IP-6

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Natural Sugar-Phosphate Compound Shows Promise As Cancer Treatment;

University Of Maryland Researcher Halts Growth, Shrinks Liver Tumors

from ScienceDaily

 

What if a common, naturally occurring substance could shrink tumors,

stop their growth, even make cancer cells normal again? A University of

Maryland School of Medicine researcher is finding that it can.

In a study of human liver cancer cells treated with inositol

hexaphosphate (IP6) and transplanted into mice, Abulkalam M. Shamsuddin,

MD, PhD, professor of pathology, and colleagues found that IP6 slowed or

stopped the growth of liver cancer cells and shrank existing tumors

three- to four-fold. The Maryland researchers report on their findings

at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting in New

Orleans on Monday, March 30.

 

" IP6 does not kill cancer cells; it tames them and makes them behave

like normal cells, " says Shamsuddin. His research has focused on the

cancer-fighting properties of the sugar-based compound for more than a

decade.

 

Inositol hexaphosphate is a sugar molecule attached to six phosphate

molecules. It is found throughout nature, in wheat and rice bran,

legumes such as soybeans, and virtually every kind of mammalian cell. It

plays an important role in regulating vital cellular functions,

including cell proliferation and differentiation. IP6 decreases

proliferation of cancer cells and causes them to differentiate, often

reverting to the size, shape and structure of normal cells, Shamsuddin

reports.

 

" IP6 has striking anticancer action, both in vitro (in a test tube) and

in vivo (in live animals), " he says.

 

In the human liver cancer cell study, Shamsuddin's team treated human

hepatocellular carcinoma cells with varying doses of pure IP6. The

result was partial to complete inhibition of cell growth and

proliferation, depending on the dose. Treated cells transplanted into

mice produced no tumors over the 41 days of the experiment, while 71

percent of mice receiving untreated cancer cells developed tumors. Mice

that developed tumors from the human cancer cell line were injected with

IP6 for 12 consecutive days. After the last treatment, their tumors

weighed three- to four-fold less than they had before the injections,

Shamsuddin reports.

 

IP6 has moved in and out of medical favor ever since its discovery. Its

antioxidant properties sparked excitement, followed by concern that IP6

binds tightly with important minerals such as calcium, magnesium,

copper, iron and zinc, preventing the body from absorbing them properly.

Recent studies have shown that concern to be unfounded, says Shamsuddin.

It is true that IP6, when consumed, combines with various proteins and

other large molecules to form insoluble compounds which are not readily

absorbed or metabolized, the researcher notes. For that reason, adding

IP6 to the diet would be less effective than giving it in a pure form,

dissolved in water and either drunk or injected, the researcher says.

" Although IP6 is the substance responsible for cereal's anticancer

effects, intake of pure IP6 may be a more practical approach than

gorging on enormous quantities of dietary fiber to prevent cancer, " he

remarks. Shamsuddin also has tested IP6 on colon, lung, breast and

prostate cancer cells, on leukemias, fibrosarcomas and muscle cell

cancers in children.

 

" IP6 has a potential for use as a novel preventive measure and treatment

for a variety of cancers, " Shamsuddin suggests. It also holds promise

for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease, kidney stones

and possibly even immune-system disorders like AIDS, he says.

 

Shamsuddin's research was supported in part by the American Institute

for Cancer Research.

 

The University of Maryland trains approximately 56 percent of the

state's doctors, lawyers, pharmacists and social workers and the

majority of its dentists. In addition, nearly 90 percent of the

graduates of the School of Nursing work in Maryland.