Avocado fruits are now found to be a certain and effective way to battle acute myeloid leukemia or AML.
For years, avocadoes hogged the top lists of the best fruits to have on our menus. Buttery, nutritious, potassium rich and brimming with antioxidants as well as the healthiest fats, they certainly make for a good daily treat.
Even more so when all health benefits and certain adjuvant in relieving heart ailments, body cleansing, liver related problems are taken into account.
Now, the news coming from Waterloo University’s School of Pharmacy, Canada is once again pitting avocadoes to the top.
Professor Paul Spagnuolo conducted a research that singled out one avocado compound called Avocatin B and pitches it as an efficient treatment for acute myeloid leukemia.
Acute myeloid leukemia is caused by the abnormal growth of blood stem cells at such a rapid pace that the other healthy cells are being crowded out rapidly. The abnormal blood cells invade the marrow which leads to a type of infection that is in turn lethal in the majority of cases.
Conventional treatments exist for acute myeloid leukemia, yet they are often not addressing the root of the disease. Rather, they look for an overall relief or are rather aggressive for a body that is already weakened by the disease.
Avocatin B, a lipid found in avocado can fight AML at its root according to Professor Spagnuolo. After thorough tests, the results indicated that treating the infected blood with Avocatin B the target of the compound is restricted to the leukemia stem cells. The healthy cells suffer no damage due to the intrusion of Avocatin B.
“The stem cell is what drives the disease. The stem cell is largely responsible for the disease developing and it’s the reason why so many patients with leukemia relapse.”
For this reason, the Professor set out to carry tests at molecular level and the results were extraordinary. Stem cells are indeed efficiently combated while healthy cells are starting to thrive once more without any harm inferred by Avocatin B.
The results of the research were published in Cancer Research. Professor Spagnuolo intends to clinically trial his finding and after a while, if the trials prove successful he intends to bring a new drug in the oncology field.
To this extent a partnership was struck with the Center for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine for filing a patent application.
Acute myeloid leukemia might be treated in the future with this nutraceutical derived from avocado, Avocatin B.
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