rDNA Technology
rDNA Technology
The method of synthesizing artificial DNA by fusing DNA from multiple sources with various genetic components is known as recombinant DNA technology.
Recombinant DNA technologies are referred to as genetic engineering.
Recombinant DNA technology was created as a result of the discovery of restriction enzymes by Swiss scientist Werner Arber in 1968.
Splicing the target gene into the host’s DNA is more difficult than it seems. It involves selecting the best vector to incorporate the desired gene into and producing recombinant DNA after selecting the right gene to be injected into the host.
Therefore, the recombinant DNA must be administered to the host. It must then be maintained in the host and passed on to the offspring. Procedure using recombinant DNA technology. In order to generate the intended result, recombinant DNA technology uses a number of processes that are kept in a specific order.
First step, Isolate the genetic material
The first and most crucial step in the recombinant DNA technology procedure is to isolate the desired DNA in its pure state, which is uncontaminated by extraneous macromolecules.
Second step, Slashing the gene at the points of recognition
The choice of where to insert the desired gene into the vector genome depends on the restriction enzymes. These procedures go under the term of restriction enzyme digestion.
Third step, Increasing the gene copies using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
A single copy of DNA is multiplied into hundreds to millions of copies after the desired gene has been cut using restriction enzymes.
Fourth step, DNA molecule ligation
In this stage of ligation, a cut segment of DNA and the vector are joined together using the DNA ligase enzyme.
Fifth step, Inserting Recombinant DNA Into the Host
In this stage, the recombinant DNA is introduced into a recipient host cell. This process is known as transformation. Under ideal circumstances, after being incorporated into the host cell, recombinant DNA replicates and is expressed as the produced protein. This can be done in a variety of methods, as previously mentioned in Tools of recombinant DNA technology. The effectively transformed cells or organisms transfer the recombinant gene to the progeny.
Application of recombinant DNA technology
- DNA technology can also be used to detect HIV in an individual.
- Hereditary illnesses are caused by genetic defects, which can be fixed by gene therapy.
- Recombinant technology is used in clinical diagnosis; ELISA is one example.
- Recombinant DNA technology is frequently used in agriculture to develop genetically modified species like Flavr Savr tomatoes, protein-rich golden rice, Bt-cotton to protect the plant against ball worms, and many others.
- The pharmaceutical sector uses recombinant DNA technology to create insulin.
Everything You Should Know About Recycling Organic Waste
Everything You Should Know About Recycling Organic Waste
Organic wastes are materials that are produced by living organisms, such as plants, animals and bacteria, and which can break down into more fundamental organic components.
Organic waste generated in nature through a variety of processes can exist in either a solid or liquid state. Solid organic waste is typically regarded as organic-biodegradable trash and has a moisture level of between 80 and 85 percent. Organic waste is most frequently produced by industrial items, domestic chores, and agriculture. Among the examples of biodegradable or organic waste are green waste such as food waste, food-soiled paper, non-hazardous wood waste, landscaping trash, and pruning waste.
Despite the fact that the majority of organic waste in the soil contributes nutrients and minerals for soil fertility and plant growth, improper disposal techniques may seriously harm the ecosystem. However, the idea of managing and recycling organic waste has just recently been introduced. Organic wastes have historically been a significant contributor to environmental contamination. The following are a few of the typical types of organic waste that are typically found in nature.
- Urban Solid Waste
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- Urban solid waste is made up of the more typical trash that we produce every day, such as packaging from products, grass clippings, bottles, furniture, clothing, and food scraps. They also include garbage from appliances, paint, newspapers, and batteries.
- These wastes are produced by enterprises, schools, hospitals, and residential areas.
- Animal Waste
- Animal wastes having an animal origin, such as cattle feces, can be used to obtain organic materials in excellent amounts.
- With a high concentration of micro and macronutrients for crop growth and soil fertility, cattle dung is another crucial soil fertilizer.
- Two examples of the organic waste that cattle create are manure and feed. The total volume of organic wastes having an animal origin increases with the addition of pig and poultry wastes.
- Trashed Food
- About 30% of all organic waste produced by natural and artificial processes is made up of food waste.
