LIVER CANCER
Around 700,000 people are diagnosed with Liver cancer each year and this fatal disease is also a leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, accounting for more than 600,000 deaths each year! Although, researchers have kindled some hope by discovering Annatto based Tocotrienols (DeltaGold – Eannatto) and certain related have shown positive results regarding anti-cancer activities. One study, ‘Gamma-Tocotrienol treatment increased peroxiredoxin-4 expression in HepG2 liver cancer cell line’ was conducted to observe the effects of Tocotrienol on liver cancer. In the study, it was observed that Tocotrienol inhibited anti-proliferative abilities against liver cancer cells.
Why Tocotrienol?
Antioxidants
Antioxidants, especially Tocotrienol protects all your cells from inflammation especially chronic inflammation which may lead to cancer.
Angiogenesis
Angiogenesis or formation of blood vessels in cancer cells promotes cancer cell growth to a very great extent. Gamma-Tocotrienol has also been observed to block the activation of a critical pathway (STAT3) in the survival and angiogenesis of cancerous liver cells.
Apoptosis
Apoptosis or programmed cell death is the process of elimination and death of cancer cells. Gamma-Tocotrienol has been observed to display apoptotic functions in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by upregulation of Bax, caspase-8, and caspase-9; increasing Bid fragmentation; inhibiting STAT3 and its regulated gene products including Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, survivin, cyclin D1, Mcl-1, and VEGF.
Cell Proliferation
Cell Proliferation is the process by which cancer cells copy their DNA and multiply into more cancer cells and thus leading to the spreading of cancer. Delta Tocotrienol has been observed to possess maximum anti-proliferative characteristics against HCC cells by upregulating peroxiredoxin-4. Although other isoforms of Tocotrienol also were observed to have commendable anti-proliferative characteristics.
Chemoprevention
Chemoprevention and anti-cancer activity against liver cancer have been observed in Tocotrienols.
Hepatocarcinogenesis
Hepatocarcinogenesis was observed to be attenuated by the administration of Tocotrienol induced by diethylnitrosamine (DEN) or 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF) in rats.
HCC
HCC development mouse xenograft was also observed to be inhibited by the administration of Delta and Gamma Tocotrienols.
Lipid-lowering function
Lipid-lowering function in HCC was also observed by Gamma-Tocotrienol which may play a role in its anti-cancer activity.