Spirulina and Phycocyanine - Natural agents to support cancer strategies?
The numerous effects of phycocyanine on health and the mechanisms on which its efficacy is based have for some years fuelled hopes that it could effectively support conventional cancer therapies. Given the spread of promises and sometimes misleading claims, it was interesting to review the premises of this research and to isolate the state of knowledge on the subject.
Phycocyanin has shown promise in various health applications. Both a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, it is seen as a potential asset in the fight against a wide variety of chronic diseases. Phycocyanin has also been shown to stimulate cognitive function and reduce stress levels. In addition, it has been shown to stimulate healthy cell growth and protect cells from damage.
The extent of these effects which maintains as much suspicion as it gives rise to fantasies has however fed the curiosity of many researchers who want to discover the secrets of this pigment born in the heart of Spirulina.
Phycocyanine is part of the large family of natural agents capable of acting on physiology and is part of the arsenal of phytotherapy, just like curcumin and saffron, on which "the main ingredient company" has focused its work.
The return to grace of natural pharmacopoeia
For more than a decade now, research units and bodies interested in the potential effects of natural molecules have multiplied. The most prestigious universities have not stopped discovering or sometimes rediscovering the powerful effects of more or less exotic pigments known since ever. Curcumin, familiar and accessible, is part of this supply of active ingredients from nature and carries significant effects with little or no side effects (see our article on ANSES and its precautions regarding Curcumin). Phycocyanine, rarer and unavailable in a free form(see our previous article) is one of the most prominent molecules at the moment.
The intelligent combination of complex natural molecules to fight cancer.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Most of these deaths are due to metastatic tumors, which are tumors that have spread to other parts of the body. A small population of cancer cells that are resistant to treatment make the effectiveness of therapies uncertain. These "cancer stem cells" can generate new tumors, but for the first time, researchers are considering using natural chemicals found in products such as vegetables, fruits and spices to treat cancer.
A study published in 2013 in the "Journal of Cancer" has contributed to fortify the concept of a combination of natural molecules capable of not substituting but accompanying conventional treatment strategies with significant effects. In the end, the study found that a combination of six phytochemicals (Curcumin, Flavonol, Cruciferous Vegetables, Phycocyanin and Resveratrol) was effective in reducing the proliferation of breast cancer cells, inhibiting their migration and invasion, and causing cell death. The combination had no negative effect on healthy cells while reducing the expression of genes associated with metastasis.
While natural molecules alone or in combination have been shown to kill cancer cells in tests, more research is needed to determine if this is a viable treatment option.
Other research avenues specific to phycocyanine
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow. The disease is caused by a mutation in a gene called BCR-ABL. This gene makes a protein that is involved in the growth and division of blood cells. The mutation causes an excessive production of this protein, which leads to excessive growth of blood cells.
Phycocyanin has been shown to inhibit cancer cell growth and induce cell death by targeting the BCR-ABL protein. Phycocyanin binds to this protein and prevents it from performing its normal function. This leads to cancer cell death.
Phycocyanin has been shown to be effective in treating CML in animal models and holds great promise for human CML. Clinical trials are underway. Once again, caution must be exercised regarding the consistency of its efficacy, but given the absence of side effects, its combination with conventional therapy is not irrational.
A diversified strategy against cancer cells.
Recent studies have revealed that C-phycocyanin has multiple mechanisms of action that make it capable of killing chemotherapy-resistant cells, also demonstrating that C-phycocyanin interacts with specific cellular targets (membrane, cytoplasm and nucleus), making it more effective at killing cancer cells. Future research will focus on the efficacy of its combination with protein extrusion drugs such as ABCB1 and ABCC1 (these drugs work by breaking down proteins into smaller pieces so they can be more easily eliminated from the body).
What can we conclude at the present time? The hematopoietic and erythropoietic action of phycocyanin, which stimulates the production of blood cells and multipotent cells, as well as its immunomodulating action and its anti-allergic effects by lowering the immunoglobulin level, are all indications of the complexity of its action and the power of this very large molecule. It remains necessary to remain reasonable in the exploration of its virtues until more substantial studies come to support them. The increased recommendation of the molecule by conventional medicine and the resurgence of researchers who are using it as a potential complementary tool in the definition of new and more robust treatments for cancer is a very positive signal. Faced with serious diseases, our responsibility is not to turn you away from a molecule whose potential effects far outweigh the side effects or undesirable ones, but to prevent fantasies or rantings likely to create mistrust of what medicine has managed to accomplish in this area. More than ever, phytotherapy must be patient and rigorous in order to become a full-fledged branch of the therapeutic arsenal available to science in the face of cancer.
*Phycocyanine, due to the diversity of its action modalities, was quickly studied in the context of the prevention of neurological dysfunctions, the stimulation of astrocytes, and the reconfiguration of the cerebral environment."
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Phycocyanine against cancer?
