The Efficacy of Tamoxifen in Estrogen Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer Cells Is Enhanced by a Medical Nutriment

Marcsek, Z; Kocsis, Zsuzsanna; Jakab, Mátyás G.; Szende, B.; Tompa, Anna

doi:10.1089/cbr.2004.19.746

Cited by 20 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 21 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In the present study we observed a significant antiproliferative activity of FWGE as assessed by IC 50 concentrations which were in a similar range as reported by other investigators [7,8,21]. With a RAA ranging from approximately 1 to 24, FWGE appeared to have potential clinical activity in the broad spectrum of tumor entities used in our cell line screen.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Promising cytotoxic activity profile of fermented wheat germ extract (Avemar®) in human cancer cell lines

Mueller¹,

Jordan²,

Voigt³

2011

J Exp Clin Cancer Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Fermented wheat germ extract (FWGE) is currently used as nutrition supplement for cancer patients. Limited recent data suggest antiproliferative, antimetastatic and immunological effects which were at least in part exerted by two quinones, 2-methoxy benzoquinone and 2,6-dimethoxybenzquinone as ingredients of FWGE. These activity data prompted us to further evaluate the in vitro antiproliferative activity of FWGE alone or in combination with the commonly used cytotoxic drugs 5-FU, oxaliplatin or irinotecan in a broad spectrum of human tumor cell lines. We used the sulforhodamine B assay to determine dose response relationships and IC50-values were calculated using the Hill equation. Drug interaction of simultaneous and sequential drug exposure was estimated using the model of Drewinko and potential clinical activity was assessed by the model of relative antitumor activity (RAA). Apoptosis was detected by DNA gel electrophoresis.FWGE induced apoptosis and exerted significant antitumor activity in a broad spectrum of 32 human cancer cell lines. The highest activity was found in neuroblastoma cell lines with an average IC50 of 0.042 mg/ml. Furthermore, IC50-range was very narrow ranging from 0.3 mg/ml to 0.54 mg/ml in 8 colon cancer cell lines. At combination experiments in colon cancer cell lines when FWGE was simultaneously applied with either 5-FU, oxaliplatin or irinotecan we observed additive to synergistic drug interaction, particularly for 5-FU. At sequential drug exposure with 5-FU and FWGE the observed synergism was abolished.Taken together, FWGE exerts significant antitumor activity in our tumor model. Simultaneous drug exposure with FWGE and 5-FU, oxaliplatin or irinotecan yielded in additive to synergistic drug interaction. However, sequential drug exposure of 5-FU and FWGE in colon cancer cell lines appeared to be schedule-dependent (5-FU may precede FWGE).Further evaluation of FWGE as a candidate for clinical combination drug regimens appeared to be warranted.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Promising cytotoxic activity profile of fermented wheat germ extract (Avemar®) in human cancer cell lines

Mueller¹,

Jordan²,

Voigt³

2011

J Exp Clin Cancer Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In a large in vitro anticancer drug screen we found FWGE to possess potential antitumor activity in colon, testis, thyroid, ovary, NSCLC, breast, gastric, head and neck, hepatoma, glioblastoma, melanoma, cervix and neuroblastoma human cancer cell lines. In this set of data, the observed IC50 ranged from 0.04 to 0.7 mg/ml which is in accordance with reports from other groups [6,23]. In different cell line or xenograft models, FWGE was found to reduce tumor growth in a dose dependent manner [9,10,13,18-20,23,24].…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Fermented wheat germ extract - nutritional supplement or anticancer drug?

Mueller¹,

Voigt²

2011

Nutr J

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundFermented wheat germ extract (FWGE) is a multisubstance composition and, besides others, contains 2-methoxy benzoquinone and 2, 6-dimethoxy benzoquinone which are likely to exert some of its biological effects. FWGE interferes with anaerobic glycolysis, pentose cycle and ribonucleotide reductase. It has significant antiproliferative effects and kills tumor cells by the induction of apoptosis via the caspase-poly [ADP-ribose] polymerase-pathway. FWGE interacts synergistically with a variety of different anticancer drugs and exerted antimetastatic properties in mouse models. In addition, FWGE modulates immune response by downregulation of MHC-I complex and the induction of TNF-α and various interleukins. Data in the F-344 rat model provide evidence for a colon cancer preventing effect of FWGE.Clinical data from a randomized phase II trial in melanoma patients indicate a significant benefit for patients treated with dacarbazine in combination with FWGE in terms of progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Similarly, data from studies in colorectal cancer suggested a benefit of FWGE treatment. Besides extension of OS and PFS, FWGE improved the quality of life in several studies.ConclusionIn conclusion, available data so far, justify the use of FWGE as a non-prescription medical nutriment for cancer patients. Further randomized, controlled and large scale clinical studies are mandatory, to further clarify the value of FWGE as a drug component of future chemotherapy regimens.

show abstract

“…FWGE has been shown to have potent in vitro cytotoxicity against leukemia, melanoma, and cancers of the breast, colon, testicle, head and neck, cervix, stomach, thyroid, and brain. 7, 8, 14, 15 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing the Efficacy of Fermented Wheat Germ Extract Against Ovarian Cancer and Defining the Genomic Basis of Its Activity

Judson

Sawah

Marchion

et al. 2012

Int J Gynecol Cancer

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective The majority of women with advanced-stage epithelial ovarian cancer (OVCA) ultimately develop chemo-resistant, recurrent disease. Therefore, a great need exists to develop new, more active, and less toxic agents and/or to optimize the efficacy of existing agents. Methods In this study, we investigated the activity of Avemar®, a natural, non-toxic, fermented wheat germ extract (FWGE), against a range of OVCA cell lines, both alone and in combination with cisplatin chemotherapy, and delineated the molecular signaling pathways that underlie FWGE activity at a genome-wide level. Results We found that FWGE exhibited significant anti-proliferative effects against 12 human OVCA cell lines and potentiated cisplatin-induced apoptosis. Pearson’s correlation of FWGE sensitivity and gene expression data identified 2,142 genes (FDR<0.2) representing 27 biological pathways (p<0.05) to be significantly associated with FWGE sensitivity. A parallel analysis of genomic data for 59 human cancer cell lines matched to chemo-sensitivity data for 2,6-dimethoxy-p-benzoquinone, a proposed active component of FWGE, identified representation of 13 pathways common to both FWGE and 2,6-dimethoxy-p-benzoquinone sensitivity. Conclusions Our findings confirm the value of FWGE as a natural product with anti-cancer properties that may also enhance the activity of existing therapeutic agents. Furthermore, our findings provide substantial insights into the molecular basis of FWGE’s effect on human cancer cells.

show abstract

The Efficacy of Tamoxifen in Estrogen Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer Cells Is Enhanced by a Medical Nutriment

Abstract: Avemar, a fermented wheat germ extract, has been applied in the supplementary

Cited by 20 publications

References 21 publications

Promising cytotoxic activity profile of fermented wheat germ extract (Avemar®) in human cancer cell lines

Promising cytotoxic activity profile of fermented wheat germ extract (Avemar®) in human cancer cell lines

Fermented wheat germ extract - nutritional supplement or anticancer drug?

Characterizing the Efficacy of Fermented Wheat Germ Extract Against Ovarian Cancer and Defining the Genomic Basis of Its Activity

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About