3,000 year old medicine rises again in modern science. UT Southwestern Medical Center has identified a chemical in the Long Pepper (Piper longum), a spicy Indian pepper plant found in Southern India and Southeast Asia.
THE MODERN SCIENCE
- The chemical is Piperlongumine (PL)
- PL to hPL after ingestion
- hPL silences the GSTP1 gene
- GSTP1 produces a detoxification enzyme found in high quantities in tumors.
- Applications in prostate, breast, lung, colon, lymphoma, leukemia, primary brain tumors, and gastric cancer
- X-Ray crystallography was used to determine the molecular structure, the chemical transformation after ingestion, and potential drug targets
THE HISTORY
- Long Pepper was referred to by Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine
- Linked to Ayurveda – ancient medical system including herbal compounds, minerals, surgical techniques – traced back to 5,000BCE
- Believed to have healing properties
Findings published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry in an article entitled “Structural and Biochemical Analyses Reveal the Mechanism of Glutathione S-Transferase Pi 1 Inhibition by the Anti-Cancer Compound Piperlongumine.”
Sources:
UT Southwestern Medical Center
News-Medical
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News
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