Cat’s Claw Could Halt Cancer

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Cat’s claw (una de gato) is native to the Amazon. This plant, is extremely complex in its composition and is very rich in phytochemical actives. The active components that appear to be the most important are a group of alkaloids called oxindole alkaloids. These oxindoles include isopteropodine, isomitraphylline, mytraphylline, isorynchophylline, pteropodine, and rhynchophylline. Cat’s claw alkaloids have been particularly associated with enhancing immune system cell function, including phagocytosis and macrophage activity.

Cat’s Claw Cancer Research

In vitro studies show that the alkaloids from cat’s claw enhance phagocytosis, display immunomodulatory effects, and reduce inflammation. Cat’s claw is considered a strong inhibitor of  TNF-alpha production. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) represents a model for tumor growth driven by an inflammatory cytokine chemical. Anti-inflammatory effects such as the blocking of  TNF-alpha synthesis, help to prevent cancer. Cat’s claw (Uncaria tomentosa) water extracts have been shown to enhance DNA repair after chemical-induced damage. European scientists found that cat’s claw inhibited human leukemia cells from growing in the lab and induced them to undergo programmed self-destruction.

The possible anti-cancer effects of cat’s claw were investigated in a study on the mutagenic activity in cigarette smokers’ urine. After taking Cat’s claw, smokers’ urine demonstrated a important reduction of mutagenic activity. Swedish scientists documented it inhibited the growth of lymphoma and leukemia cells in vitro in 1998. A study examined the effects of extracts and their chromatographic fractions obtained from the bark of cat’s claw (Uncaria tomentosa) on the growth of a human breast cancer cell line (MCF7). The  results demonstrated that, in addition to the antimutagenic activity, cat’s claw extracts and fractions can exert a direct antiproliferative activity on MCF7 breast cancer cell lines.

Cat’s claw enhances DNA repair. When patients who had previously undergone chemotherapy supplemented with water-soluble cat’s claw extract for 8 weeks, they exhibited markedly decreased DNA damage and increased DNA repair. Early reports some studies with cancer patients taking cat’s claw in conjunction with such cancer treatments as chemotherapy and radiation reported fewer adverse effects to the treatments. A 2000 study demonstrated that patients who took cat’s claw when undergoing chemotherapy suffered fewer adverse effects and felt stronger.

Cat’s Claw to Enhance the Immune System

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Cat’s claw (Uncaria tomentosa) is an plant found in the highlands of Peru’s Amazon rainforest. Cat’s Claw contains oxindole alkaloids, especially the pentacyclic oxindole alkaloids and other compounds. Cat’s claw alkaloids have been particularly associated with enhancing immune system cell function, including phagocytosis and macrophage activity.

Cat’s Claw Benefits and Immune System

Especially, the pentacyclic oxindole alkaloid, isopteropodine, enhances phagocytic activity of white  blood cells. Additionally stimulate  production of interleukin-1 and -6 in alveolar  macrophages, suggesting a potent immunostimulant  effect. Austrian researcher Klaus Keplinger has obtained two US patents for isolating some of the herb’s important components. Lab experiments has shown these alkaloids to have a pronounced enhancement effect on phagocytosis. According to Keplinger’s research, 4 alkaloids have been shown to have a pronounced enhancement activity on phagocytosis.  According to both patents, the most immunologically active alkaloid is isopteropodine or isomer A.

Some cat’s claw have POAs, while others tetracyclic oxindole alkaloids (TOAs), which do not help the immune system at all. It was found that two chemotypes of Uncaria tomentosa with different alkaloid patterns occur in nature. The roots of one type contain pentacyclic oxindoles and the other contains tetracyclic oxindoles. TOAs (tetracyclic oxindole alkaloids) act on the central nervous system, whereas POAs (pentacyclic oxindole alkaloids) affect the cellular immune system. Several in-vitro studies have shown that  POAs (pentacyclic oxindole alkaloids)-containing cat’s claw products activate both T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes and enhance the phagocyte performance rate of the granulocytes and of cells in the reticul-endothelial system. POAs increases the production of interleukin, a chemical protein secreted by macrophages that alerts resting white blood cells and forces them into action and helps make other biochemicals that are beneficial to the immune system.

