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Citrus seed extract for induction of liver cancer cells’ death accomplished by researchers from Faculty of Medicine, CMU

24 December 2018
Corporate Communication and Alumni Relations Center (CCARC)
Professor Dr. Prachya Kongtaweelert, Researcher, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University revealed that orange and lemon are useful. They are not only nourished of vitamin c but also other active pharmacological compounds. There are so many researches have been conducted and reported in the medical articles in journals about the phytochemicals from citrus fruits like orange, lemon, bergamot and pomelo. The extracts of these substance can be applied to develop and applied against many chronic diseases such as cancer. From a study research has reported that this substance can resist growth of many kinds of cancer cell no matter of colon cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and the most important is liver cancer. It has been reported that this phytochemical called hesperidin showed the inhibition of the proliferation of many types of cancer cellines orginated from lung, colon, breast, and, especially liver cancer celling, HepG2. Since extracted substances from citrus fruits is natural ones, which have been consumed as foods and fruits. So, we have mentioned earlier, if there is a study continuously, there might be a potential for the development to using compliment together with chemotherapeutic drugs. And because they are using as foods and fruits, so there should not have side effects like chemotherapeutic agents. There are several research papers that report about the uses of this substance when we it has given together with chemotherapeutic drug, including antiproliferation and induction of apoptosis of cancer cell. And because of it is a natural source from edible fruits that have been consumed for a long time, it is interesting that extracted compounds have never destroyed the normal cells. Further, there are more reports inform that extracted substance from citrus fruits containing many natural substances and one of them called hesperidin bioflavonoids. It is a phytochemical that have strong anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. The researcher team at Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University has collected all information from previous internationally published papers to investigate the contents of substances from citrus extracts, especially the hesperidin. By using commercialized standard hesperidin, the studies of the amount of hesperidin have been done on the varieties of citrus fruits, and their seed by using the HPLC chromatography technique for analysis and identification. So, we can summarize that the citrus fruits such as orange, lemon, are bergamot have substance that we call hesperidin bioflavonoid that can used to induced the liver cells death by the process called apoptosis in the tissue culture laboratory. Finally, all of this knowledge leading to the development to become products as dietary supplementary for people and they are ready to be sold in market both in the country and in abroad. And it could be developed to be various products in the future.
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