This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (4) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Jonas, W. B. Articles by Maheshwari, R. K. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Jonas, W. B. Articles by Maheshwari, R. K. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Can Homeopathic Treatment Slow Prostate Cancer Growth?

Samueli Institute, 1700 Diagonal Road, Suite 400, Alexandria, VA 22314

Jaya P. Gaddipati, PhD

N. V. Rajeshkumar, PhD

Anuj Sharma, MS

Rajesh L. Thangapazham, MS

Jim Warren, MS

Department of Pathology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland

Anoop K. Singh, PhD

John A. Ives, PhD

Samueli Institute, Alexandria, Virginia

Cara Olsen, MS, MPH

Biostatistics Consulting Center, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland

Steven R. Mog, DVM

Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, Bethesda, Maryland

Radha K. Maheshwari, PhD

Department of Pathology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland

Background: Homeopathy is a complementary medicine widely used around the world. Despite extensive use of homeopathy for cancer and other serious conditions with reported success, clinical and laboratory research has been equivocal, and no rigorous research has been done on cancer. In 1999, the US National Cancer Institute evaluated the effects of homeopathic treatment of cancer from a clinic in India and has released a request for protocols to conduct further research into this treatment. Therefore, the authors conducted a series of carefully controlled laboratory studies evaluating the effects of commonly used homeopathic remedies in cell and animal models of prostate cancer. Study Design: One hundred male Copenhagen rats were randomly assigned to either treatment or control groups after inoculation with prostate tumor cells. Methods: Prostate tumor cells DU-145, LNCaP, and MAT-LyLu were exposed to 5 homeopathic remedies. Male Copenhagen rats were injected with MAT-LyLu cells and exposed to the same homeopathic remedies for 5 weeks. In vitro outcomes included tumor cell viability and apoptosis gene expression. In vivo outcomes included tumor incidence, volume, weight, total mortality, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression, apoptotic cell death (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated d-uridine triphosphate nick end labeling), and gene expression (rAPO-multiprobe). Results: There were no effects on cell viability or gene expression in 3 prostate cell lines with any remedies at any exposure time. There was a 23% reduction in tumor incidence (P < .0001), and for animals with tumors, there was a 38% reduction in tumor volume in homeopathy-treated animals versus controls (P < .02). At time of killing, experimental animals with tumors had a 13% lower average tumor weight (P < .05). Tumors in these treated animals showed a 19% increase in apoptotic cell death (P < .05) and reduced PCNA-positive cells. Conclusions: The findings indicate that selected homeopathic remedies for the present study have no direct cellular anticancer effects but appear to significantly slow the progression of cancer and reduce cancer incidence and mortality in Copenhagen rats injected with MAT-LyLu prostate cancer cells.

Key Words: homeopathy • prostate • cancer • rat • CAM • complementary medicine

Integrative Cancer Therapies, Vol. 5, No. 4, 343-349 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/1534735406294225


CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				N. Bhattacharjee, S. Pathak, and A. R. Khuda-Bukhsh Amelioration of Carcinogen-Induced Toxicity in Mice by Administration of a Potentized Homeopathic Drug, Natrum Sulphuricum 200 Evid. Based Complement. Altern. Med., March 1, 2009; 6(1): 65 - 75. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]