Gingko May Prevent Ovarian Cancer Cell Growth
Key ginkgo components reduced ovarian cancer cell growth by 80 percent in laboratory experiments
BOSTON – Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital have found initial laboratory and epidemiological evidence that, for the first time, demonstrates ginkgo biloba may lower the risk of developing ovarian cancer. The findings are being presented at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting in Baltimore on Monday, October 31, 2005.
In a population-based study, which involved more than 600 ovarian cancer cases and 640 healthy, matched controls, women who took ginkgo supplements for six months or longer were shown to have a 60 percent lower risk of ovarian cancer.
Bin Ye, PhD, and colleagues found that ginkgo, echinacea, St. John’s Wort, ginseng, and chondroitin were the most commonly used herbals among study participants. A further analysis of the data showed that ginkgo was the only herb linked to ovarian cancer prevention. The preventive effect was more pronounced in women with non-muncious ovarian cancers, with data showing that ginkgo may reduce the risk of this type of ovarian cancer by 65-70 percent.
The team, which included prominent ovarian cancer researcher, Daniel Cramer, MD, ScD, director of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Epidemiology Center at BWH, next took the evidence demonstrated by their population studies to the laboratory.
“Among the mixture of ginkgo chemicals,” said Ye, “we found laboratory evidence that ginkgolide A and B, terpene compounds, are the most active components contributing to this protective effect.”
In vitro experiments showed that a low dosage of gingkolide caused ovarian cancer cells to stop growing. They observed significant cell cycle blockage and an 80 percent growth reduction in non-mucinious ovarian cancer cells. Gingkolides appeared to be less effective against the mucinous type of ovarian cancer cells.
“Ovarian cancer is a fatal disease, often only detected in the most advanced stages so there is an enormous effort to look at new methods of prevention, treatment and early detection,” said Cramer, who is also a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School. “This is an exciting finding that we will pursue further to better understand what clinical recommendations can be made to women regarding gingko use as a means of ovarian cancer prevention.”
Please contact BWH Media Relations for more information at (617) 534-1600 or BWHMediaRelations@partners.org.
BWH is a 747-bed nonprofit teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a founding member of Partners HealthCare System, an integrated health care delivery network. BWH is committed to excellence in patient care with expertise in virtually every specialty of medicine and surgery. The BWH medical preeminence dates back to 1832 and today that rich history in clinical care is coupled with its national leadership in quality improvement and patient safety initiatives, dedication to educating and training health care professionals, and strength in biomedical research. With $370M in funding and more than 500 research scientists, BWH is an acclaimed leader in clinical, basic and epidemiological investigation - including the landmark Nurses Health Study, Physicians Health Studies, and the Women's Health Initiative. For more information visit www.brighamandwomens.org
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