A study demonstrates that cat’s claw may help boost the efficacy of vaccines. When adults supplemented with cat’s claw for two months before receiving a pneumonia vaccination, their antibody titers remained at higher levels 5 months longer than in the control group. An extract form Cat’s claw (Uncaria tomentosa) known as C-Med 100 induces prolonged lymphocyte half life and therefore increased spleen cell number in mice dosed with this extract in their drinking water. Also, there were no detectable changes of the lymphoid structure of the spleen even after prolonged therapy. When the therapy with the C-Med 100 extract was interrupted, the cellular components returned to normal levels within 1 month.  The scientists concluded that the use of C-Med 100 could be a potential agent for clinically accelerating patients’ recovery from leukopenia.

Alpha Lipoic Acid Metal Detoxification Effects

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Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) is an effective chelating agent for lead, mercury, arsenic, copper, excess iron, excess calcium, cadmium, and zinc. Heavy metals such as mercury, lead, copper, cadmium and arsenic can be very damaging to the body. Studies have shown that alpha lipoic acid is capable of chelating transition metals by forming stable complexes with manganese, copper, cadmium and zinc ions.

Alpha Lipoic Acid and Heavy Metal Chelation

ALA may reduce the toxicity from toxic metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury, copper, and zinc ions. In vitro studies show that ALA,  forms insoluble complexes with toxic metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic. ALA, by binding to these substances, it pulls them out of circulation and facilitates their excretion, thereby preventing damage to body tissue. ALA is a true oral chelating agent that has been widely used in Europe in the therapy of heavy metal toxicity caused by chemicals such as carbon tetrachloride, arsenobenzoles, and mercuric chloride.

Alpha lipoic acid increases the production of glutathione, an antioxidant that plays a role in the detoxification and elimination of potential carcinogens and toxins. Alpha lipoic acid directly terminates free radicals, chelates transition metal ions, increases cytosolic glutathione and vitamin C levels, and prevents toxicities associated with their loss. ALA have shown efficacy in minimizing liver toxicity following exposure to toxic industrial chemicals such as n-hexane and heavy metals such as mercury, copper and lead. In animal-based studies, alpha lipoic acid has been shown to provide protection against arsenic poisoning and to safeguard the liver against the effects of cadmium exposure. Other study demonstrated that ALA helped protect the delicate nervous system against the deleterious effects of mercury poisoning. A study on mercury  intoxication revealed an injection of 10 mg/kg/day Alpha-lipoic acid in rats inoculated with 1 mg/kg/day mercuric chloride prevented damage to nerve tissue caused by lipid peroxidation. In one study an intraperitoneal injection of 25 mg/kg alpha-lipoic acid given to rats for 7 days was  able to significantly alter the oxidative stress induced by lead toxicity.

Are Alpha Lipoic Acid Effective in Treating HIV?

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Alpha lipoic acid (also known as thioctic acid, or ALA) may play an important therapeutic role for HIV-infected people. ALA has been shown to directly block NF-kappa B activation, to directly inhibit HIV replication in cell cultures, and to successfully treat peripheral neuropathy in individuals with diabetes mellitus.

Alpha Lipoic Acid and HIV

ALA, a naturally occurring disulfide-compound that acts as a cellular coenzyme, inhibits replication of HIV-1 in cultured lymphoid T-cells. Experimental results show that lipoic acid is an effective inhibitor of human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV-1) replication. In a study with HIV-infected participants, with ALA provided a variety of advantages related to antioxidant status, T-helper lymphocytes, and the T-helper/ suppressor cell ratio. In a small study conducted in Germany, scientists administered 450 mg ALA per day for 14 days and found important increases in plasma vitamin C and glutathione in a majority of the patients.