Spirulina and Phycocyanine - Natural agents to support cancer strategies?
The numerous effects of phycocyanine on health and the mechanisms on which its efficacy is based have for some years fuelled hopes that it could effectively support conventional cancer therapies. Given the spread of promises and sometimes misleading claims, it was interesting to review the premises of this research and to isolate the state of knowledge on the subject.
Phycocyanin has shown promise in various health applications. Both a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, it is seen as a potential asset in the fight against a wide variety of chronic diseases. Phycocyanin has also been shown to stimulate cognitive function and reduce stress levels. In addition, it has been shown to stimulate healthy cell growth and protect cells from damage.
The extent of these effects which maintains as much suspicion as it gives rise to fantasies has however fed the curiosity of many researchers who want to discover the secrets of this pigment born in the heart of Spirulina.
Phycocyanine is part of the large family of natural agents capable of acting on physiology and is part of the arsenal of phytotherapy, just like curcumin and saffron, on which "the main ingredient company" has focused its work.
The return to grace of natural pharmacopoeia
For more than a decade now, research units and bodies interested in the potential effects of natural molecules have multiplied. The most prestigious universities have not stopped discovering or sometimes rediscovering the powerful effects of more or less exotic pigments known since ever. Curcumin, familiar and accessible, is part of this supply of active ingredients from nature and carries significant effects with little or no side effects (see our article on ANSES and its precautions regarding Curcumin). Phycocyanine, rarer and unavailable in a free form(see our previous article) is one of the most prominent molecules at the moment.
The intelligent combination of complex natural molecules to fight cancer.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Most of these deaths are due to metastatic tumors, which are tumors that have spread to other parts of the body. A small population of cancer cells that are resistant to treatment make the effectiveness of therapies uncertain. These "cancer stem cells" can generate new tumors, but for the first time, researchers are considering using natural chemicals found in products such as vegetables, fruits and spices to treat cancer.
A study published in 2013 in the "Journal of Cancer" has contributed to fortify the concept of a combination of natural molecules capable of not substituting but accompanying conventional treatment strategies with significant effects. In the end, the study found that a combination of six phytochemicals (Curcumin, Flavonol, Cruciferous Vegetables, Phycocyanin and Resveratrol) was effective in reducing the proliferation of breast cancer cells, inhibiting their migration and invasion, and causing cell death. The combination had no negative effect on healthy cells while reducing the expression of genes associated with metastasis.
While natural molecules alone or in combination have been shown to kill cancer cells in tests, more research is needed to determine if this is a viable treatment option.
Other research avenues specific to phycocyanine
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow. The disease is caused by a mutation in a gene called BCR-ABL. This gene makes a protein that is involved in the growth and division of blood cells. The mutation causes an excessive production of this protein, which leads to excessive growth of blood cells.
Phycocyanin has been shown to inhibit cancer cell growth and induce cell death by targeting the BCR-ABL protein. Phycocyanin binds to this protein and prevents it from performing its normal function. This leads to cancer cell death.
Phycocyanin has been shown to be effective in treating CML in animal models and holds great promise for human CML. Clinical trials are underway. Once again, caution must be exercised regarding the consistency of its efficacy, but given the absence of side effects, its combination with conventional therapy is not irrational.
A diversified strategy against cancer cells.
Recent studies have revealed that C-phycocyanin has multiple mechanisms of action that make it capable of killing chemotherapy-resistant cells, also demonstrating that C-phycocyanin interacts with specific cellular targets (membrane, cytoplasm and nucleus), making it more effective at killing cancer cells. Future research will focus on the efficacy of its combination with protein extrusion drugs such as ABCB1 and ABCC1 (these drugs work by breaking down proteins into smaller pieces so they can be more easily eliminated from the body).
What can we conclude at the present time? The hematopoietic and erythropoietic action of phycocyanin, which stimulates the production of blood cells and multipotent cells, as well as its immunomodulating action and its anti-allergic effects by lowering the immunoglobulin level, are all indications of the complexity of its action and the power of this very large molecule. It remains necessary to remain reasonable in the exploration of its virtues until more substantial studies come to support them. The increased recommendation of the molecule by conventional medicine and the resurgence of researchers who are using it as a potential complementary tool in the definition of new and more robust treatments for cancer is a very positive signal. Faced with serious diseases, our responsibility is not to turn you away from a molecule whose potential effects far outweigh the side effects or undesirable ones, but to prevent fantasies or rantings likely to create mistrust of what medicine has managed to accomplish in this area. More than ever, phytotherapy must be patient and rigorous in order to become a full-fledged branch of the therapeutic arsenal available to science in the face of cancer.
*Phycocyanine, due to the diversity of its action modalities, was quickly studied in the context of the prevention of neurological dysfunctions, the stimulation of astrocytes, and the reconfiguration of the cerebral environment."
Join us on Instagram & facebook to discover the daily life, the universe and the research of the main ingredient company
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