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Cancer is a major cause of death worldwide. Although nowadays most cancer prognosis tend to be more and more optimistic due to earlier diagnosis, improved knowledge and technological advances, the overall incidence rate of cancer is still progressing. At the cellular level, tumors have strategies to sustain their growth and escape treatment attempts. Through the coordinated action of growth factors and proteolytic enzymes, cancer cells command the expansion of the vascular bed in order to ensure delivery of those nutriments essential to their growth. The process is know as angiogenesis and relies on the production of the vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) and activation of some matrix metalloproteinases (MMP). Angiogenesis once established provides escaping ways through which some cancer cells can migrate to form new colonies at distant sites. Chemotherapy is most commonly used to fight cancer. Chemotherapeutic agents (CA) are aimed at cilling the rapidly growing cancer cells by interfering with major intracellular mechanisms essential for cell division. Unfortunately, CA have limited potential for cancer cure due to the development of chemotherapeutic drug resistance. Some cancer cells express pumps (P-gp) on their surface which can actively extrude the CA and so allow cells to escape death. In order to win the battle over cancer we should thus use multiple strategies. Starving cells by preventing angiogenesis is a promising avenue and is the focus of intense clinical research. Preventing the development of drug resistance by diverting P-gp pumps activity is another inventive alternative. The Liquid Cartilage Extract (LCE) and the Chemotherapy Active Support Technology (CAST) are all-natural diet supplementations carefully formulated to provide extensive support to standard therapy. The LCE inhibits activation of MMP activity and opposes activation of signalling events trigger by VEGF. These two actions of LCE are most probably at the basis of the growth inhibition observed in vitro when endothelial cells are cultured in its presence. The CAST product is a potent inhibitor of P-gp pump activity in cell culture assays and inactivating P-gp pumps in the presence of CAST was shown to optimize CA accumulation in cancer cells. Moreoyer, CAST also showed inhibitory activity towards MMP. By blocking VEGF signalling and MMP activity, LCE and CAST shall prevent the development of angiogenesis normally driven by cancer cells. This would minimize the tumor size and prevent formation of metastasis. By paralysing P-gp pumps action, CAST shall additionally maintain the cancer cells sensitivity to CA. Taken together, LCE and CAST have complementary actions that may support and optimize any standard therapy.
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