutics that enter the nervous system safely; this is where chronic inflammation occurs in progressive MS. Using cell cultures, they tested which of the 249 substances are capable of protecting nerve cells from the damaging influence of iron. In MS patients, iron is released due to cell damage, damaging nerve cells in turn.
Following those tests, 35 potential candidates were identified; the researchers subsequently analyzed them with regard to additional properties: investigating, for example, if they can reduce damage to mitochondria - the powerhouses of the cells - or if they minimise the activity of leucocytes that attack the insulation of nerve cells in MS patients. In the process, the drug clomipramine proved promising.
Positive results in preclinical studies
In the next step, the researchers analyzed the substance in mice suffering from a disease comparable with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in humans. The therapy suppressed the neurological disturbances completely; as a result, damages to the nerve cells and inflammation were minimised.
In a subsequent test, they treated mice with a disease that resembles progressive MS in humans. Here, too, the therapy proved effective, provided the researchers applied it immediately after the first clinical symptoms became apparent. Symptoms such as paralysis were thus reduced - unlike in control animals that were treated with placebo drugs.
Clinical studies planned
Simon Faissner returned from Canada to Bochum in January 2017. As a member of Prof Dr Ralf Gold's research group, he is continuously striving to identify new drugs with the potential of protecting from MS and to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the progressive type of the disease.
"Based on promising preclinical data, our long-term objective is to study clomipramine as well as other therapeutics selected in the screening process on patients in clinical studies," explains Faissner. "An advantage of generic drugs is the fact that there is ample clinical experience regarding their potential side effects." Accordingly, there is no need to perform phase-1 trials to study the tolerance of the drug in healthy volunteers. "The funding of such studies always poses a considerable challenge," concludes Faissner.
Progressive multiple sclerosis
In the Western world, multiple sclerosis is the most common cause of neurological disabilities in young people. In MS patients, leukocytes damage the layer surrounding nerve cells, the so-called myelin sheath. This results in neurological disturbances; in 85 percent of patients, the disease is characterized by clearly defined relapses and may cause e.g. visual impairment, paralysis or numbness. The majority of patients experience gradual deterioration after 15 to 20 years, which is referred to as progression. In ten percent of the patients, the disease is progressive from the outset, without any relapses along the way.
Ref : http://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2017-12-20-medicine-antidepressant-may-help-combat-course-multiple-sclerosis

Monday, January 29, 2018

FDA-approved drug to treat high blood pressure increases life span in worms

Skeletal formula of hydralazine
UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers find that an FDA-approved drug to treat high blood pressure seems to extend life span in worms via a cell signaling pathway that may mimic caloric restriction.
The drug, hydralazine, extended life span about 25 percent in two strains of C. elegans(roundworms), one a wild type and the other bred to generate high levels of a neurotoxic protein called tau that in humans is associated with Alzheimer's disease.
"This is the first report of hydralazine treatment activating the NRF2/SKN-1 signaling pathway. We found the drug extends the life span of worms as well as or better than other potential anti-aging compounds such as curcumin and metformin. The treatment also appeared to maintain their health as measured by tests of flexibility and wiggling speed," said Dr. Hamid Mirzaei, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry at UT Southwestern and senior author of the study, published today in Nature Communications.
The NRF2 pathway protects human cells from oxidative stress. The body's ability to protect itself against damaging oxygen free radicals diminishes with age, he said.
One of the hallmarks of aging and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's is oxidative stress, which is believed to result cumulatively from inflammatory and infectious illnesses throughout life, Dr. Mirzaei explained. SKN-1, a C. eleganstranscription factor, corresponds to NRF2 in humans. Both play a pivotal role in their respective species' responses to oxidative stress and life span, he said.
The UT Southwestern researchers were searching for a chemical probe they could use in experiments to identify proteins that get oxidized and become toxic during aging. Their screen for a substance that would cross the blood-brain barrier and be nontoxic led them to hydralazine.
"Age-related neurodegenerative diseases are devastating, and those conditions are on the rise due to the increase in the life span of humans. For that reason, it is important to develop treatments to maintain human health as long as possible," said Dr. Mirzaei, who is also an investigator in the Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, part of the Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute at UT Southwestern.
http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/newsroom/articles/year-2017/hbp-drug.html



