Interference of echinacea on cancer chemotherapy

MEDI 345

Jeremy Jensen, jeremy.jensen@sdstate.edu, Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, South Dakota State University, 121 Shepard Hall Box 2202, Brookings, SD 57006, Fathi T. Halaweish, fathi.halaweish@sdstate.edu, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, South Dakota State University, 121 Shepard Hall, Box 2202, Brookings, SD 57007, and Christopher Chase, christopher.chase@sdstate.edu, Department of Veterinary Science, South Dakota State University, ADR 0125, Brookings, SD 57006.
Echinacea is one of the best selling herbal supplements on the market today and known for its immunostimulatory and antibacterial effects. Recent studies showed that Echinacea angustifolia compounds and preparations interfere with doxorubicin chemotherapy. An evaluation of Echinacea interference with other chemotherapy agents is needed.

Several Echinacea preparations (fingerprinted, standardized), compounds (chichoric acid, cynarine and echinacoside), and fractions of total extract were tested on cervical cancer (HeLa) and breast cancer (MCF-7) cell lines for anti-hyaluronidase activity and the interference of 5-fluorouracil and melphalan. Interference of Echinacea compounds and preparation with vinblastine and vincristine chemotherapy will be tested. Data indicated the Echinacea compounds, preparations and extracts showed a significant anti-apoptotic effect toward the chemotherapeutic agent in this study. Cynarine and dichloromethane fractions showed a significant increase of cell growth of HeLa and MCF-7 cells in the presence of 5-fluorouracil. Interference of Echinacea compounds and preparations with chemotherapeutic agents will be presented.

 

Poster Session
7:00 PM-9:00 PM, Wednesday, August 22, 2007 BCEC -- Exhibit Hall - B2, Poster

Division of Medicinal Chemistry

The 234th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, August 19-23, 2007