- Peelings, cores, leaves, fruits, twigs, outer skins, and sludge are a few examples of food waste.
- The primary producers of food waste are residential areas, hotels, and restaurants, as well as the canning, freezing, and fruit-drying sectors.
What is the recycling of organic waste?
When organic wastes are recycled or turned into valuable material using various recycling techniques, it is referred to as managing organic waste. Recycling organic garbage has become more important as waste management has become a growing problem in most major cities.
The majority of trash produced in nature is organic, and because of its high moisture content, they have a direct impact on the living systems of cities. The excessive moisture content causes an overall load of trash disposal since it increases waste volume while lowering incinerator temperatures. Numerous therapy techniques and practices have been developed and used globally to address these problems. Microorganisms can be used to manage organic waste in a way that also increases soil fertility as it is disposed of. The wastes are put through several treatments as part of the recycling process for organic waste, which turns them into compost or vermicompost, which can be used as natural fertilizers. One of the most accessible and efficient options for managing organic waste is biological treatment. These processes maximize waste component recovery and recycling. The fundamental goal of organic waste recycling is to establish a cycle that can be broken down into usable organic manure or fertilizer by the biodegradable portion of organic waste.
Strategies for recycling organic waste
There are various techniques for recycling organic waste, and each one can be utilized for a specific kind of trash to create an organic material that is valuable in some way. Below are some of the typical techniques:
Animal Chow
- One of the most well-liked and efficient methods for recycling organic waste is to feed cattle and other animals with agricultural and food waste.
- You can recycle trash quickly and cheaply by feeding it to animals.
- People can reach out to farms and offer them their kitchen waste so the animals can consume it.
- Directly feeding organic garbage to animals, however, may cause a number of health issues for those animals.
- As a result, some countries, notably the US, have passed legislation regulating the amount and type of food that is given to animals.
- Fruits and vegetables produce less methane when recycled into animal feed, which reduces pressure on landfills and eliminates the need to transform organic waste into other forms of trash.
- As a result, farmers do not have to purchase additional animal feed, which ultimately benefits the economy.
- Composting
- When organic matter is decomposed, soil organisms operate on it to cause nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and other soil nutrients to be recycled into humus-rich components. This process is known as composting.
- When moisture levels and biological heat generation are ideal, composting is an aerobic process that occurs.
- Even though all organic material can be composted, some items, such as wood chips and paper, take far longer than food and agricultural wastes to break down.
- To promote aeration in the composting process, some amount of woodchips is necessary.
- Composting is a multi-step process that starts with the composting stage and is followed by a stabilization stage to create a final stable product that can be applied to the soil.
- There are various composting methods, from low-tech, inexpensive bin composting to high-tech, expensive reactor systems.
- Bins for composting simple kitchen waste and yard trimmings are best used in homes. The length of time it takes for the process to be finished is one of the main problems with compost bins.
- To produce huge quantities of compost for industrial uses, massive reactors with an automated supply of oxygen and moisture are used for large-scale composting.
- Digestion Without Oxygen
- Since anaerobic digestion is an efficient method for producing renewable energy and processing materials with a high moisture content and a lot of energy, it has been proposed as a substitute for landfilling and incineration.
- During the anaerobic digestion process, anaerobic bacteria convert a variety of biomass and other organic wastes into biogas and nutrient-rich residue that can be used for agriculture.
- The biogas produced by anaerobic digestion contains trace amounts of methane, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and hydrogen sulfide.
- Compared to previous procedures, this method may be able to use a much larger range of substrates, including contaminated and substrates with high moisture content.
- Some of the substrates that are widely used for anaerobic digestion include wastewater, sewage sludge, and animal dung.
- Rendering
- Animal waste tissues are transformed into stable and usable forms, such as feed protein, during the rendering process.
- Fat tissues, bones, and animal carcasses are heated to a high temperature of roughly 130°C during the rendering process, and then they are pressed to kill microorganisms.
- Rendering can be done on an industrial and kitchen size.
- Non-animal products can also sometimes be reduced down to create pulps.
