The use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) has been significantly increasing over the past several years. One reason that people turn to CAM is for the prevention of serious diseases such as colorectal cancer (CRC). CRC is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the US, and thus determining specific therapies that can reduce its occurrence would be greatly beneficial. Currently, it has been shown that habitual use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) reduces the risk of CRC by 50%, but is also associated with a number of serious adverse side effects. This study seeks to evaluate herbal supplements that may have the benefits of NSAIDs without the side effects. Since NSAIDs are proposed to work by modulating prostaglandin synthesis via inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes, herbals with these same potential mechanisms are to be studied. Ginseng and ginkgo biloba, two of the most commonly used supplements, have demonstrated similarities with many common NSAIDs. Thus, these two herbals are to be thoroughly studied for their chemopreventive properties by their ability to modify COX and alter the levels of proliferation and apoptosis in human CRC cells. Furthermore, since conservative estimates indicate that 50% of cancer patients utilize CAM, it is important to determine any interactions between their treatment and CAM. Thus, this study also will examine the chemotherapeutic drug 5-fluoruracil (5-FU) with ginseng and ginkgo. The effects of these supplements will be compared to pharmaceutical NSAIDs as well as curcumin, an herbal with known chemopreventive and anti-inflammatory properties. Finally, the in vivo activities of these compounds will be determined in the clinically relevant APCMin/+ mouse model.
