Mint leaf starves cancer to death
An extract found in the leaves of a mint-like Chinese herb could be
used to fight cancer, researchers say.
A drug based on the extract of Scutellaria barbata works by
destroying the blood vessels supplying tumours.

It should have fewer side effects than conventional treatments which
attack healthy cells as well as cancerous cells, say the researchers.

Professor Alan McGown and colleagues at the University of Salford
hope to test the drug in cancer patients soon.

The drug has so far been tested in the laboratory on human cancer
cells from tumours such as breast and lung cancers.

Death by starvation

It works by attacking the tumour's blood vessels, starving the cancer
to death by blocking its supply of oxygen and nutrients.

Co-researcher Dr Sylvie Ducki said: "If you target the vessels you
are stopping the 'food' getting to the tumour and the tumour from
spreading."

She said their drug was very selective - targeting only tumour
vessels and leaving blood vessels supplying healthy tissues alone.

"Conventional treatments usually target tumour cells but also the
normal cells. This causes a lot of side effects.


This sounds very exciting
Dr Graham Cowling from the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research

"Ours is so selective for just tumour vessels it did not attack
normal blood vessels.

"We think we would be able to avoid a lot of the nasty side effects
that conventional treatments have," she said.

The scientists work for a charity called Kidscan, which was set up by
the University of Salford to fund research into new treatments for
childhood cancers.

The team are hoping to secure more funding to test the drug in
patients over the next few years.

Patient trials

Professor McGown said: "Clearly we have much work to do before this
treatment can be evaluated in patients. However, this area of
research is very exciting.

"All cancers require a blood supply if they are to survive and grow.
If we can target and destroy these blood vessels, then we will have a
treatment that will be applicable to all forms of cancer both in
children and adults."

Dr Graham Cowling, from the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research in
Manchester, said: "This sounds very exciting.

"There are a number of drugs being developed which work on a similar
mechanism but they are all slightly different.

"The modern approach is to combine drugs together to get even better
effects. The more drugs we can get into clinical trials the better.

"We look forward to it progressing on through to the next stage," he
said.

A spokeswoman for Cancer Research UK said: "Scutellaria barbata has
long been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat several
illnesses including some cancers.

"So, this finding is very interesting and the active ingredients of
the plant should definitely be investigated further."

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