Paolo:

Two natural agents have a plausible level of efficacy in specifically HHV-8 viral disorders, especially against Kaposi sarcoma-associated primary infusion lymphoma (PEL). I provide the references for you to explore further.

Berberine

Berberine is a naturally occurring isoquinoline alkaloid derived from Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) and has been found of benefit in vivo in a recent preclinical study [1] against primary infusion lymphoma (PEL) caused by Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpes virus/human herpes virus-8 (KSHV/HHV-8). Since independently we know that the survival and growth of PEL cells is critically dependent on nuclear factor (NF)-kB activation, a Japanese team [1] evaluated the antitumor effect of berberine, finding that cell proliferation in the PEL cell lines was inhibited, with associated apoptosis and suppression of NF-kB activity. In addition, in a xenograft PEL mouse model, berberine inhibited the growth and invasion of PEL cells significantly compared with untreated mice.

Curcumin

Curcumin does inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in a dose dependent manner in several PEL cell lines, as shown by researchers in Saudi Arabia [2], apparently via JAK-1 and STAT3 activation in PEL cells to trigger inhibition of proliferation and induction of caspase-dependent apoptosis. The pepper-derived alkaloid known as piperine is used to enhance the otherwise low bioavailability of curcuminoids in humans (look for a Sabinsa-certified product, as these were used in some of the foundational curcumin research conducted at the Cytokine Research Laboratory at MD Anderson Cancer Center, by my colleague Bharat Aggarwal.

1. Goto H, Kariya R, Shimamoto M, et al. Antitumor effect of berberine against primary effusion lymphoma via inhibition of NF-κB pathway. Cancer Sci 2012; 103(4):775-81.

2. Uddin S, Hussain AR, Manogaran PS, et al. Curcumin suppresses growth and induces apoptosis in primary effusion lymphoma. Oncogene 2005 Oct 27; 24(47):7022-30.

Constantine Kaniklidis

Director of Medical Research,

No Surrender Breast Cancer Foundation (NSBCF)

European Association for Cancer Research (EACR)

The citation is welcome, thanks Joachim!

Although preliminary and without - as yet - in vivo confirmation, nonetheless your point is well taken that there is intriguing provisional data supporting the potential benefit of licorice-derived glycyrrhizic acid against HHV-8/PEL cells, and I would add to your (Joachim's) citation, this later (2011) in vitro preclinical study from Kang and Lieberman [Kang H, Lieberman PM. Mechanism of glycyrrhizic acid inhibition of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus: disruption of CTCF-cohesin-mediated RNA polymerase II pausing and sister chromatid cohesion. J Virol 2011; 85(21):11159-69] on the inhibitory effect of glycyrrhizic acid on KSHV (Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus) [1], which acknowledges and builds upon the earlier NIH study Joachim cited.

I work with licorice in integrative oncology, so I will note a caution, the reason I have not included licorice in the above suggestions: it is unlikely that this could be deployed in the human clinical setting because of the well-known powerful and dangerous (sufficient for all non-modified licorice-based confections to be removed from the market, leaving only artificial licorice-flavored forms due to hypertensive emergencies, renaltoxicity and several deaths, especially among children) pro-hypertensive effects of the glycyrrhizic acid component of licorice in humans when consumed in physiological levels. The only safe form of pharmaceutical licorice is known as DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice), where glycyrrhizic acid (aka, glycyrrhizin) is removed (note: I do use an evidence-based licorice derivative in the advanced breast cancer setting, but only the licorice polyphenol component known as glabridin), so unless glycyrrhizic acid / glycyrrhizin is shown to be therapeutically active in human sub-physiological levels, safety concerns are likely to limit the potential use of glycyrrhizic acid in the human clinical setting.

Nonetheless, we cannot rule out this possibility in advance of in vivo, and then ultimately human clinical data, so these studies do remain intriguing, and thanks to Joachim for bringing this to our attention!

Constantine Kaniklidis

Director of Medical Research,

No Surrender Breast Cancer Foundation (NSBCF)

European Association for Cancer Research (EACR)

Thnak you Constantine for your quick and must appreciated also for the related detail.

I knew berberine for other aspect. One of my naturopath frien suggest me to search about curcuma and piper as you give me, but I hope to found also some natural remedy to inhibit in a specific way on of more enzymes of the virus HHV-8 itself, anyway your data are very useful for me. I heard also about the essential oli of eucaliptus chemotype kriptone, I think that this kind of complete remedies can resolve many problem in the future, for example the much critical one of antibiotic resistance, which as you surely know take to the die of much people in the hospital. I hope the research in the future skip the stage of the check of each compound in the natural remedies, since the essential oils, for example they are very much (near 100!), then you can refer to the reaserch of aromaterapeutic people and reasearch to have the exact percentage of each kind of chemical family included in an essential oil used for a study. Let me know overall about the research you knew about oe of eucaliptus ct kriptone, for my side I can give you the name of some reasearch on eo...

Searching pubmed.org, on "curcumin and lymphoma" should get you on the trail of helpful studies. All studies I am aware of rely on high blood levels, which are easy to achieve in mice, who absorb oral curcumin well; but humans aborb it poorly. Also oral curcumin can suppress platelet production.

Thank you Lee for your reference, I will search about surely... :-D

To look for natural compounds,

http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-75152008000200008

Thank you Ana Maria. I was looking for a specific antiviral activity versus the 8th type of herpes virus (HHV-8 = human herpes virus 8) which is oncogen, and I'm searching about cancer topic...anyway thank you to have me given the possibility to see this cuban research and sit :-D Have a good life ;-D

try medium chain triglycerides as in coconut oil. Belived to have wide antiviral activity

Thank you very much Nigel, a naturopath give me this same reference to treat the SLA (multiple sclerosis)!