In vitro study done at “Kumamoto University” in Japan has shown that ALA significantly depresses both HIV tat gene activity and HIV infectivity, and is active in both acute and chronically infected cells. ALA blocks the activation of a substance called NF-kappa B, which is essential for the transcription of the HIV virus. Gene expression of HIV depends on a host cellular transcription factors including NF-kappaB. ALA interrupts HIV replication by completely blocking the activation of NF-kB in cell cultures at a concentration of 2 mM. Alpha lipoic acid has direct effect as an HIV-1 replication inhibitor at concentrations of 70 mg/L and has a synergistic antiviral property when combined with Zidovudine (a type of anti retroviral drug commonly known as AZT) at a concentration of 7mg/mL.

HIV patients are known to have low tissue levels of glutathione. In a study investigated the use of ALA supplementation on a group of HIV positive people. At the end of a 3 week period, participants were determined to have increased levels of plasma vitamin C and glutathione and a corresponding decrease in lipid peroxidation. Other a study was carried out in 33 HIV-infected individuals with a history of highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) unresponsiveness to test the hypothesis of whether supplement with alpha-lipoic acid would increase blood total glutathione and improve immune T-cell function. After six months of therapy, the mean whole blood total glutathione level in the ALA-treated group increased significantly compared with placebo. In response to the CD3 monoclonal antibody, lymphocyte proliferation decreased 66% in the placebo group over 6 months, compared with  a 3.7-fold enhancement in the anti-CD3 response in the ALA-therapy group.

Alpha Lipoic Acid for Eye Health is Important

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Alpha lipoic acid (scientific name 1,2-dithiolane-3-pentanoic acid) is a vitamin-like chemical called an antioxidant. ALA (alpha lipoic acid) rapidly and easily penetrates biomembranes of cells and organelles. Studies indicate that ALA supplements hold promise for treating various health problems, including glaucoma, and cataracts.

Alpha Lipoic Acid and Eye Therapy

Alpha lipoic acid is very strong antioxidant and this antioxidant effect is beneficial in improving eye conditions like cataract and glaucoma. An antioxidant combination, which includes alpha-lipoic acid, has been shown to deter cone and rod cell death in the eyes that are associated with seeing a spectrum of colors and light. A study revealed that the combination of alpha-lipoic acid and vitamin E helped prevent retinal cell death in animals with retinitis pigmentosa. ALA inhibited aldose reductase activity in the rat lens. The enzyme aldose reductase plays an substantial role in the development of cataracts in diabetes.

Cataracts

Cataracts are related with reduced antioxidant activity in the lens of the eye, and ALA is known to regenerate several important lens antioxidants, including glutathione. In vitro and animal-based study has shown that ALA can increase glutathione levels, as well as prevent cataract formation. Since alpha lipoic acid is both water-soluble and fat-soluble, it can get deep into the eye tissues and destroy free radicals that cause protein changes resulting in cataracts. L-buthionine (S,R)-sulfoximine is an inhibitor of glutathione synthesis, whose administration to newborn animals leads to the development of cataracts. An animal experiment; studied the effect of ALA, on cataract formation in L-buthionine (S,R)-sulfoximine (BSO)-treated newborn rats and found that a dose of 25 mg/kg bw protected 60% of animals from cataract formation.

Glaucoma

Researches have shown that ALA can increase glutathione in red blood cells and lacrimal fluid of patients with glaucoma, and so, may hold some positive effect for treating glaucoma.  Some findings indicates that 150 mg of ALA, taken daily for one month, significantly improves visual function in patients with glaucoma. Forty-five patients with stage I and II open-angle glaucoma were administered either 75 mg of ALA for 2 months or 150 mg for 1 month. A control group of 31 patients were administered just local hypotensive treatment. The important improvement of biochemical parameters, visual function, and the coefficient of efficacy of liquid discharge was observed in the participants administered the higher dose of ALA.