Natural substance in celery could treat aggressive form of breast cancer

A natural substance found in the produce aisle could potentially treat an aggressive form of breast cancer. Researchers at the University of Missouri found that the substance, apigenin, shrank a type of breast cancer tumor that is stimulated by progestin, a hormone given to women to ease menopause symptoms. Researchers implanted cells of a deadly, fast-growing human breast cancer called BT-474 into mice. One group of mice was treated with medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), a type of progestin commonly given to post-menopausal women. The mice treated with MPA who were then treated with apigenin experienced a decline in cancer cell growth, dropping to levels of a control group not given MPA. “This is the first study to show that apigenin, which can be extracted from celery, parsley and many other natural sources, is effective against human breast cancer cells that had been influenced by a certain chemical used in hormone replacement therapy,” co-author Salman Hyder said.