Friday, January 26, 2018

Novel drug shows promise in treating metastatic kidney cancer

PT-2385 Chemical Structure                    Model of drug interaction
Metastatic kidney cancer remains largely incurable. Despite a dozen treatments and several immunotherapies, survival rates beyond 5 years remain around 10 percent. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology reports initial findings with a novel drug belonging to a new class of medicines called HIF-2a inhibitors that show promise in treating metastatic kidney cancer.
Among 51 patients with aggressive kidney cancer that had progressed through four prior treatments on average, PT2385, the first HIF-2a inhibitor to be evaluated in clinical trials, blocked tumor growth for at least 4 months in 40 percent of the patients. Furthermore, cancer growth was stopped for more than a year in 25 percent of the patients. In addition, side effects were minimal.
"The combination of activity and tolerability is very encouraging," said corresponding author Dr. Kevin Courtney, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern's Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center. "We treated multiple patients on this trial in the Kidney Cancer Program at UT Southwestern, more than at any other institution. In our experience, this HIF-2a inhibitor offers a combination of safety and potential activity that is unique compared to current treatments for advanced kidney cancer."
PT2385, developed by Peloton Therapeutics Inc., represents the culmination of two decades of research at UT Southwestern beginning with the discovery of HIF-2a by Dr. Steven McKnight, Professor of Biochemistry who holds the Distinguished Chair in Basic Biomedical Research, and Dr. David Russell, Vice Provost, Dean of Research, and holder of the Eugene McDermott Distinguished Chair in Molecular Genetics. Next was the finding of a vulnerability in HIF-2a by Dr. Richard Bruick, Professor of Biochemistry and the Michael L. Rosenberg Scholar in Biomedical Research, and Dr. Kevin Gardner, Professor of Biophysics. This research was followed by the identification of chemicals that exploit a crevice in HIF-2a to destroy its activity. These chemicals were then licensed to Peloton Therapeutics, in the UT Southwestern BioCenter at Southwestern Medical District, which developed the HIF-2a blocking drug.
In a manuscript published in Nature last year, Dr. James Brugarolas, Professor of Internal Medicine, showed that blocking HIF-2a successfully reduced the growth of 50 percent of kidney cancers that were transplanted from patients into mice. In fact, the HIF-2a drug had greater activity in this study and was better tolerated than sunitinib, the most commonly prescribed drug for kidney cancer.
Dr. Brugarolas, who directs the Kidney Cancer Program and is the Principal Investigator of one of only two Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) in kidney cancer designated by the National Cancer Institute, is now working to identify patients who are most likely to benefit from treatment with PT2385. "One of the biggest challenges we face across all treatments for kidney cancer is pairing the right drug with the right patient," said Dr. Brugarolas, who also holds the Sherry Wigley Crow Cancer Research Endowed Chair in Honor of Robert Lewis Kirby, M.D.
"HIF-2a, which fuels cell growth, is the most important driver of kidney cancer and the development of a drug that is helping patients is a remarkable outgrowth of our research," said Dr. Russell.
UT Southwestern Medical Center owns stock in Peloton Therapeutics and has a financial interest in the clinical trial described in the Journal of Clinical Oncology article. Drs. Bruick, Gardner, and McKnight have financial interests related to consulting; and Drs. McKnight, Bruick, and Gardner related to investment.
http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/newsroom/articles/year-2017/kidney-cancer-drug.html

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Tapeworm drug could provide new hope for patients with Parkinson's disease

