Korean angelica is a natural cure for cancer

Korean angelica (Angelica gigas) is known from previous studies for its ability to stimulate the immune system. In a study published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, researchers investigated whether this effect had anti-cancer potential, particularly against melanoma.

• The researchers prepared a water-soluble immuno-stimulatory component of A. gigas (ISAg).
• They examined how ISAg modulated the activation of innate immune cells, such as dendritic cells (DCs) and murine macrophages.
• In an in vivo test, they determined the effects of ISAg on the activation of natural killer (NK) and natural killer T (NKT) cells on mice injected with melanoma cells.
• The mice were given an injection of tumor cells and were then treated for two weeks with ISAg. The animals were sacrificed and their tumor cells were collected as samples.
• The researchers found that treatment with ISAg induced the release of nitric oxide (NO) and the expression of genes related to the immune response. Specifically, they induced DCs and macrophages to secrete cytokine IL-12 through the TLR4 signaling pathway, which led to the activation of both NK and NKT cells.
• NK and NKT cells killed the melanoma cells through ISAg-mediated cytotoxicity.

The researchers concluded that ISAg works as an adjuvant that induces a strong anti-cancer activity through both NK and NKT cells.

Read the full text of the study at this link.

Learn about other anti-cancer agents at Cancer.news.

Journal Reference:

Kim SH, Lee SW, Park HJ, Lee SH, Im WK, Kim YD, Kim KH, Park SJ, Hong S, Jeon SH. ANTI-CANCER ACTIVITY OF ANGELICA GIGAS BY INCREASING IMMUNE RESPONSE AND STIMULATING NATURAL KILLER AND NATURAL KILLER T CELLS. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2018;18(1). DOI: 10.1186/s12906-018-2277-7