Compound from magnolia can treat head and neck cancer

New research in the United States shows that a compound made from Oriental medicinal herbs used to treat anxiety can be effective in dealing with head and neck cancers, UPI news agency reported.

Magnolia flower extract can treat head and neck cancer

Head and neck cancer , often a result of alcohol and tobacco abuse , has a 50% survival rate and kills more than 200,000 people every year in the US alone.

Magnolia - Photo: Shutterstock

The compound, called honokiol, is able to block a protein called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which is present in almost all head and neck cancer cells.

The researchers tested honokiol on cell lines taken from human cancers of the oral cavity, larynx, tongue and throat, as well as on tumors implanted in mice, and found that it prevented Successfully blocked cancer cells.

Based on the study, the magnolia extract is also closely associated with EGFR over the commonly used drug gefitinib.

Dr Dave K. Katiyar, a member of the research group at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, said he could use honokiol alone or in combination with the therapeutic drugs available to cope with head and neck cancer. .

The results of the study were published on the Oncotarget newsletter.