In continuation of Niclosamide
Niclosamide.svg
Researchers at Cardiff University, in collaboration with the University of Dundee, have identified a drug molecule within a medicine used to treat tapeworm infections which could lead to new treatments for patients with Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson's disease is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that, according to the charity, Parkinson's UK, affects one person in every 500. That means an estimated 127,000 people are currently living with Parkinson's disease in the UK alone.
Over the last decade or so, researchers striving to find a cure for this debilitating disease have focused their attention on a protein found in the human body known as PINK1. It's understood that the malfunction of this protein is one of the leading causes of Parkinson's disease.
Several studies have suggested that discovering a drug which is capable of enhancing the function of PINK1 could be a significant step in halting neurodegeneration and therefore slow down or even treat Parkinson's disease.
With this knowledge in mind, researchers at Cardiff and Dundee Universities have discovered that a drug traditionally used to treat tapeworm infections, named Niclosamide, is also an effective activator of the PINK1 protein.
Furthermore, the research, funded by The Welcome Trust, revealed that Niclosamide and some of its derivatives could enhance PINK1 performance within cells and neurons. This has given the researchers reason to believe that this drug could provide new hope for patients living with Parkinson's disease.
Dr Youcef Mehellou, from Cardiff University's School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, who co-lead the study, said: 'This work represents the first report of a clinically used drug to activate PINK1 and may hold promise in treating Parkinson's disease. We will now take our findings to the next level by evaluating the ability of Niclosamide to treat Parkinson's disease in disease models. This is an exciting stage of our research and we are positive about the long term impact it could have on patients' lives."
Ref : http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/1027540-tapeworm-drug-could-lead-the-fight-against-parkinsons-disease

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Anti-stress compounds provide new treatment approach for diabetes and obesity

For the first time, scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich could prove that a stress protein found in muscle has a diabetes promoting effect. This finding could pave the way to a completely new treatment approach.
For some time, researchers have known that the protein FKBP51 is associated with depression and anxiety disorders. It is involved in the regulation of the stress system - when the system does not function properly; mental disorders may develop. Now, researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry have discovered a new, surprising role for this protein: It acts as a molecular link between the stress regulatory system and metabolic processes in the body.
"FKBP51 influences a signaling cascade in muscle tissue, which with excessive calorie intake leads to the development of glucose intolerance, i.e., the key indicator of diabetes type 2," project leader Mathias Schmidt summarizes. An unhealthy diet, rich in fat means stress for the body. If FKBP51 is increasingly produced in the muscle it leads to reduced absorption of glucose - as a result, diabetes and obesity may develop.
If FKBP51 is blocked, diabetes will not develop, even if too many calories are consumed or the body is still stressed. Less FKBP51 in the muscle tissue means reduced glucose intolerance and thus maintenance of normal metabolism.
Antagonist provides novel treatment approach
The protein FKBP51 can be pharmacologically blocked by antagonist compounds that were developed at the Max Planck Institute by Felix Hausch (presently at University of Darmstadt). In collaboration with the scientists at the Technical University Darmstadt and funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs and Media, Energy and Technology, these compounds will be further developed for use in clinical trials. "These findings may provide a completely new treatment approach for diabetes and other metabolic diseases," states Alon Chen, Director at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry.​
Ref : https://www.mpg.de/11850791/diabetes-fkbp511


Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Study: Ketamine more effective than common sedative in reducing suicidal thoughts

