Celery Compound Kills Cancer Cells

Pancreatic cancer is a very aggressive cancer, with few early symptoms; it is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths, with a five-year survival rate of only 6%.  Elvira de Mejia, from the University of Illinois (Illinois, USA), and colleagues have identified celery, artichokes, and the herb Mexican oregano to contain abundant levels of two flavonoid compounds – apigenin and luteolin, In a lab model of pancreatic cancer, the researchers observed that apigenin inhibited glycogen synthase kinase-3[beta] (GSK-3[beta]), which led to a decrease in the production of anti-apoptotic genes in the pancreatic cancer cells.  Further, in one of the cancer cell lines, the percentage of cells undergoing apoptosis went from 8.4% in cells that had not been treated with apigenin to 43.8% in cells that had been treated with a 50-micromolar dose. In this case, no chemotherapy drug had been added. Apigenin treatment also modified gene expression, with those genes associated with pro-inflammatory cytokines becoming highly upregulated.   The study authors conclude that: “Flavonoids have a protective role in pancreatic cancer tumorigenesis.”