|  In conclusion, the angiogenesis inhibiting properties of shark cartilage appear to provide at least a key to future therapy. Anyone who has or is in high risk of developing cancer should look into this natural adjunct to their cancer treatments or prevention.
Other Anti-Cancer Activity of Shark Cartilage
Dr. Brian Durie, formerly with the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, using a series of in-yi@ro stem cell assays, showed shark cartilage to have anti-tumor activity apart from angiogenesis inhibition. A stem cell assay tests to see if a specific material has the ability to prevent the growth of various cancer stem cells. Researchers using this assay look for a minimum killing efficiency of 60% (40% survival) before a test product is worthy of further investigation.6
Dr. Durie found that an extract of shark cartilage of 5,000mcg/ml completely killed the Myeloma 8226 colony, killed 94.8% of WIDR (colon) colony and 88.5% of MCF-7 (breast) colony.
In another experiment, Dr. G. Atassi, mentioned earlier, working with mice, inoculated 38 mice with B-16 melanoma, ten of the mice received varying doses of shark cartilage with the control group receiving nothing. The median survival rate was 49% higher for the treated group, than for the control group.7
Shark Cartilage, Arthritis and Other Inflammation Disorders
Shark cartilage has also been shown to be a powerful and nontoxic anti-inflammatory agent. Even more, combined with angiogenesis inhibition properties, shark cartilage may provide not only inflammation relief but also inhibition vascularization of the cartilage in our joints, which is often associated with advanced cases of both osteo and rheumatoid arthritis.
Many researchers agree that the primary anti-inflammation component in shark cartilage is a family of complex
carbohydrates called mucopolysaccharides. Two members of this family, chondroitin sulphate A and C, are often used by nutritional medicine practitioners to control inflammation and enteritus. But for some reason, shark cartilage appears to be more effective than using refined mucopolysaccharides. Researchers are unable to explain this phenomenon, but suspect it relates to an as yet unidentified compound in the shark cartilage. Sharks have powerful immune systems, which produce "antibodies that can successfully combat a vast array of foes - not just bacteria and viruses, but also certain chemicals which would kill a human being.8" Since inflammation disorders are often associated with immune dysfunction, perhaps an immune modulating substance is at work providing a synergistic effect with mucopolysaccharides.3
The initial work with shark cartilage and inflammation was carried out in 1985 by Dr. Serge Orloff, M.D., a professor of Rheumatology at Brugmann University Hospital of Brussels, Belgium and the Executive General Secretary of the International League Against Rheumatism. Dr. Orloff initially used shark cartilage power on a 49 year old female patient.
|
