Saw Palmetto Extract Inhibits Metastasis and Antiangiogenesis Through STAT3 Signal Pathway in Glioma Cells
January 2015
in “
Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
”
TLDR Saw palmetto extract may help treat brain tumors by blocking a specific growth signal and blood vessel formation.
Eight years ago, a study was conducted to investigate the effects of saw palmetto extract on glioma cells, a type of brain tumor. The study involved 30 male rats divided into three groups: a control group, a low dose saw palmetto group, and a high dose saw palmetto group. The research found that saw palmetto extract significantly inhibited the proliferation of human glioma cells through the STAT3 signal pathway. The extract increased the number of apoptotic cells, indicating it inhibits glioma cell proliferation. Additionally, the levels of pSTAT3 and CD34, associated with angiogenesis, were lower in the group treated with saw palmetto extract, suggesting it could inhibit angiogenesis in glioma. The study concluded that saw palmetto extract could be a valuable phytotherapeutic drug against human glioma through the STAT3 signal pathway and could potentially be used as an adjunctive therapeutic agent for treating glioma and other cancers where STAT3 signaling is activated.