In continuation of my update on ketamine
Ketamine.svg
Ketamine was significantly more effective than a commonly used sedative in reducing suicidal thoughts in depressed patients, according to researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC). They also found that ketamine's anti-suicidal effects occurred within hours after its administration.
The findings were published online last week in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide rates in the U.S. increased by 26.5 percent between 1999 and 2015.
"There is a critical window in which depressed patients who are suicidal need rapid relief to prevent self-harm," said Michael Grunebaum, MD, a research psychiatrist at CUMC, who led the study. "Currently available antidepressants can be effective in reducing suicidal thoughts in patients with depression, but they can take weeks to have an effect. Suicidal, depressed patients need treatments that are rapidly effective in reducing suicidal thoughts when they are at highest risk. Currently, there is no such treatment for rapid relief of suicidal thoughts in depressed patients."
Most antidepressant trials have excluded patients with suicidal thoughts and behavior, limiting data on the effectiveness of antidepressants in this population. However, previous studies have shown that low doses of ketamine, an anesthetic drug, causes a rapid reduction in depression symptoms and may be accompanied by a decrease in suicidal thoughts.
The 80 depressed adults with clinically significant suicidal thoughts who enrolled in this study were randomly assigned to receive an infusion of low-dose ketamine or midazolam, a sedative. Within 24 hours, the ketamine group had a clinically significant reduction in suicidal thoughts that was greater than with the midazolam group. The improvement in suicidal thoughts and depression in the ketamine group appeared to persist for up to six weeks.
Those in the ketamine group also had greater improvement in overall mood, depression, and fatigue compared with the midazolam group. Ketamine's effect on depression accounted for approximately one-third of its effect on suicidal thoughts, suggesting the treatment has a specific anti-suicidal effect.
Side effects, mainly dissociation (feeling spacey) and an increase in blood pressure during the infusion, were mild to moderate and typically resolved within minutes to hours after receiving ketamine.
"This study shows that ketamine offers promise as a rapidly acting treatment for reducing suicidal thoughts in patients with depression," said Dr. Grunebaum. "Additional research to evaluate ketamine's antidepressant and anti-suicidal effects may pave the way for the development of new antidepressant medications that are faster acting and have the potential to help individuals who do not respond to currently available treatments."

Monday, January 22, 2018

Drug used to prevent and treat malaria may also be effective for Zika virus

In continuation of my update on chloroquine
Chloroquine.svg
A new collaborative study led by researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) and UC San Diego School of Medicine has found that a medication used to prevent and treat malaria may also be effective for Zika virus. The drug, called chloroquine, has a long history of safe use during pregnancy, and is relatively inexpensive. The research was published today in Scientific Reports.
Zika virus remains a major global health risk. In most adults, Zika causes mild flu-like symptoms. But in pregnant women, the virus can cause serious birth defects in babies--including microcephaly--a neurological condition in which newborns have unusually small heads and fail to develop properly. There is no treatment or way to reverse the condition.
"There is still an urgent need to bolster our preparedness and capacity to respond to the next Zika outbreak," says Alexey Terskikh, Ph.D., associate professor at SBP. "Our latest research suggests the anti-malaria drug chloroquine may be an effective drug to treat and prevent Zika infections."
Terskikh is co-senior author of a new study that examined the effect of chloroquine in human brain organoids and pregnant mice infected with the virus, and found the drug markedly reduced the amount of Zika virus in maternal blood and neural progenitor cells in the fetal brain. Pregnant mice received chloroquine through drinking water in dosages equivalent to acceptable levels used in humans.
"Our research is the first to study Zika infection in a mouse model that transmits the virus in a way similar to humans," explains Alysson R. Muotri, Ph.D., professor and director of the Stem Cell Program at UC San Diego and co-senior author of the study. "Until now, researchers used a mouse strain that is deficient in interferon--a signaling protein that heightens anti-viral defenses. Those mice actually die from Zika infection, making it difficult to study the natural transmission of the virus from father and mother to fetus and to assess the effect of this transmission on the newborns.
"We believe our mouse model more accurately represents the way Zika virus infects men, women, and babies while in the womb," adds Terskikh. "Although chloroquine didn't completely clear Zika from infected mice it did reduce the viral load, suggesting it could limit the neurological damage found in newborns infected by the virus."
"In the 1950's, the Brazilian health agencies added chloroquine into cooking salt and distributed it to the population in endemic areas as an effective way of spreading the inexpensive anti-malarial drug as a prophylactic on a wide scale. This strategy was known as Pinotti's Method, named after its originator Dr. Mario Pinotti. It might be worth considering this medicated salt program one more time in Brazil", suggests Muotri.
"Chloroquine has a long history of successfully treating malaria, and there are no reports of it causing birth defects," says Terskikh. "Additional studies are certainly needed to determine the precise details of how it works. But given its low cost, availability and safety history further study in a clinical trial to test its effectiveness against Zika virus in humans is merited."
Ref : http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/685239/

