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If angiogenesis controls cancer growth, what controls angiogenesis? Researchers at the University of Michigan and the University of South Florida believe that the copper status is critical to the function growth factors.

Q. Pan, C. G. Kleer, K. L. van Golen, J. Irani, K. M. Bottema, C. Bias, M. De Carvalho, E. A. Mesri, D. M. Robins, R. D. Dick, G. J. Brewer, and S. D. Merajver Copper Deficiency Induced by Tetrathiomolybdate Suppresses Tumor Growth and Angiogenesis Canc

A type of drug designed to stunt tumour growth has actually been found to fuel cancer if given at too low a dose. UK scientists were investigating a kind of drug called an anti-angiogenesis, still under development, which hampers the growth of tumour blood vessels.

Tetrathiomolybdate promotes tumor necrosis and prevents distant metastases by suppressing angiogenesis in head and neck cancer -- Hassouneh et al. 6 (3): 1039 -- Molecular Cancer Therapeutics

A Novel Anti-angiogenesis Strategy for the Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer - News Archive: Michigan Oncology Journal Summer 01

Inhibition of skin tumor growth and angiogenesis in vivo by activation of cannabinoid receptors. Casanova ML, Blázquez C, Martínez-Palacio J, Villanueva C, Fernández-Aceñero MJ, Huffman JW, Jorcano JL, Guzmán M. J Clin Invest. 2003 Jan;111(1):43-50. PMID: 12511587 doi:10.1172/JCI16116

WARNING: This page was NOT created or approved by any doctor or medical researcher. The purpose of this page is to provide hard-to-find information on copper reduction cancer treatment, a new unapproved and experimental course of cancer treatment whose ef

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered to their surprise that a drug commonly used to treat toenail fungus can also block angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels commonly seen in cancers. The drug, itraconazole, already is FDA approved for hum

Artemisinin (pronounced /ɑːtə'misinən/) is a drug used to treat multi-drug resistant strains of falciparum malaria. The compound (a sesquiterpene lactone) is isolated from the plant Artemisia annua. Not all plants of this species contain artemisinin. Apparently it is only produced when the plant is subjected to certain conditions, most likely biotic or abiotic stress. It can be synthesized from artemisinic acid.[1] The drug is derived from a herb used in Chinese traditional medicine, though it is usually chemically modified and combined with other medications. Artemisinin is under early research and testing for treatment of cancer, primarily by researchers at the University of Washington.[7][8] Artemisinin has a peroxide lactone group in its structure. It is thought that when the peroxide comes into contact with high iron concentrations (common in cancerous cells), the molecule becomes unstable and releases reactive oxygen species. It has been shown to reduce angiogenesis and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in some tissue cultures.

Brewer GJ, Merajver SD. Cancer therapy with tetrathiomolybdate: antiangiogenesis by lowering body copper--a review. Integr Cancer Ther. 2002 Dec;1(4):327-37. Review. PMID: 14664727 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

B. G. Redman, P. Esper, Q. Pan, R. L. Dunn, H. K. Hussain, T. Chenevert, G. J. Brewer, and S. D. Merajver Phase II Trial of Tetrathiomolybdate in Patients with Advanced Kidney Cancer Clin. Cancer Res., May 1, 2003; 9(5): 1666 - 1672.

C. Cox, S. D. Merajver, S. Yoo, R. D. Dick, G. J. Brewer, J. S.-J. Lee, and T. N. Teknos Inhibition of the Growth of Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Tetrathiomolybdate-Induced Copper Suppression in a Murine Model Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, July 1, 200

Pan Q, Bao LW, Kleer CG, Brewer GJ, Merajver SD. Antiangiogenic tetrathiomolybdate enhances the efficacy of doxorubicin against breast carcinoma. Mol Cancer Ther. 2003 Jul;2(7):617-22. PMID: 12883034 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

