The compounds are precursors of the isoflavone, glaziovianin A, that disrupts the process of cell division, or mitosis, a common feature of cancer. Melanoma cells double every three days, for example, whereas healthy cells increase by only 15 per cent.
Glaziovianin A slows mitosis – just as chemotherapy does – but it’s hard to come by and has involved six processing stages. One of its major sources has been the leaf of a Brazilian tree, but scientists from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology say the same compounds have been found in the seeds of parsley and dill.
The scientists have tested the effectiveness of the isoflavone on embryos of sea urchins and on human cancer cells, including lung, prostate, breast, colon and ovarian cancers and melanoma, with great success.
(Source: Journal of Natural Products, 2016; 79(5): 1429)
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