03.01.10
Pharmacological and clinical data for colorectal carcinoma chemoprevention on Mirtoselect standardized bilberry extract, from Indena, were presented recently at the 51st Annual Meeting of the Italian Cancer Society (SIC) in Sesto San Giovanni, Milano. Following a study in a preclinical carcinogenesis model suggesting that Mirtoselect may prevent malignancies in the gastrointestinal tract, the first human pilot clinical trial was presented at the Congress. Twenty-five patients with colorectal cancer (and scheduled to undergo resection of primary tumor or liver metastasis) received Mirtoselect 1.4, 2.8 and 5.6 grams daily for seven days before surgery. Anthocyanins and metabolites were measured in plasma and colorectal tissue. Mirtoselect reduced tumor proliferation in colorectal tumor samples taken from all patients who received the product by 7% compared with pre-intervention values. Researchers concluded that anthocyanin-rich bilberry extract may induce beneficial pharmacodynamic changes to counter tumor development. For further information: www.indena.com