New study below [1].
“Baicalin Antagonizes Prostate Cancer Stemness via Inhibiting Notch1/NF-κB Signaling Pathway”
Baicalin is one of the active ingredients in Scutellaria baicalensis, (Baikal skullcap or Chinese skullcap).
Aggressive treatment of PCa can result in a retreat into “stemness” and treatment resistance. The literature on stem-like PCa cells is less than 20 years old. I recall that it was a controversial concept initially – due in part, no doubt, to the difficulty of identifying them.
“Today CD133 is the most commonly used marker for isolation of cancer stem cell (CSC) population from different tumors” [2]
“…variations in CD44 are reported as cell surface markers for some … prostate cancer stem cells” [3]
From the new study:
“… baicalin treatment significantly inhibited cell proliferation and promoted cell apoptosis.
“Furthermore, baicalin treatment reduced mRNA and protein expression levels of CD44, CD133, ALDH1, and Notch1 as well as the protein expression of NF-κB p-P65 in the xenograft tumor...
“In vitro, the cell proliferation of PCSCs {PCa stem cells} was significantly attenuated after treatment with 125 µmol/L baicalin for 72 h...
“The cell migration and invasion rates were decreased following treatment with baicalin for 48 and 72 h...
“Baicalin notably induced cell apoptosis and seriously damaged the structure of PCSCs. The mRNA and protein expressions of CD133, CD44, ALDH1 and Notch1 in PCSCs were significantly downregulated following baicalin treatment”
Those familiar with the PC-SPES debacle might recognize Scutellaria baicalensis as one of the eight ingredients in that formula.
Chinese skullcap supplements can be obtained [4], but I would monitor liver enzymes if using.
-Patrick
[1] pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/373...
[2] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD133
