Study suggests herbal formula efficient at inducing cancer cell death

(http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/13/233/abstract) New research published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine suggests that samsoeum (SSE), a traditional herbal formula, could be used to treat cancer. The authors of the study are Aeyung Kim, Nam-Hui Yim and Jin Yeul Ma.

Recent studies have already demonstrated the antiallergenic and anti-inflammatory properties of SSE, but no research had been done on its anticancer activity. So, the researchers designed this latest study to determine the effect of SSE on cell death and elucidate its detailed mechanism.

Following SSE treatment, the researchers measured a variety of factors including cell growth and cell death. They also investigated the mechanisms of SSE's anticancer effect through western blot analysis.

The researchers concluded: "These findings suggest that SSE efficiently induces cancer cell death via apoptosis as well as autophagy through modification of the Akt/mTOR and JNK signaling pathways. SSE may be as a potent traditional herbal medicine for treating malignancies."