Friday, January 19, 2018

Dr. Reddy’s Announces Approval of Impoyz (clobetasol propionate) Cream for Plaque Psoriasis

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. through its wholly owned subsidiary Promius Pharma, LLC, announced its fifth consecutive, first-cycle NDA approval for the Proprietary Products Group, a substantial milestone within the pharmaceutical industry.
Impoyz (clobetasol propionate) Cream, 0.025% is a high potency topical steroid approved for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in patients 18 years of age or older. The most common side effect of Impoyz Cream includes discoloration of the treated site. Psoriasis is a serious medical condition affecting approximately 7.5 million people in the United States. Impoyz, formerly referred to as DFD-06, had been recently licensed to Encore Dermatology Inc. for the commercialization of the product in the United States.

Clobetasol Propionate.svg
This approval is another example of the deep and broad capabilities within the Proprietary Products business unit at Dr. Reddy’s. The organization has achieved several milestones within drug, device, and formulation research and development for novel therapies.
“The fifth consecutive first cycle NDA approval represents Dr. Reddy’s long-term commitment to building an organization that delivers innovative medical solutions,” said Anil Namboodiripad, PhD, Senior Vice President, Proprietary Products and President, Promius Pharma. “We are looking forward to working with our partner, Encore Dermatology, to bring this novel treatment to providers and their patients.”
“Encore is excited about adding another great product to our portfolio and looking forward to the opportunity to commercialize a new product for the treatment of mild to moderate psoriasis as well as broadening our portfolio outside of atopic dermatitis and acne,” said Robert Moccia, CEO, Encore Dermatology, Inc.

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Trial shows apple allergen as effective treatment option for birch pollen-related apple allergy

In continuation of my update on Osimertinib

Osimertinib.svg
Osimertinib improves progression-free survival compared to standard first line therapy in Asian patients with EGFR-mutated non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to the Asian subset analysis of the FLAURA trial presented at the ESMO Asia 2017 Congress, sumultaneously published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
EGFR mutations occur in 30-40% of NSCLC in Asian populations compared to 10-15% in Western populations. The phase III FLAURA trial compared osimertinib, a third generation EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), to standard of care EGFR-TKIs (erlotinib or gefitinib) as first line therapy in NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations. A total of 556 patients from Asia, Europe, and North America were randomized 1:1 to treatment with osimertinib or standard of care. Osimertinib improved progression-free survival by 54%.
This subset analysis included the 322 Asian patients in the FLAURA trial, of whom 46 were Chinese, 120 were Japanese, and 156 were from other parts of Asia.
The median progression-free survival was 16.5 months with osimertinib compared to 11.0 months for the standard therapy, with a hazard ratio of 0.54 (95% confidence interval, 0.41-0.72; p<0.0001).
The median duration of response was two-fold higher for patients treated with osimertinib (17.6 months) compared to standard of care (8.7 months). The overall response rate was 80% with osimertinib compared to 75% with standard of care treatment. Median overall survival was not reached. The incidence of grade 3 or higher toxicities was lower for osimertinib (40%) than the standard treatment (48%).
Lead author Professor Byoung Chul Cho, Yonsei Cancer Center, Seoul, Korea, said: "As in the overall trial population, osimertinib provided a significant progression-free survival benefit in Asian patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC. Asian patients had similar toxicities with osimertinib as the overall FLAURA population. Osimertinib should be the preferred first line treatment for EGFR-mutant NSCLC in Asia."
Commenting on the findings Professor James CH Yang, Chairman, Graduate Institute of Oncology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei City, Taiwan, said: "The results of this subset analysis are quite compatible with the findings in the overall population presented at the ESMO 2017 Congress in Madrid. We can therefore conclude that osimertinib can be considered as the standard of care for the first line treatment of Asian advanced NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations."
"The proportion of patients having adverse events that caused them to stop taking osimertinib was similar in the overall (13%) and Asian (15%) populations," added Yang. "We tend to think osimertinib is a well tolerated drug so these discontinuation rates were surprisingly high and need further investigation."
Yang continued: "Although there was no statistical difference between the hazard ratios for progression-free survival, it was numerically lower in non-Asians (0.34) compared to Asians (0.54). There is an ongoing debate as to whether Asian and non-Asian patients with EGFR mutations have distinct responses to EGFR-TKIs. This might be due to variations in clinical practice rather than biology. A meta-analysis of all relevant studies could shed light on this issue."
"It will also be important to know whether Asian and non-Asian patients in the FLAURA trial with brain metastases had similar outcomes," said Yang.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Soy foods, cruciferous vegetables may reduce breast cancer treatment’s side effects

