Handbook of Research on Natural Products and Their Bioactive Compounds as Cancer Therapeutics


Book Description

Many chemotherapeutic agents are available in today’s market that are highly effective against a variety of cancer types; however, the major drawbacks of these chemotherapeutic agents are the many side effects. As an alternative to these chemotherapeutic agents, there are a number of natural agents that are effective against cancer that have been tested in preclinical and clinical models over the years. These natural products must be documented and discussed in order to provide a thorough overview of all the options available for cancer treatment. The Handbook of Research on Natural Products and Their Bioactive Compounds as Cancer Therapeutics emphasizes the list of natural agents against all types of cancers and discusses the current state of research in the fields of natural products and their derivatives against cancer in preclinical and clinical models. This book also provides insight into the applications of meditation and mindfulness-based interventions in clinical and non-clinical conditions. Covering topics such as cancer therapy, antioxidants, and flavonoids, it is ideal for students, research scholars, academicians, professors, scientists, oncologists, doctors, and medical practitioners.




Essentials of Glycobiology


Book Description

Sugar chains (glycans) are often attached to proteins and lipids and have multiple roles in the organization and function of all organisms. "Essentials of Glycobiology" describes their biogenesis and function and offers a useful gateway to the understanding of glycans.




Plant Lectins


Book Description

This volume surveys the chemistry, biochemistry, biosynthesis, metabolism and pharmacological properties of lectins. Lectins, which are most commonly found in plants, are widespread natural products with striking biological activities. Their specific ability to recognise and bind to simple or complex saccharides facilitates their role as effective information protein molecules. As agents of cell-to-cell recognition, lectins promote symbiosis between plants and specific nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria. As natural defensive molecules, they can protect plants against predators such as bacteria, fungi and insects. As part of our diet, lectins are powerful exogenous growth factors in the small intestine and influence our health, the digestive function and the bacterial ecology of the alimentary tract. Lectins are also important research tools in preparative biochemistry and cell science.




Functional Foods in Cancer Prevention and Therapy


Book Description

Functional Foods in Cancer Prevention and Therapy presents the wide range of functional foods associated with the prevention and treatment of cancer. In recent decades, researchers have made progress in our understanding of the association between functional food and cancer, especially as it relates to cancer treatment and prevention. Specifically, substantial evidence from epidemiological, clinical and laboratory studies show that various food components may alter cancer risk, the prognosis after cancer onset, and the quality of life after cancer treatment. The book documents the therapeutic roles of well-known functional foods and explains their role in cancer therapy. The book presents complex cancer patterns and evidence of the effective ways to control cancers with the use of functional foods. This book will serve as informative reference for researchers focused on the role of food in cancer prevention and physicians and clinicians involved in cancer treatment.




Autophagy in Immune Response: Impact on Cancer Immunotherapy


Book Description

Autophagy in Immune Response: Impact on Cancer Immunotherapy focuses on the status and future directions of autophagy with respect to different aspects of its interaction with the immune system and immunotherapy. The book takes scientific research in autophagy a step further by presenting reputable information on the topic and offering integrated content with advancements in autophagy, from cell biology and biochemical research, to clinical treatments. This book is a valuable source for cancer researchers, oncologists, graduate students and several members of biomedical field who are interested in learning more on the relationship between autophagy and immunotherapies.




The Plant Paradox


Book Description

From renowned cardiac surgeon Steven R. Gundry, MD, the New York Times bestselling The Plant Paradox is a revolutionary look at the hidden compounds in "healthy" foods like fruit, vegetables, and whole grains that are causing us to gain weight and develop chronic disease. Most of us have heard of gluten—a protein found in wheat that causes widespread inflammation in the body. Americans spend billions of dollars on gluten-free diets in an effort to protect their health. But what if we’ve been missing the root of the problem? In The Plant Paradox, renowned cardiologist Dr. Steven Gundry reveals that gluten is just one variety of a common, and highly toxic, plant-based protein called lectin. Lectins are found not only in grains like wheat but also in the “gluten-free” foods most of us commonly regard as healthy, including many fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, and conventional dairy products. These proteins, which are found in the seeds, grains, skins, rinds, and leaves of plants, are designed by nature to protect them from predators (including humans). Once ingested, they incite a kind of chemical warfare in our bodies, causing inflammatory reactions that can lead to weight gain and serious health conditions. At his waitlist-only clinics in California, Dr. Gundry has successfully treated tens of thousands of patients suffering from autoimmune disorders, diabetes, leaky gut syndrome, heart disease, and neurodegenerative diseases with a protocol that detoxes the cells, repairs the gut, and nourishes the body. Now, in The Plant Paradox, he shares this clinically proven program with readers around the world. The simple (and daunting) fact is, lectins are everywhere. Thankfully, Dr. Gundry offers simple hacks we easily can employ to avoid them, including: Peel your veggies. Most of the lectins are contained in the skin and seeds of plants; simply peeling and de-seeding vegetables (like tomatoes and peppers) reduces their lectin content. Shop for fruit in season. Fruit contain fewer lectins when ripe, so eating apples, berries, and other lectin-containing fruits at the peak of ripeness helps minimize your lectin consumption. Swap your brown rice for white. Whole grains and seeds with hard outer coatings are designed by nature to cause digestive distress—and are full of lectins. With a full list of lectin-containing foods and simple substitutes for each, a step-by-step detox and eating plan, and delicious lectin-free recipes, The Plant Paradox illuminates the hidden dangers lurking in your salad bowl—and shows you how to eat whole foods in a whole new way.