- The solid byproducts of rendering can be used in pet food items and the fat can be contributed to the production of soap in various ways.
- However, there are significant drawbacks to rendering, such as the fact that waste materials like blood cannot be entirely degraded.
- Accelerated Thermophilic Digestion
- By activating fermenting microorganisms at high temperatures, rapid thermophilic digestion is the process of fermenting organic wastes quickly.
- Compared to a typical biodigester, a rapid thermophilic digester operates six to ten times more quickly.
- The feedstock is fed into a thermophilic digester while air is pushed through it to promote the development of aerobic bacteria.
- Thermophilic digestion is an exothermic process that maintains a thermophilic state between 55 and 65 degrees Celsius.
- A biofertilizer produced via quick thermophilic digestion can be applied to the soil to improve soil fertility.
- The wastewater sector uses thermophilic aerobic digestion the most frequently to
treat sewage sludges.
The mechanism and general steps of the recycling of organic waste
The collecting of waste materials, which are subsequently put through a number of procedures to create a usable form of organic matter, is the first step in the whole process of recycling organic waste. The general steps/mechanism of recycling organic waste can be described as follows:
- Collection
- The collecting of waste materials, which can be done on a small scale in a kitchen or on a large scale in enterprises, is the first stage in the management of organic waste and recycling.
- In order to transport the waste to the recycling location, a sufficient volume of waste material must be collected in the suitable bags.
- When organic waste is composted, it is gathered in a pit, and when it is digested, it is gathered inside the digester.
- Decontamination
- Decontaminating waste to prevent its negative effects is a crucial step in the recycling of organic waste.
- When handling industrial organic waste, this step is especially crucial.
- Additionally, at this process, any non-biodegradable materials like glass, plastic, and bricks should be removed.
- Preparation
- The organic waste should be prepared before being put to a recycling system.
- The preparatory technique used depends on the recycling technique type selected. For instance, while an immobilized enzyme system requires immobilized enzymes, composting requires the shredding and piling of organic waste.
- Some techniques might even need time to stabilize before recycling; in that case, the window of time should be specified.
- Process of Recycling
- A suitable recycling technique should be used depending on the type of organic waste and the desired end products.
- Anaerobic digestion should be used to recycle human wastes like sewage and feces, whereas thermophilic digesters can treat sewage.
- Selecting and evaluating
- The resultant wastes or compost are next filtered into various sizes for usage in various applications.
- Evaluation and screening are crucial depending on how the final products are used.
Benefits of recycling organic waste
Recycling organic waste has a number of benefits that aid in avoiding the issues that result from waste products building up in the environment. The following are a few typical benefits or implications of recycling organic waste:
- By recycling biomass or bio waste, recycling methods like anaerobic digestion can provide energy in the form of biogas.
- Composting organic waste results in resource savings because compost can be used as a biofertilizer instead of other chemical fertilizers.
- The effectiveness of non-organic recycling is also increased by separating organic and inorganic garbage.
- One of the most significant effects of recycling organic waste is the decrease in pollution of the air, water, and land because it lessens issues like gas emissions or odor creation.
- The creation of biofertilizers through a recycling process enhances soil fertility and plant development by improving soil quality.
- The recycling of such wastes into less toxic wastes reduces such emissions, which are more likely to occur in landfills.
- The concentration of trash left over for inefficient procedures like dumping and incineration is also decreased by recycling organic wastes.
- Recycling organic debris raises the soil’s organic content, improving soil fertility and giving plants vital nutrients that increase crop output.
- The value of stabilizing organic wastes is improved nutrient content and availability for use as agricultural fertilizer. Additionally, it provides fresh, well-liked ideas like waste minimization, sustainability, and bio-based circular economies.
- Some compost that has been properly made with the right substrate functions as a biocontrol agent to prevent and manage plant diseases.
Recycling organic waste: Obstacles and Challenges
Organic waste recycling is a new and important waste recycling process, but there are a number of issues that limit its application. Some of the more obvious challenges or difficulties to recycling organic waste include the ones listed below:
- Heavy metals may build up in soil after being applied as composted recyclable trash over an extended period of time, and from there they may go up the food chain to various trophic levels.
