Beta-Lapachone health benefit Tabebuia avellanedae

Beta-Lapachone, a natural compound extracted from the bark of the lapacho tree (Tabebuia avellanedae), is well known for its antitumor, antiinflammatory, and antineoplastic effects. Beta Lapachone is a naphthoquinone compound.

Beta-lapachone for cancer
Beta-Lapachone is a novel anticancer agent with selectivity against prostate cancer and possibly retinoblastoma. Beta lapachone is being studied either by itself or in combination with chemotherapy drugs as a treatment for various types of cancer.

Paclitaxel and beta-lapachone synergistically induce apoptosis in human retinoblastoma Y79 cells by downregulating the levels of phospho-Akt.
J Cell Physiol. 2010 Feb; D'Anneo A, Augello G, Santulli A, Giuliano M, di Fiore R, Messina C, Tesoriere G, Vento R. Dipartimento di Scienze Biochimiche, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Policlinico, Palermo, Italy.
Paclitaxel (PTX) and beta-lapachone (LPC) are naturally occurring compounds that have shown a large spectrum of anticancer activity. In this article we show for the first time that PTX/LPC combination induces potent synergistic apoptotic effects in human retinoblastoma Y79 cells. Combination of suboptimal doses of PTX (0.3 nM) and LPC (1.5 microM) caused biochemical and morphological signs of apoptosis at 48 h of treatment. ur results suggest that phospho-Akt lowering is at the root of the apoptotic action exerted by PTX/LPC combination and provide strong validation for a treatment approach that targets survival signals represented by phospho-Akt and inhibitor of apoptosis proteins.

Beta-lapachone for retinoblastoma
Beta-lapachone inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in retinoblastoma cell lines.
Eye. 2008 Mar;22(3): Shah HR, Conway RM, Van Quill KR, Madigan MC, Howard SA, Qi J, Weinberg V, O'Brien JM. Department of Ophthalmology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
To investigate the cytotoxicity of beta-lapachone, a potent agent that may selectively target tumour cells, in retinoblastoma cell lines. Growth inhibitory effects of beta-lapachone were evaluated in Y79, WERI-RB1, and RBM human retinoblastoma cell lines. Pro-apoptotic effects of beta-lapachone were evaluated in Y79 cells. Beta-lapachone induced significant dose-dependent growth inhibitory effects in all three retinoblastoma cell lines. Beta-lapachone also induced proapoptotic effects in retinoblastoma cells. Beta-lapachone induced potent cytotoxic effects in retinoblastoma cell lines at low micromolar concentrations, suggesting this agent could be useful in the clinical management of retinoblastoma.

Beta-lapachone toxicity
Toxicological assessment of beta-lapachone on organs from pregnant and non-pregnant rats.
Phytother Res. 2009 Feb 5. Laboratory of Evaluation of Psychobioactive Drugs and its Toxicology, Federal University of Pernambuco, 50670-901 Recife PE, Brazil.
Naphthoquinones have been studied extensively due to their activity as topoisomerase inhibitors. These enzymes are critical to DNA replication in cells. beta-Lapachone is an o-naphthoquinone chemically obtained from lapachol. This work results in a toxicological evaluation of beta-Lapachone in Wistar rats observing the following parameters: teratology, histology, hematology and serum biochemistry. The data demonstrate teratogenic action at the doses used, as well as hematological alterations in the total leukocytes, monocytes and segmented. The biochemical data demonstrated an increase in gamma glutamyl transferase, alkaline phosphatase and glutamate pyruvate transaminase levels. Histological study showed significant alterations in the spleen, however, the liver and kidney did not present significant alterations.

Beta-lapachone anti tumor effect
Comparative studies of the effects of Tabebuia avellanedae bark extract and beta-lapachone on the hematopoietic response of tumor-bearing mice.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2008 May 8; Queiroz ML, Valadares MC, Torello CO, Ramos AL, Oliveira AB, Rocha FD, Arruda VA, Accorci WR. Departamento de Farmacologia and Hemocentro, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade, Estadual de Campinas, UNICAMP, CP 6111, CEP 13083-970, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
The effects of Tabebuia avellanedae, traditionally prescribed in the treatment of cancer, and the naphtoquinone beta-lapachone (beta-lap) on the growth and differentiation of granulocyte and macrophage progenitor cells (CFU-GM) were studied in Ehrlich ascites tumour-bearing mice. Our findings suggest that the antitumour effect of Tabebuia avellanedae and beta-lapachone, acting synergistically with other factors, such as specific cytokines, may result from enhanced macrophage activation against tumor cells.

Have there been any studies using the combination of beta lapachone and grape seed extract for cancer treatment?
   Not that we are aware of.

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