Positive Health Online

Abstract

CURRIER and MILLER, Department of Anatomy and Cell biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, studied the effect of immunization with killed tumour cells, with and without feeding of Echinacea purpurea, on erythroleukaemic mice .

Background

Tumour amelioration through immunization/vaccination is a practice for which experimental and clinical support is growing . Combination therapies prove to be more efficient than treatment with single agents.

Methodology

Extract of E. Purpurea, a natural killer cell stimulant, was fed for periods of 9 days or 3 months after the onset of leukaemia to mice which had been immunized 5 weeks earlier with killed leukaemia cells .

Results

Immunized mice had a significantly prolonged life-span compared to non-immunized mice. An even greater proportion of mice in the E. purpurea group survived . Natural killer cells were very significantly elevated in mice receiving E. purpurea extract.

Conclusion

The results demonstrate that combination therapy involving specific tumour cell immunization followed by daily phytotherapy sensitized the immune cells and led to greatly enhanced life span as compared to immunization alone.

References

Currier NL, Miller SC. The effect of immunization with killed tumor cells, with/without feeding of Echinacea purpurea in an erythroleukemic mouse model. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 8 (1): 49-58, Feb 2002.