Sunday, November 8, 2009

thriphala anticancer solution


 சித்தர்நூற்களில் மிகச்சிறந்த காயகற்ப மருந்தாக கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது. மரணத்தை தடுக்கும் மூலிகையான திரிபலா பற்றிய அறிவியல் கட்டுரை .

 if you want to download this article,pl follow this link;

http://www.filefactory.com/file/a1bee9f/n/triphalaanticancer.pdf

Triphala: an Anti-Cancer Solution 
• By Ray Noronha, 
• Published 06/3/2008  
Triphala: an Anti-Cancer Solution
  Research studies over the last ten years indicate that Triphala may be an important 
drug of choice in anti-cancer therapy. For instance, early studies showed that E. 
officinalis a prime constituent of Triphala resulted in elevated levels of free radical 
scavenging activity with a parallel decrease of oxidative stress when tested in rat 
brain. The same authors also revealed that E. officinalis contains Tannin, which may 
 
be causing this effect .(1). 
In the British Journal of Cancer, Nandi et al published a study showing that dietary 
supplementation of E. officinalis fruit in mice significantly reduced the cytotoxic 
effects of a known carcinogen (3,4-benzo(a)pyrene) (2). Subsequent in-vivo studies 
showed that treating mice with different doses of Triphala up to 80mg/kg (LD50 
dose i.p. of triphala 280 mg/kg b. wt) consecutively for five days before irradiation 
delayed the onset of mortality and reduced the symptoms of radiation sickness when 
compared with the non-drug treated irradiated controls (3). These findings  
demonstrate that this ancient Ayurvedic formulation significantly protects mice 
against radiation-induced lethality. Perhaps what is common to these in vivo 
research studies is the role that Tannin, which is known to possess broad cancer 
 
chemopreventitive activity (4). Other studies also confirm Triphala as a potential therapeutic anti-cancer agent. 
Studies published in J Ethnopharmacol. Feb 2005, revealed that gallic acid, a major 
polyphenol constituent in Triphala resulted in the suppression of the growth of cancer 
cell lines: MCF-7 breast cancer cells and PC-3 and DU-145 prostate cancer cells 
(5). Tannins are polyphenols, which occur in vascular plant tissues and they exist in 
two major forms: condensed and hydrolysable; hydrolysable tannins consist of gallic 
acids. Gallic acid has been shown to act as a free radical scavenger (6). These 
studies indicate that Gallic acid a major polyphenol observed in Triphala, may be the 
molecule of interest acting as a free radical scavenger. Antitumor activity by phenolic 
antioxidants may also be explained by the inhibition of AP-1 activity through 
 
induction of 
 
Fra 
 
expression 
 
(7,  
 
8). 
 

However, it is the 2006 research studies by Sandhya et al that may reveal the true 
mechanism of action and an exciting breakthrough in the use of Triphala as an 
anticancer agent. Sandhya's team investigated the effects of Triphala on human 
breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) and a transplantable mouse thymic lymphoma (barcl-
95). They found that Triphala induced apoptosis in MCF-7 and barcl-95 cells in-vitro 
with a proportion of apoptotic cells dependent on Triphala concentration. When 
MCF-7 cells were treated with Triphala, gel electrophoresis revealed a pattern of 
DNA damage, characteristic of apoptosis (9). Apoptosis occurs when a cell actively 
terminates itself via various molecular signaling pathways. The rate of apoptosis is of 
 
major 
 
importance 
 
in 
 
tissuehomeostasis.  
 
 Under normal circumstances, when DNA gets damaged, either the cell dies by 
apoptosis or the DNA is able to repair itself. In cancer cells, the damaged DNA is not 
repaired and the apoptotic pathways are disturbed resulting in the survival of 
cancerous cell. The main function of apoptosis is to dispose of a cell without causing 
 
damage 
 
or 
 
stress 
 
to 
 
neighbouringcellsi.e.biochemicalexecution.  
 
  Sandhya's group verified that Triphala selectively destroys the cancerous cell via 
an apoptotic pathway, which in itself is an exciting breakthrough in the scientific 
 
 



research studies of herbal medicines. The same study also demonstrated that 
apoptosis was significantly higher in the excised tumor tissue of Triphala fed mice 
(40 mg/kg body weight) as compared to the control, further indicating the 
involvement of apoptosis in tumor growth reduction. The researchers stated, "These 
results suggest that Triphala possessed ability to induce cytotoxicity in tumor cells 
but spared the normal cells". Further they revealed that Triphala treated MCF-7 and 
barcl-95 cells showed a significant increase in intracellular reactive oxygen species 
 
(ROS) 
 
in 
 

 
concentration 
 
dependent 
 
manner.  
 



Triphala: an Anti-Cancer Solution page 2
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) include oxygen ions, free radicals and peroxides 
and are derived from metabolism of molecular oxygen (10). DNA damage by ROS 
is known to cause cancer (11). Thus the differential effect of Triphala on normal and 
tumor cells seem, to be related to intracellular ROS generation. Sandhya and his 
colleagues from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, India concluded, 
"The differential response of normal and tumor cells to Triphala in vitro and the 
substantial regression of transplanted tumor in mice fed with Triphala points to its 
potential use as an anticancer drug for clinical treatment". Sandhya and Mishra later 
determined the most probable apoptotic pathway. They investigated the role of 
Triphala in two human breast cancer cell lines of differing p53 status concluding that 
 
Triphala 
 
acts 
 
through 
 
p53 
 
mediated 
 
apoptosis 
 
(12). 
 

