Parsley
is
recommended for breast cancer
Parsley has been shown to have potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, as well as moderate antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, radioprotective, antispasmodic, anti-anxiety, and cholesterol-lowering properties. Because parsley typically does not comprise a large portion of the diet of any group of people, there are no population-based studies that specifically isolate the association between consuming parsley and the risk of cancer. Instead, the epidemiological information available comes from studies in which parsley was a vegetable component of the diet. There are numerous studies concerning the anti-cancer components of parsley. Parsley contains 8-methoxypsoralen, which has been shown to inhibit the development of carcinogen-induced lung cancer in laboratory mice. Parsley also is a dietary source of imperatorin and isopimpinellin, which have been shown to have chemopreventive effects in liver, lung and mammary epithelial cells. Parsley leaf oil and parsley seed oil contain myristicin, which has been shown to inhibit the proliferation of carcinogen-induced lung cancer in mice.
Breast cancer-related effects of
eating
parsley
Parsley contains the flavones apigenin, luteolin, chrysoeriol, the flavonols kaempferol, quercetin and isorhamnetin, and the isoflavone genistein. Parsley is a good dietary source of apigenin, which has been shown to induce apoptosis in human skin, thyroid, gastric, liver, colon, cervical, and prostate cancer cells, and to inhibit migration and invasion of ovarian cancer cells. Apigenin has also been shown to exhibit potent growth-inhibitory effects in HER2/neu overexpressing breast cancer cells. The growth-inhibitory effects of apigenin are less powerful for those cells expressing normal levels of HER2/neu. However, apigenin has been been found to act both as an estrogen and as an antiestrogen, depending on the dose, promoting estrogen-dependent cancer cell growth at low dosages. Luteolin has been shown to induce apoptosis in oral cancer calls, to promote cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in colon cancer cells, and to inhibit insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor signaling in prostate cancer cells. Luteolin has also been shown increase the anti-cancer effects of the chemotherapy drug Taxol (paclitaxel). Quercetin has been shown to inhibit proliferation of estrogen-independent (ER-) breast cancer cells. A major Italian population study including 2,569 women with breast cancer found that the risk of breast cancer was reduced for increasing intake of flavones and flavonols.
Additional comments
Italian, or flat leaf parsley is named for its leaves, which are flat compared to the curly leaves of common parsley. Cilantro, also called Chinese parsley, consists of the stems and leaves of the coriander plant (coriandrum sativum), which is in the parsley family. The antioxidant capacity of parsley is enhanced when it is used in soups or stews (i.e., when it is boiled) but is reduced when grilled or fried.
Parsley seed oil is an ingredient in some breath freshening products, presumably for its antimicrobial and antiseptic properties. Parsley seed oil contains oleic acid (also the main fatty acid in olive oil), which has been found to inhibit breast cancer in several ways. However, the biologically active components of parsley seed oil are very concentrated and it should generally be avoided, especially by those who are pregnant (since it can cause miscarriage), have kidney, heart, or liver disorders, or are on high blood pressure medications, lithium, monoamine oxidase Inhibitors, or opiates.
Tags:
ER-,
Her2Overexpressing,
Taxol,
antifungal,
cervicalCancer,
chemotherapy,
cilantro,
genistein,
inflammation,
insulinLikeGrowthFactor,
ovarianCancer,
paclitaxel,
parsley,
pregnancy,
radioprotective,
southernEurope
Selected studies
Identifying peach and plum polyphenols with chemopreventive potential against estrogen-independent breast cancer cells
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, June 2009
The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the cancer suppression activities of extracts from commercial varieties of yellow-fleshed 'Rich Lady' peaches and red-fleshed 'Black Splendor' plums and to identify the phenolic fractions that might serve as natural chemopreventive or chemotherapeutic compounds. Rich Lady peach extract was found to effectively inhibit the proliferation of estrogen-independent MDA-MB-435 breast cancer cells. The concentration required to inhibit 50% of cell proliferation was approximately 42 mg/L for this cell line compared to approximately 130 mg/L for the noncancerous breast cell line MCF-10A and approximately 515 mg/L for the estrogen-dependent breast cancer cell line MCF-7. Similarly, Black Splendor plum extracts showed more pronounced effects on MDA-MB-435 cells than on normal breast cells or MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Generally speaking, Black Splendor plum extracts were found to be less effective than Rich Lady peach extracts at inhibiting cell proliferation. Taking into account all of the study Rich Lady peach and Black Splendor plum fractions, fraction 3 (flavonoids) and fraction 4 (procyanidins) were more potent than fraction 1 (phenolic acids) and fraction 2 (anthocyanins) against the three cell lines. The order of potency of Rich Lady peach fractions against MDA-MB-435 was flavonoid approximately = procyanidin > phenolic acids > anthocyanins. Further analysis of the antiproliferative activity of pure compounds in the fractions demonstrated that quercetin 3beta-glucoside was the bioactive compound in the flavonoid fraction, having the same level of toxicity on the both estrogen-independent MDA-MB-435 breast cancer cells and MCF-10A normal breast epithelial cells. However, in the phenolic acid fraction, chlorogenic and neo-chlorogenic acids were found to exert relatively high growth inhibition on the estrogen-independent MDA-MB-435 breast cancer cells while having low toxicity in the normal MCF-10A cells. The authors conclude that the chlorogenic and neo-chlorogenic acids found in the phenolic acid fractions might have potential as chemopreventive dietary compounds.
