Solidago Virgaurea for Prostate Cancer Therapy
Abstract
The treatment options for prostate cancer are currently quite limited. Hormonal treatment is the most effective therapy in advanced cancer, however, virtually all the patients who undergo hormonal therapy inevitably develop hormone-resistant tumor. Traditional screening of anti-cancer drugs has been mostly dependent on growth inhibition assay for cancer cells. However, targeting a specific gene with well-defined clinical rationale will provide a better chance of developing a more effective therapeutic agent. We chose a target called Fatty acid synthase (FAS) which we found to be strongly expressed in prostate cancer cells but not in normal cells. Importantly, an inhibition of the FAS expression causes specific tumor cell death. In this project, we plan to test the hypothesis that an active component of Solidago virgaurea specifically inhibits the FAS activity and induces apoptosis in prostate tumor cells. Our specific aims are (i) to elucidate the molecular mechanism of growth inhibitory effect of S. virgaurea by defining the signal pathway and factors responsible for apoptosis, and (ii) to examine the effect of the active component of Solidago virgaurea on tumorigenesis in an animal model.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA485724
Entities
People
- Kounosuke Watabe
Organizations
- Southern Illinois University