Care of the Virginia Opossum

There is a medication that was brought to my attention, that may be effective in treating or even warding off the cancers that so many of our possums succumb to. This drug has been used with a good success rate in ferrets, dogs, and rabbits with tumors. The following is a article Dr. Cathy Johnson-Delaney sent to me:

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Apoptogen Trial Theory:

Do not use with gall stones, liver hypofunction, caution in kidney patients, lowers insulin requirement, potential coagulopathy, do not use in pregnant or breeding animals, or with MAO inhibitors.

Dose: APOCAPS: each capsule is designed for a 40-50 lb dog, to be given BID on empty stomach (or as close to it as possible). Can be purchased several places online, including Amazon.com.

Use SOY LECITHIN to dilute down.  These agents have poor water solubility. If soy lecithin cannot be obtained, use coconut milk (with the fat it it).  These emulsifiers will help overcome absorption probs in part.  The compounding process addresses this problem as well.

Overview:

The supplement is a molecular blend* of non-toxic, plant derived dietary agents that have substantial, published evidence for being potentially capable of inducing non-toxic remission in cancer patients.  These agents also have the ability to reduce inflammation and pain in the same way that many prescription drugs made for orthopedic problems do.  Examples of these drugs are Rimadyl, Metacam, Etogesic and Deramaxx.  The supplement agents are purified in a lab and delivered into the blood stream using a patented technology, a so-called Trojan Horse, to amplify available blood levels after oral administration. In this way we are creating a true polypharmacy approach, where the desired effect is accomplished by multiple pathways simultaneously for real-life clinical effect.  The active ingredients in the supplement are compounded with other substances to enhance their effect in the body.

Two of the agents, EGCG and curcumin, are currently being studied in human clinical cancer trials.  Each agent used has

*a molecular blend is where the actual molecules are admixed to create a truly new agent, not just mixing separate ingredients in a mixer.  We achieve molecular level mingling of substances.

Luteolin: How does it work?

This is one of the big guns that is really not well known, in spite of the fact that there is a huge amount of information about it.  Luteolin is a compound that can be extracted from artichokes, many herbs, peanut hulls, and other plants. It is a naturally-occurring substance, one of the bioflavinoids.  Bioflavinoids are just substances that are naturally occurring and share a similar structure.  Luteolin is able to shut down cancer cells through a variety of mechanisms.  Cancer cells live, grow and divide. Each step has it’s own chemical pathway within the cancer cell. One signal turns on the next, and in the end  of a path of reactions, something happens. Here are a few examples.

• -Luteolin inhibits glycolysis.  “Glycolysis” is a major way that cancer cells get energy.  It involves the breakdown of sugar. When they cannot perform glycolysis, they starve. In this way, luteolin causes cancer cells to starve.

• - Luteolin stops the enzyme Fatty Acid Synthase (FAS).  This is enzyme is needed for another energy path for cancer cells. When FAS is turned off, cancer cell cannot get energy to live.

• - Luteolin causes apoptosis.  “Apoptosis” is the name for normal cell death that is supposed to happen when a cell reaches the end of its life.  It is an active event that happens in healthy body cells. Cancer cells are able to avoid this, and keep living and dividing. They behave as if they are immortal, at the expense of the rest of the body. When luteolin induces apoptosis, the cancer cells die like normal cells should.

• -Luteolin blocks replication of cancer cells before they divide. It disrupts the machinery in the dividing cancer cells, interfering with the DNA forming the new cancer cells to use as blueprints for life.  No new DNA, no new cancer cell.

• -Luteolin blocks angiogenesis.  “Angiogenesis” is a process where cancer cells secrete signals into their surroundings to make the body grow new blood vessels.  These arteries and veins bring new blood to the cancer cells to so the cancer can rob the body of energy and feed itself. If this process is blocked, the cancer cells cannot feed themselves, and body resources are not stolen, which in turn starves cancer cells.

•  -Luteolin blocks signals that cancer cells send themselves to increase their own numbers.  This is an “autocrine” effect (where a cell sends a signal to itself)...less cancer growth.

• -in animals: luteolin blocked carcinogen- formed tumors in mice.

• -To top it off, luteolin also has some anti inflammatory effects, which can help with orthopedic problems like hip dysplasia, stiffness, back pain, arthritis, etc

Curcuminoids:

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Curcuminoids are found in turmeric, which is used in cooking to color food yellowish orange.  This substance is found in small amounts in foods like curry.  From curry powder to cancer treatment may be a big leap for some to make,  but this compound is already in clinical trials for treatment of cancers.

