Inflammation and messengers from the immune system associated with inflammation are a major part
of the destruction to organs and tissues that occurs in autoimmune disease. These researchers have
recently shown that Perna Canaliculus prevents the development of autoimmune diseases such as
Systemic Lupus Erythromatosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis in laboratory animals. In the present study
it was found that Perna Canaliculus effectively decreased levels of TNF-alpha and various cytokines
involved with autoimmune disease destruction, and it nearly abolished the effects of the COX-2 enzyme
by inhibiting its activity. This is very beneficial in autoimmune disease and helps inhibit organ
damage. The study was performed at the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine at Clemson
University and is published in the January 2006 issue of the electronic journal BMC Alternative
and Complementary Medicine.
Studies show it is not the caffeine which helps decrease
the risk of developing diabetes but probably the polyphenols.
Turmeric may fight cervical cancer caused by human papaloma virus
Infection with certain high risk human papaloma viruses (HPV 16 and HPV 18) leads to the
development of cervical cancer. Curcumin, the major yellow pigment in the herb Turmeric, has
anti-cancer properties. Adding the Curcumin to cervical cancer cells infected by HPV16 and
HPV18 caused the cancer cells to die. Additionally the Curcumin decreased the inflammatory
activity in the cervical cancer cells and inhibited COX-2, NF-Kappa B and TNF-alpha;
inflammatory components involved with worsening cancer. It is important to point out that
Curcumin inhibited the viral oncogenes E6 and E7. Viral oncogenes are the genes the virus uses
to transform a healthy human cell into a cancerous cell and E6 and E7 are the viral genes that
HPV uses to turn healthy cervical tissue into cervical cancer. The study is published
electronically ahead of print in the March 8th, 2006 issue of the journal Molecular
Carcinogenesis.
