Effects of St. John's Wort and Vitamin E on Breast Cancer Chemotherapeutic Agents

摘要

The purpose of this research project is to better understand the interaction of dietary supplements with cancer chemotherapeutic drugs. This information may be useful to decrease the toxicity and increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy. The scope of the research involves in vivo assessments of nutritional supplement- chemotherapeutic drug interactions and in vitro studies of the mechanisms of nutraceutical- chemotherapeutic interactions. Dietary supplementation of rats with St. John's wort increased the LD5O cyclophosphamide, suggesting that this nutraceutical may decrease the toxicity of cyclophosphamide. Dietary supplementation of rats with 2 levels of vitamin E had no effect on the toxicity of cyclophosphamide. Vitamin E supplementation did not modify rodent hepatic mitochondrial DNA changes caused by docetaxel. In women with breast cancer, the drop in neutrophil count after chemotherapy was less in women taking dietary supplements versus no supplements, and in those taking multivitamins or vitamin E. Our studies suggest that dietary supplements may reduce the toxicity associated with some cancer chemotherapeutic agents used to treat breast cancer.