Apigenin inhibits antiestrogen-resistant breast cancer cell growth through estrogen receptor--dependent and estrogen receptor--independent mechanisms
Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, July 2008
Breast cancer resistance to the antiestrogens tamoxifen and fulvestrant (Faslodex) has been found to be accompanied by changes in both estrogen-dependent and estrogen-independent signaling pathways. Therefore, effective inhibition of both pathways may be necessary to block proliferation of tamoxifen- or fulvestrant-resistant breast cancer cells. The current study examined the effects of apigenin, a dietary plant flavonoid, on estrogen receptor positive MCF7 human breast cancer cells and two MCF7 sublines with acquired resistance to either tamoxifen or fulvestrant. It was found that apigenin can act as both an estrogen and as an antiestrogen in a dose-dependent manner. At low concentrations (1 µmol/L), apigenin promoted MCF7 cell growth but had no effect on the growth of the antiestrogen-resistant MCF7 sublines. At high concentrations (>10 µmol/L), apigenin inhibited growth of both regular MCF7 cells and the antiestrogen-resistant sublines. Furthermore, the combination of apigenin with either tamoxifen or fulvestrant demonstrated synergistic growth-inhibitory effects on both antiestrogen-sensitive and antiestrogen-resistant breast cancer cells. This authors conclude that apigenin holds promise as a new therapeutic agent against antiestrogen-resistant breast cancer.
Determination of the Antioxidant Capacity of Culinary Herbs Subjected to Various Cooking and Storage Processes Using the ABTS*+ Radical Cation Assay
Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, June 2008
The current study examined the impact of cooking methods and storage on the antioxidant capacity of some common culinary herbs. Extracts of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, ginger, lavender, parsley, rose, rosemary, sage and thyme were prepared and their antioxidant capacities before and after cooking and storage (vinegar maceration, cold maceration or freezing). It was found that simmering, soup making and stewing significantly increased antioxidant capacity of the herbs, whereas grilling and stir frying decreased it. Freezing the herbs at −20 °C and cold maceration both had preservative effects on antioxidant capacity, whereas herbs stored in cold vinegar macerations for one week demonstrated a decrease in antioxidant capacity compared to the control herb extracts.
Apigenin inhibits HGF-promoted invasive growth and metastasis involving blocking PI3K/Akt pathway and β4 integrin function in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells
Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, January 2008
Hepatocyte growth factor and its receptor, Met, are known to play crucial roles in promoting breast cancer metastasis and some dietary flavonoids are known to suppress their effects. However the pharmacological and molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. In the current study, the effect of the flavonoids apigenin, naringenin, genistein and kaempferol on hepatocyte growth factor-dependent invasive growth of MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells was evaluated. Apigenin was found to have the most potent anti-migration and anti-invasion properties. In addition to its effect on breast cancer cells, apigenin was found to have inhibitory effects on hepatocyte growth factor-induced Akt phosphorylation in liver and lung cancer cells.
Flavonoids and Breast Cancer Risk in Italy
Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, April 2005
The present study investigated the potential relationship between flavonoid consumption and risk of breast cancer. Dietary information was collected in a large study conducted in Italy between 1991 and 1994, including 2,569 women with breast cancer and 2,588 hospital controls. After allowing for major confounding factors and energy intake, risk of breast cancer was found to be reduced for increasing intake of flavones (e.g., apigenin, luteolin, tangeritin) and flavonols (e.g., fisetin, quercetin, myricetin, kaempferol). No significant association was found for other flavonoids, including flavanones, flavan-3-ols, anthocyanidins, as well as for isoflavones. These findings confirm the results of a previous Greek study.
Apigenin Induces Apoptosis through Proteasomal Degradation of HER2/neu in HER2/neu-overexpressing Breast Cancer Cells via the Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/Akt-dependent Pathway
Journal of Biological Chemistry, November 2003
Apigenin, a common flavonoid, is found in many fruits and vegetables, including Chinese cabbage, bell pepper, garlic, celery and guava. Although some flavonoids are mutagenic, apigenin has been found to have no mutagenic activity and, in fact, apigenin exhibits anti-proliferative activity against human breast cancer cells. In the present study, apigenin activity in human breast cancer cell lines having different levels of HER2/neu expressions was examined. It was found that apigenin exhibited potent growth-inhibitory effects in HER2/neu-overexpressing breast cancer cells but was much less powerful for those cells expressing basal levels of HER2/neu. Proapoptic activity was also observed in HER2/neu-overexpressing cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. A cell survival pathway involving phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and Akt is known to play a significant role in preventing apoptosis in HER2/neu-overexpressing breast cancer cells. The study results found that apigenin inhibits Akt function in tumor cells in a complex manner.