"Língzhī (traditional Chinese: 靈芝; simplified Chinese: 灵芝; Japanese: reishi; Korean: yeongji, hangul: 영지) is the name for one form of the mushroom Ganoderma lucidum, and its close relative Ganoderma tsugae. Ganoderma lucidum enjoys special veneration in Asia, where it has been used as a medicinal mushroom in traditional Chinese medicine for more than 4,000 years, making it one of the oldest mushrooms known to have been used in medicine. Lingzhi may possess anti-tumor, immunomodulatory and immunotherapeutic activities, supported by studies on polysaccharides, terpenes, and other bioactive compounds isolated from fruiting bodies and mycelia of this fungus (reviewed by R. R. Paterson[4] and Lindequist et al.[7]). It has also been found to inhibit platelet aggregation, and to lower blood pressure (via inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme[8]), cholesterol and blood sugar.[9] Laboratory studies have shown anti-neoplastic effects of fungal extracts or isolated compounds against some types of cancer. In an animal model, Ganoderma has been reported to prevent cancer metastasis,[10] with potency comparable to Lentinan from Shiitake mushrooms.[11] The mechanisms by which G. lucidum may affect cancer are unknown and they may target different stages of cancer development: inhibition of angiogenesis (formation of new, tumor-induced blood vessels, created to supply nutrients to the tumor) mediated by cytokines, cytoxicity, inhibiting migration of the cancer cells and metastasis, and inducing and enhancing apoptosis of tumor cells

Berberine suppresses in vitro migration and invasion of human SCC-4 tongue squamous cancer cells through the inhibitions of FAK, IKK, NF-kappaB, u-PA and MMP-2 and -9. Ho YT, Yang JS, Li TC, Lin JJ, Lin JG, Lai KC, Ma CY, Wood WG, Chung JG. Cancer Lett. 2009 Jul 8;279(2):155-62. Epub 2009 Feb 28. PMID: 19251361 doi:10.1016/j.canlet.2009.01.033 There is increasing evidence that urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play an important role in cancer metastasis and angiogenesis. Inhibition of u-PA and MMPs could suppress migration and invasion of cancer cells. Berberine, one of the main constituents of the plant Rhizoma coptidis, is a type of isoquinoline alkaloid, reported to have anti-cancer effects in different human cancer cell lines. There is however, no available information on effects of berberine on migration and invasion of human tongue cancer cells. Here, we report that berberine inhibited migration and invasion of human SCC-4 tongue squamous carcinoma cells. This action was mediated by the p-JNK, p-ERK, p-p38, IκK and NF-κB signaling pathways resulting in inhibition of MMP-2 and -9 in human SCC-4 tongue squamous carcinoma cells. Our Western blowing analysis also showed that berberine inhibited the levels of urokinase-plasminogen activator (u-PA). These results suggest that berberine down-regulates u-PA, MMP-2 and -9 expressions in SCC-4 cells through the FAK, IKK and NF-κB mediated pathways and a novel function of berberine is to inhibit the invasive capacity of malignant cells.

Cannabinoids inhibit the vascular endothelial growth factor pathway in gliomas. Blázquez C, González-Feria L, Alvarez L, Haro A, Casanova ML, Guzmán M. Cancer Res. 2004 Aug 15;64(16):5617-23. PMID: 15313899

Cannabinoids inhibit glioma cell invasion by down-regulating matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression. Blázquez C, Salazar M, Carracedo A, Lorente M, Egia A, González-Feria L, Haro A, Velasco G, Guzmán M. Cancer Res. 2008 Mar 15;68(6):1945-52. PMID: 18339876 doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-07-5176

Use of cannabinoid receptor agonists in cancer therapy as palliative and curative agents. Pisanti S, Malfitano AM, Grimaldi C, Santoro A, Gazzerro P, Laezza C, Bifulco M. Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009 Feb;23(1):117-31. PMID: 19285265 doi:10.1016/j.beem.2009.02.001    

Ginkgo biloba extract EGb(R)761 exerts anti-angiogenic effects via activation of tyrosine phosphatases. Koltermann A, Liebl J, Fürst R, Ammer H, Vollmar AM, Zahler S. J Cell Mol Med. 2008 Oct 23. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 19175691