- During the treatment process, certain classes of persistent organic pollutants, such as organochlorine insecticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and chlorinated dioxins, accumulate in solids. These substances may be toxic to higher creatures, including humans and wildlife in some instances.
- Utilizing bio-fertilizers made through procedures like composting and vermicomposting may lead to a considerable intake of hazardous metals like cadmium and lead, which could have a negative effect on both human and animal health.
- Composting, for example, produces scents that could pollute the air or be unpleasant.
- The creation of airborne microorganisms or bioaerosols caused by the microbial decomposition of organic waste could put nearby households and plant employees at risk for respiratory illnesses.
All You Need to Know About the Nasal COVID-19 Vaccine that India Has Approved
All You Need to Know About the Nasal COVID-19 Vaccine that India Has Approved
India received approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization on September 6, 2022, for the first nasal COVID-19 vaccination ever. In an emergency, it is made available with restrictions in order to help people build up their first line of defense against the coronavirus sickness. The nasal COVID-19 vaccine, created by Bharat Biotech in partnership with the University of Washington, differs from existing vaccines in that it works to battle coronavirus by eradicating the illness. Only adults aged 18 and older are eligible to get the iNCOVACC vaccine. We’ll explore if the recently created intranasal COVID-19 booster shot can fundamentally alter the fight against coronavirus.
An overview of the nasal COVID vaccine
Subcutaneous administration of vaccines is the most typical method (between the skin and the muscles). All of the COVID-19 vaccinations that have been licensed up to this point have been administered subcutaneously, frequently by injection into the upper arm, but nasal administration avoids this problem. A COVID-19 nasal vaccination or nasal spray is given to a person through the nose without the use of needles.
It makes sense to combat the virus at its entry locations because COVID-19 is an infectious disease and the virus enters the body through the mucosa (wet, squishy tissues that line the nose, mouth, lungs, and digestive tract). In order to prevent the virus in the mucosal region from inducing an immune response from cells and molecules there, scientists have developed this intranasal vaccination.
The new nasal vaccine in India is administered as drops in the nose. For those who have not received vaccinations, it will currently be given as a two-dose primary series rather than a booster shot. Now it is authorized as a booster dose.
How Effective Is the COVID-19 Nasal Vaccine?
You must first comprehend how widely used subcutaneous vaccines operate before you can comprehend how nasal vaccines operate.
Intramuscular injections of Covishield or Covaxin, for example, trigger an immune response that activates immune cells like T cells and B cells, which produce antibodies that neutralize pathogens by binding to them and preventing them from entering healthy cells, and T cells, which destroy infected cells. These antibodies and cells travel throughout the bloodstream to stop the spread of illness. However, the mucosal region lacks sufficient numbers of these cells to quickly offer protection. Since the virus spreads quickly, the person is already infected by the time these cells get to the virus’ entry sites.
Nasal vaccinations are said to be more effective at that time. Because the vaccine is injected through the nose, where the virus enters the body for the first time, it has the power to prevent infection, break the chain of transmission, and stop lung damage, as well as other negative effects.
Nasal vaccinations can also activate immune cells that linger near mucosal tissues in addition to T cells and B cells. There, B cells produce IgA, another type of antibody that is essential for eliminating infections in the airways. Additionally, the neighboring T cells will be able to recall the infections they came into contact with and will keep scouting the region where they were first discovered.
Benefits of COVID-19 Nasal Vaccines
These vaccines may prove to be game-changers in the fight against coronavirus, say specialists. The following are some of the primary attributes and advantages of the nasal coronavirus vaccine:
- By doing away with the need for needles and syringes, it can avoid some of the potential issues with mass immunization while also being less expensive.
- There will not be a reliance on qualified healthcare professionals because an intranasal injection for COVID-19 can be administered by any nurse, doctor, or even by the patient themselves.
- Low- and middle-income persons can readily use it because it is affordable.
- The nasal vaccine is very compliant and works well for both adults and children.
- This vaccination is simple to travel and store because it can be kept safely in a refrigerator and doesn’t need any special equipment.