Handbook of Plant Lectins


Book Description

Plant lectins are extensively used as tools and as bioactiveproteins in different areas of biomedical and biological research.The Handbook of Plant Lectins provides a comprehensive yet conciseoverview of the biochemical properties, carbohydrate-bindingspecificity, biological activities and applications of most of thecurrently known plant lectins. This handbook consists of two majorsections: an introductory guide and a quick reference dictionary.Part I acquaints the newcomer to the lectin field with theessential information on lectins and their importance tobiomedicine: * what are lectins? * their carbohydrate-binding specificity * effects on nutrition and immunology * use in histochemistry * application as therapeutic agents Part II lists approximately 200 lectin entries in alphabeticalorder. Each entry deals with the lectin(s) of a particular plantand provides, (where known), details of: * isolation and characterisation; * sugar binding specificity; * biological activities; * applications; * commercial availability; and, * a bibliography. Useful summary tables list lectins according to their specificity,thereby allowing the user to choose the best lectin for theirapplication. A list of suppliers is also provided. Handbook ofPlant Lectins will be of interest to biologists and biomedicalresearchers studying cell biology, cancer research, nutrition,immunology, pathology and physiology.







The Metabolic Approach to Cancer


Book Description

The Optimal Terrain Ten Protocol to Reboot Cellular Health Since the beginning of the twentieth century, cancer rates have increased exponentially--now affecting almost 50 percent of the American population. Conventional treatment continues to rely on chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation to attack cancer cells. Yet research has repeatedly shown that 95 percent of cancer cases are directly linked to diet and lifestyle. The Metabolic Approach to Cancer is the book we have been waiting for--it offers an innovative, metabolic-focused nutrition protocol that actually works. Naturopathic, integrative oncologist and cancer survivor Dr. Nasha Winters and nutrition therapist Jess Higgins Kelley have identified the ten key elements of a person's "terrain" (think of it as a topographical map of our body) that are crucial to preventing and managing cancer. Each of the terrain ten elements--including epigenetics, the microbiome, the immune system, toxin exposures, and blood sugar balance--is illuminated as it relates to the cancer process, then given a heavily researched and tested, non-toxic and metabolic, focused nutrition prescription. The metabolic theory of cancer--that cancer is fueled by high carbohydrate diets, not "bad" genetics--was introduced by Nobel Prize-laureate and scientist Otto Warburg in 1931. It has been largely disregarded by conventional oncology ever since. But this theory is resurging as a result of research showing incredible clinical outcomes when cancer cells are deprived of their primary fuel source (glucose). The ketogenic diet--which relies on the body's production of ketones as fuel--is the centerpiece of The Metabolic Approach to Cancer. Further, Winters and Kelley explain how to harness the anticancer potential of phytonutrients abundant in low-glycemic plant and animal foods to address the 10 hallmarks of cancer--an approach Western medicine does with drug based therapies. Their optimized, genetically-tuned diet shuns grains, legumes, sugar, genetically modified foods, pesticides, and synthetic ingredients while emphasizing whole, wild, local, organic, fermented, heirloom, and low-glycemic foods and herbs. Other components of their approach include harm-reductive herbal therapies like mistletoe (considered the original immunotherapy and common in European cancer care centers) and cannabinoids (which shrink tumors and increase quality of life, yet are illegal in more than half of the United States). Through addressing the ten root causes of cancer and approaching the disease from a nutrition-focused standpoint, we can slow cancer's endemic spread and live optimized lives.




Lectins and Pathology


Book Description

The present understanding of the various implications of lectins in pathology are summarised in this timely text. With contributions from leading investigators in the field of lectin research, Lectins and Pathology provides up-to-date information on key developments within this field, including the use of lectins and lectin-binding molecules as tools, the involvement of endogenous (animal or human) lectins in inflammation, cancer invasion and metastasis, as well as the importance of lectins in bacteriology and parasitology. This volume contains useful knowledge for clinical investigators, cell biologists, biochemists and biotechnologists, as well as for the graduate students interested in getting a comprehensive coverage of this field.