In continuation of my update on soy milk
Consuming soy foods (such as soy milk, tofu and edamame) and cruciferous vegetables (such as cabbages, kale, collard greens, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli) may be associated with a reduction in common side effects of breast cancer treatment in breast cancer survivors, say a team of scientists led by Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.
In the study, published in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, higher intake of cruciferous vegetables and soy foods were associated with fewer reports of menopausal symptoms. Higher soy intake was also associated with less reported fatigue. The breast cancer survivors studied included 173 non-Hispanic white and 192 Chinese Americans including US-born Chinese and Chinese immigrants.
Researchers say breast cancer survivors often experience side effects from cancer treatments that can persist months or years after completion of treatment. For example, because many treatments designed to prevent breast cancer recurrence inhibit the body's production or use of estrogen, the hormone that can fuel breast cancer growth, breast cancer patients often experience hot flashes and night sweats, among other side effects.
The lead author on the study, Sarah Oppeneer Nomura, PhD, of Georgetown Lombardi, said that while further research is needed in larger study populations and with more detailed dietary data, this project addresses an important gap in research on the possible role of lifestyle factors, such as dietary habits, in relation to side effects of treatments.
"These symptoms can adversely impact survivors' quality of life and can lead them to stopping ongoing treatments, she says. "Understanding the role of life style factors is important because diet can serve as a modifiable target for possibly reducing symptoms among breast cancer survivors."
When study participants were evaluated separately by race/ethnicity, associations were significant among white breast cancer survivors; however; while a trend was seen in the benefit for Chinese women, results were not statically significant. Researchers explain Chinese women typically report fewer menopausal symptoms. Most of them also consume cruciferous vegetables and soy foods, making it difficult to see a significant effect in this subgroup. Indeed, in this study, Chinese breast cancer survivors ate more than twice as much soy and cruciferous vegetables.
Whether the reduction in symptoms accounts for longtime use of soy and cruciferous vegetables needs further investigation, says the study's senior author, Judy Huei-yu Wang, PhD, of Georgetown Lombardi's Cancer Prevention and Control Program.
Results obtained in preclinical studies in animals show that biologically active compounds present in both soy and cruciferous vegetables cause breast cancer cells to grow, but have opposite effects in animals that consume these compounds well before cancer is diagnosed and continue consuming them during and after cancer treatments.
Until more research is conducted, breast cancer patients should not suddenly start eating soy, if they have not consumed it before, says Leena Hilakivi-Clarke, PhD, a professor of oncology at Georgetown Lombardi and a co-author of the study.
Researchers also found suggestive associations with lower reporting of other symptoms, including joint problems, hair thinning/loss and memory less in women who consumed more soy foods, but these associations did not reach statistical significance.
Phytochemicals, or bioactive food components, such as isoflavones in soy foods and glucosinolates in cruciferous vegetables may be the source of the benefit, researchers say. Isoflavones bind to estrogen receptors and exert weak estrogenic effects, among other effects. Glucosinolates in cruciferous vegetables influence levels of metabolizing enzymes that can modulate inflammation and levels of estrogen, possibly attenuating treatment-related symptoms.