- Just a drop into the nose is all that is required to administer this vaccine. Even those who are needle-phobic can take the vaccine without experiencing any dread.
- Additionally, it will work for fresh covid variations. This is due to how quickly and easily the vaccine’s design may be modified by simply replacing the existing spike protein with one from a new variation.
- The vaccine’s production can be scaled up to suit the rising demand on a global scale.
The nasal vaccine’s primary goal, according to the scientists who developed it, is to lessen infection. They contend that the probability of creating new COVID variations increases with the number of individuals the virus infects, keeping the pandemic alive. So, the best method to protect them is to stop the virus from spreading and break the cycle of transmission.
Cancer Stem Cells: What They Are and How to Stop a Cancer Recurrence
Cancer Stem Cells: What They Are and How to Stop a Cancer Recurrence
Cancer and recurrence are two of the most frightful phrases someone may hear in relation to themselves or a loved one. Patients frequently inquire, “Why has this cancer returned?,” or, alternatively, “How do I prevent this cancer from returning?” The cancer stem cells, often known as “cancer seeds,” are what cause cancer to return. The ability to endlessly replicate itself, which also distinguishes normal stem cells, is one of the characteristics of all malignancies.
What Stem Cells are
A distinct population of cells in our body are called stem cells. They are unique for a number of reasons. They are eternal and produce every type of cell in our body. They do not perform any specific tasks, such as the contraction of heart muscles or the processing of light by retinal cells. Instead, they are intended to learn how to create differentiated cells, which are cells that are capable of doing certain tasks. Normally, when cells divide, they produce two identical cells. But when stem cells divide, they produce two distinct cells: one that stays a stem cell and increases the stem cell population, and a daughter cell that develops into a functional cell.
Stem cells come in a variety of forms, including:
Embryonic Stem cells
The sort of stem cells that have generated so much media attention and ethical discussion are embryonic stem cells. A blastocyst, which develops four to five days after conception and a few days before implantation, contains embryonic stem cells. The embryonic stem cells start to differentiate as soon as the blastocyst implants. Because embryonic stem cells are pluripotent, they can and do develop into virtually every type of cell in the body.
Adult Stem Cells
Adult stem cells are immortal and undifferentiated (they don’t form a definite role), just like embryonic stem cells. When they divide, they create a daughter cell that develops into a functioning cell, which will replace dead cells and repair damaged tissue, as well as another stem cell (self-regenerative). Adult stem cells, also known as somatic stem cells, are present in both children and adults. These stem cells cannot differentiate into a differentiated daughter that can become any cell type, as opposed to embryonic stem cells, which can only differentiate into a small number of functional cells. Our bodies include a small number of these stem cells that act as a repair system to replace damaged older cells with new, healthy organs, muscle, bone, nerve, and blood cells.
How long have cancer stem cells been studied?
Cancer’s capacity to spread to far-off areas has, to some extent, been viewed as a seed. When Steven Paget presented his “seed and soil” theory, this understanding was established. However, a number of investigations from Park and colleagues in the early 1970s discovered that some leukemic cells could re-produce a tumor while others could not. Two experiments conducted in 1997—one by Blair and the other by Bonnet and Dick—clearly identified cancer stem cells in a line of AML cells. According to this research, some leukemic cells possessed distinctive proteins on their surface. These cells routinely formed tumors that were identical to the original tumor when they were isolated. Both in cell cultures and when injected into trained immune-deficient animals, they were able to “create” new tumors.
Since the publication of these data, researchers have discovered correlated cancer stem cells in solid tumors, such as those of the brain, breast, lung, melanoma, prostate, pancreatic, colon, gastric, and lung, among others. It is critical to understand that differentiated cancer cells cannot form a new tumor, much like how only an apple seed can create a new apple tree and not an apple leaf.
What is the origin of cancer stem cells?