These studies indicate that Triphala exerts its cytoxicity in tumour cells possibly 
through the gallic acid pathway, which is known to generate intracellular ROS in 
tumour cells (13). Sandhya and Mishra have provided the first evidence that 
Triphala's cytotoxic effect occurs exclusively in tumour cells possibly through p53-
mediated apoptosis. p53 is a 53 kilodalton nuclear phosphoprotein, which is 
regarded as a very common mutated gene in human cancer (14) and is also a key 
regulator in the apoptotic pathway. Further studies are required to determine if 
Triphala acts via other apoptotic pathways and the p53 status of all Triphala 
responsive cell lines. Sandhya et al should be congratulated, as the methodology 
used represents a significant milestone in research of Ayurvedic medicine. 

Sandhya‘s research findings have been further amplified by Professor Srivasti and 
Dr Dr Yan Shi from the University of Pittsburg, Cancer Institute (15). They presented 
their findings at the annual meeting of the American association for Cancer 
Research in April 2007. Dr Srivasati and his team demonstrated that mice grafted 
with human pancreatic tumors and subsequently fed with Triphala resulted in 
elevated levels of proteins associated with apoptosis and 50% reduction in tumor 
sizes when compared to the control (normal saline) group. Further testing revealed 
that Triphala activated tumor suppressor gene, resulting in the generation of proteins 
that suppressed apoptosis but did not negatively affect normal pancreatic cells.  

These are exciting scientific findings as pancreatic cancer is extremely difficult to 
treat. Perhaps Triphala may have anti-cancer properties in humans, which is not a 
surprise to practitioners of Ayurveda, but the real potential will only be determined 
once Phase 1 trials have been embarked. Dr Srivastava commented: "Triphala 
triggered the cancerous cells to die off and significantly reduced the size of the 
 
 



tumours without causing any toxic side-effects. "With follow-up studies, we hope to 
demonstrate its potential use as a novel agent for the prevention and treatment of 
 
pancreatic 
 
cancer." 
 

In conclusion, as previous research studies have also demonstrated the possible use 
of Triphala as a chemopreventative and radioprotective agent, (16, 17) one can 
conclude that as many anticancer drugs lack selectivity and possess toxic side-
effects, then perhaps ancient herbal remedies like Triphala that exhibit high anti-
oxidant status, radioprotectivity and tumour specificity with no side effects can 
provide a serious rationale for more intensive scientific and clinical investigations. 

PLEASE VISIT ; http://www.ayurvedahc.com/articlelive/articles/ 
 




REFERENCES 

(1) Bhattacharya A, Chatterjee A, Ghosal S, Bhattacharya SK. Indian J Exp Biol. 
1999 Jul;37(7):676-80 

(2) Nandi P, et al. Br J Cancer. 1997;76(10):1279-83 

(3) Jagetia GC, Baliga MS, Malagi KJ, Sethukumar Kamath M Phytomedicine. 2002 
Mar;9(2):99-108 

(4) Bo¨hm H, Boeing H, Hempel J, Raab B, Kroke A. Z Ema¨hrungswiss 1998; 37: 
147œ63 

(5) Kaur S, Michael H, Arora S, Harkonen PL, Kumar S. J Ethnopharmacol. 2005 
Feb 10;97(1):15-20 

(6) Stupans I; Kirlich A; Tuck KL; Hayball PJ. J Agric Food Chem. 2002; 50(8): 
2464-9  

(7) Yoshioka, K.; Deng, T.; Cavigelli, M.; Karin, M. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A., 1995, 
92, 4972-6. 

(8) Yu, R.; Tan, T. H.; Kong, A. T. J Biol Chem., 1997, 272, 28962-70. 

(9) Sandhya T, Lathika KM, Pandey BN, Mishra KP. Cancer Lett. 2006; 231(2):206-
14  

(10) Buechter DD. Pharm Res1988,5:253-60 

(11) Ames BN. Science 1983,221:1256-64 
 
 



(12) Sandhya T, Mishra KP. Cancer Lett. 2006 Jul 18;238 (2):304-13 

(13) H. Sakagami, Y. Jiang, K. Kusama, T. Atsumi, T. Ueha and M. Toguchi et al., 
Phytomedicine 7 (2000) (1), pp. 39œ47 

(14) Soussi T. Ann NY Acad Sci. 2000; 910: 121-39 

(15) http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/news/archive/newsarchive/2007/april/18122343 

(16) Sandhya T, Lathika KM, Pandey BN, Bhilwade HN, Chaubey RC, Priyadarsini 
KI, Mishra KP . Abstract Mutat Res. 2006 Oct 10;609(1):17-25 

(17) Deep G, Dhiman M, Rao AR, Kale RK. J Exp Clin Cancer Res. 2005 
Dec;24(4):555-63 


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