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• -Causes apoptosis (healthy, normal cell death) in cancer cells.

• - Prevents angiogenesis (new blood vessel formation by tumors to feed themselves at the expense of the body).

• - Slows cancer cell division directly.

•  -Decreases levels of enzymes that send signals to cancer cells to replicate (COX-2 is the name of the enzyme).

• -Suppresses the production of molecules on the surface of cancer cells in the lab that allow them to metastasize...less cancer spread.

• -Disrupts the enzymes that are needed to make new DNA in new cancer cells in the lab.  Cancer cells need their DNA blueprints for survival.

• -Curcumin is labelled as an antioxidant in some articles.  The truth is that it has mixed anti-oxidant and  pro-oxidant effects in cancer treatment. A pro-oxidant increases free radicals, causing damage. Curcumin has a net pro-oxidant effects with cancer cells, but not body cells.  This means that free radicals increase in cancer cells with curcumin use.  This happens within the energy factories of the cancer cells, the mitochondria. They end up with holes in them.  Without useable energy the cancer cells expire.

• -In the animal body: A lot of literature shows that there are problems with curcumin being absorbed into the human body once it is taken by mouth.   But, in the early clinical trials recently done for cancer, it was found that a marker in the bloodstream does go down in response to curcumin given by mouth.  This suggests that it is getting into the blood. On top of this, in mice, curcumin given by mouth decreased the number of prostate cancer cells that were implanted in the mice’s bodies. 

Since curcumin has so many test tube benefits, with evidence that it does actually have whole body effects once taken by mouth, it is included here. 

To top it off, curcumin also has some anti inflammatory effects, which can help with orthopedic problems like hip dysplasia, stiffness, back pain, arthritis, etc. Additional bonuses are it is approved by Germany’s Commission E (their version of the FDA) for nausea and upset stomach. Finally, it provides some protection from doxorubicin’s heat toxicity side-effect, as an added  feather in the cap.

Apigenin:

This substance is found in nature, especially in parsley and other small edible plants.

• -It causes apoptosis, or normal, healthy cell death of cancer cells. 

•  -It decreases cancer cell numbers also by causing cell cycle arrest, where they stop dividing. 

• -Apigenin also decreases the abiliby of cancer cells to create blood vessels to stop them robbing the body of nutrition while feeding themselves.  

• -Apigenin blocks the enzyme called COX-2 (cyclooxyenase-2), which send signals to cancer cells telling them to replicate.

• -Apigenin also has an interesting cancer-fighting effect. Healthy cells talk to their neighbor through little tunnels called gap junctions.  These are small communication ports between cells. In cancer, this healthy communication is shut down.  Apigenin has been shown to keep these channels open, to allow health-providing cell to cell communication.

• -In vivo: In the following study, mice were given cancer cells from a human prostate, and apigenin was given to the mice by mouth. The mice receiving the apigenin had an overall reduction in tumor of around 1/3 to 1/2 the mice that did not get apigenin.

• -By it's COX-2 inhibition, apigenin  has application for cases of joint pain, hip dysplasia, arthritis, and so on.

• EGCG

• EGCG stands for epigallocatechin gallate.  It is part of a group of molecules called the polyphenols, specifically the catechins.  It is found most commonly in green tea. This is another one of those compounds that is labelled as an antioxidant, but has effects on cancer, after it starts, that nothing to do with this.   EGCG is in clinical trials here in America for cancer treatment at the Mayo Clinic.

• -  In the test tube, ECGC has been shown to increase programmed cell death of cancer cells (apoptosis). 

• -It causes the dividing cancer cells to stop dividing in the middle of their growth.

•  -EGCG also blocks signaling molecules that cancer cells use to stimulate their own growth.  

• -It interferes with angiogenesis (new blood vessels formed by tumors to feed themselves at the expense of the body).  

• -Another way cancers spread is by invasion into healthy body tissue.  They secrete enzymes that break down the healthy tissue, making space for themselves.  These enzymes are called matrix metaloproteinases (MMP's). ECGC helps to block MMP's, slowing cancer spread.  

• -In vivo:ECGC given to mice, by mouth, with tumors caused the tumors to shrink to about a third of the size they were before.  This was found after 5 weeks of taking ECGC by mouth.

All of the positive effects of this compound are too lengthy to include.

These agents should be combined with Milk Thistle (silymarin) for even more clinical benefit.