Healthy somatic stem cells that have acquired genetic alterations to become malignant give rise to cancer stem cells. In some ways, they are perfectly positioned to do so because the self-renewal system is already running in them. Somatic stem cells also have a considerably greater chance of developing mutations since they live a lifetime longer than more mature cells, which only survive for a brief time. We have long believed that the transition from stem cell to differentiated cell is one-way. However, we are discovering that a differentiated cell can actually de-differentiate and turn more stem-like under specific circumstances. Not only is this possible in our bodies, but scientists have also done this successfully in lab conditions.
Radiation and chemotherapy’s impact on cancer stem cells
Radiation and chemotherapy operate by targeting flaws in quickly dividing cells. This explains some of the more severe adverse effects of radiation, including reduced blood counts, nausea, and hair loss. This is so because the regular, healthy cells that make up our hair, digestive system, and blood marrow divide quickly and are thus more susceptible to the side effects of chemotherapy or radiation. Cancer stem cells, like all stem cells, do not, however, divide quickly; in fact, they divide considerably more slowly than any other form of cell. They become resistant to radiation and chemotherapy as a result.
Cancer stem cells not only divide too slowly to be harmed by chemotherapy and radiation, but they also retain a greater number of cellular systems capable of coping with the chemical side effects of these therapies, which increases their ability for survival. Additionally, it allows them the capacity to adjust to the therapy and develop medication resistance. Even the daughter’s fully differentiated cancer cells become resistant to therapy when these drug-resistant stem cells repopulate a tumor.
Additionally, the de-dedifferentiation pathways are activated by radiation and chemotherapy damage, which results in the regression we previously discussed. We eventually produce new cancer stem cells, which are typically more aggressive due to additional mutations. Both of these therapies will also cause a process known as EMT, or epithelial to mesenchymal transition. This promotes cells to change from epithelial cells, which are connected and remain in one location, to mesenchymal cells, which are separate from other cells and have an ideal shape for mobility. Essentially, this is just another way of saying that these cells are ready to metastasize. The tumor can shrink if we simply treat the quickly dividing, differentiated cancer cells. But the seeds are still there, ready to sprout another, frequently more aggressive tumor.
Despite the information above, I want to be clear that chemotherapy does play a part in today’s cancer treatment. Just change the way we think about it. Chemotherapy typically doesn’t cure cancer since it can’t target cancer stem cells. However, it frequently causes tumors to shrink.
Recall the “seed and terrain” theory of cancer cells proposed by Paget. I prefer to compare the human body to a garden. Therefore, the question is whether the soil is ready to support healthy cells or to promote cancer cells. The terrain is essentially like this. Different chemical mediators are released by cancer cells to improve the conditions for the growth of cancer cells. Occasionally, it’s vital to remove the tumor’s bulk, therefore ignore those messages.
DO any conventional therapies address cancer stem cells?
Yes, a few is the quick answer. Keep in mind that in those initial studies conducted in 1997, the researchers discovered distinct proteins on the cell surfaces of the leukemic cancer stem cells. Imagine them as little hats that are exclusive to cancer stem cells. It turns out that these are the caps that all cancer stem cells wear. Even better, depending on the type of cancer cell, these caps may look slightly different. The fact that these surface proteins are the beginning of complex signaling cascades that are specific to stem cells is the best news, though. With healthy stem cells, these signaling pathways are frequently observed during embryonic development. Humorous names for them include hedgehog, notch, twist, and many more. There are numerous options for therapeutic intervention along these signaling pathways.
Vismodegib, which is used to treat locally invasive or metastatic basal cell carcinoma, is one of the earliest of these medications. The history of how this medicine came to be is intriguing. There were unexplained intermittent outbreaks of cyclopic lambs, or lambs born with only one eye, in the 1950s. This was methodically linked to the early-pregnancy grazing of sheep on Veratrum californicum, or corn lily. This resulted in the identification of the substance causing this birth abnormality, the steroid alkaloid cyclopamine. Over thirty years of research later, it was discovered that cyclopamine interfered with the hedgehog signaling system, which is found in stem cells during the early stages of embryonic development. Based on cyclopamine’s capacity to block the hedgehog signaling pathway, vismodegib was developed.
