CAN SOURSOP CURE CANCER?

Graviola or Soursop – Soursop is fast gaining popularity as a research subject, for its wide potent anticancerous agents coined as acetogenins which play a key role towards many varieties of cancer. Acetogenins are long-chain fatty acids, potent inhibitors of NADH oxidase of the plasma membranes of cancer cells.

A study published in the “Journal of Medicinal Chemistry,” in 1997 reported that compounds from soursop were tested on breast cancer cells in culture and proved to be 200 times more effective in killing the cells than chemotherapy drugs.

Its fruit, leaves, roots, stems and seeds have been scrutinized. Annonacin, as well as other compounds found in soursop called quinolones, annopentocins and two alkaloids, coreximine and reticuline are said to have the potential to prevent or slow the growth of cancer.

There were studies that showed that those who took soursop extract had better immune systems. The extract was shown to be helpful in targeting and killing cancer cells in about 12 types of cancer, including prostate, colon, pancreatic, breast, and lung cancer.

The compounds in the extract have been proven to help in slowing down the growth of malignant cells, even better than the strong and commonly used chemotherapeutic agent, Adriamycin.

When patients undergo chemotherapy, all the body systems suffer alongside the malignant cells. The soursop extract’s compound will selectively track and kill only the cancerous cells, leaving minimal negative impact on normal, healthy cells.

•  Lymphocytic Leukemia
  • Lymphocytic leukemia is a type of cancer where the bone marrow makes too many lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). It is a common type of blood and bone marrow disease that occurs in mainly adults.
    A study found that acetogenins, the major phytochemicals found in soursop, have toxicity towards lymphocytic leukemia cells in lab mice. This is a positive finding on the potential of the cancer-fighting ability of soursop.
• Breast Cancer
  • Several studies have indicated the potential use of soursop in potential therapeutic treatments in patients. Extracts from this plant were shown to inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer cells by inducing cytotoxic activity in lung cancer cell lines.
• Liver Cancer
  • The cytotoxic effect of the soursop extracts were also proposed by multiple in vitro studies using cultured liver cancer cells, suggesting that they can potentially be used as a treatment option against liver cancer.  Several other studies also demonstrated the capability of soursop extracts that induced death of cancer cells.
• Prostate Cancer
  • Studies using soursop leaf extract, flavonoid-enriched extract and acetogenin-enriched extract administered in vivo and in vitro, were also shown to negatively affect prostate cancer cells growth. There are synergistic interactions among flavonoids and acetogenins in soursop (graviola) leaves that offer health-promoting benefits including chemotherapeutic and chemopreventive effects. This study not only showed the efficacy of soursop extracts at inhibiting prostate cancer but also the importance of using whole-leaf extracts to achieve the highest inhibitor efficacy in fighting cancer.
• Pancreatic Cancer
  • Similar studies were conducted on the treatment of pancreatic cancer cells, using soursop (graviola) extracts. The result was a decrease in the metastasis (spread) of pancreatic cancer cells. The migratory capacity of cancer cells was reduced after treatment with graviola extract, suggesting the reduced motility of the diseased cells.
• Colon Cancer
  • Annona muricata, known as “the cancer killer” was investigated in a study on its anticancer properties on colon cancer cells. Extracts of soursop (graviola) leaves were found to be have toxic effects on the cancer cells, retarding their growth. It also blocked the migration and invasion of cancer cells.