Another prominent medication that targets breast cancer stem cells is Herceptin, which is used to treat Her2 positive breast cancer. Her2, a protein on the surface of cells, functions as a growth factor receptor. Prior to the development of Herceptin (Trastuzumab), cancer cells that expressed high levels of the Her2 protein receptor were aggressive and challenging to treat, which makes sense given that growth factors hasten the growth of organisms. But now that Herceptin is available, finding a positive Her2 marker is good news because Herceptin kills cancer stem cells as well as differentiated cancer cells.
Herbal Allies
The fact that pharmacological medicines frequently have potent negative side effects makes using them to treat cancer stem cells difficult. For instance, in the vismodegib research from 2017 that we previously discussed, more than half of the individuals stopped taking the medication because of unpleasant side effects. Herbs can help with this. Numerous studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of herbs on cancer stem cells. Curcumin, Resveratrol, Green tea, and Quercetin are the most frequently mentioned. Boswellia, Holy Basil, Honokiol, Milk Thistle, Ginseng, and numerous other herbs come next.
Recall how earlier we discussed signaling cascades? What does that even mean? In our bodies, a signaling cascade functions like a crazy Rube Goldberg machine where one protein changes another, which changes something else, ultimately altering how our DNA is processed. Returning to vismodegib, let’s discuss how it affects the Hedgehog signaling cascade. Notably, Curcumin, Resveratrol, Quercetin, and Green Tea all share this property. Drugs only strongly affect one signaling cascade, which frequently results in negative side effects. Herbs, on the other hand, frequently have a milder impact on a variety of signaling cascades, which results in less side effects.
One (or more) of three issues exist in cancers: the accelerator, or growth and division, is pressed too hard; the brakes, or inhibitors, aren’t functioning; or the signal to stop, or immortality, isn’t transmitted. Herbs are frequently used to target specific cancer stem cell pathways, such as hedgehog, notch, twist, etc., as well as to ease up on the growth accelerator and tighten the brakes. Our top four have outstanding anti-inflammatory, anti-irregular angiogenesis (new blood vessels growing to feed a tumor) inhibitory, anti-cancer cell stemness, anti-cancer cell death, and anti-metastatic efficacy properties.
Intervention with Nutrition
Nutrition also plays a significant part in influencing cancer stem cells in a favorable way, in addition to herbs. There is excellent research on soy’s genistein, honey’s and propolis’ chrysin, and broccoli’s and especially broccoli sprouts’ sulforaphane. Flavones, anthocyanins, and other phytochemicals from fruits and vegetables have long been known to protect and fight cancer.
Autophagy and Apoptosis
The final topic I want to briefly discuss is autophagy and apoptosis. Our bodies are built to know when our proteins and cells need to be recycled or destroyed due to damage. In essence, autophagy and apoptosis are processes by which our systems neatly tie up damaged proteins (autophagy) and even whole cells (apoptosis) into bundles that may either be broken down and utilized for parts or removed. Both cancer stem cells and cancer cells inhibit these processes. It turns out that essentially restarting this process is an efficient strategy to combat cancer stem cells. Numerous of the herbs and nutrients we discussed, including curcumin, green tea, resveratrol, and sulforaphane, also accomplish this. However, fasting is yet another effective strategy to promote apoptosis and autophagy. It has been demonstrated that 24-hour fasts and intermittent fasting, which lengthens the time between meals, both promote autophagy and apoptosis.
Cancer Stem Cells
A tumor was once thought to be homogeneous, made up of only one type of cell type that had continually grown. Currently, it is known that at least two of the cell types seen in tumors are cancer stem cells (CSC) and fully-grown cancer cells. All of the characteristics that spring to mind when we think of cancer cells are present in the differentiated cancer cells, including rapid growth, rapid division, abnormal cell shape, and involvement in the development of an inflammatory milieu that supports the disease. Cancer stem cells resemble both somatic and embryonic cancer stem cells in many ways. They also self-renew, are immortal, and give rise to daughter cells that can develop into tumor cells. CSCs divide much more slowly than conventional cancer cells, and they also keep more cellular machinery in place. Drug resistance, metastasis, recurrence, and tumor genesis are all caused by cancer stem cells.