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Mesothelioma, Treatments Are More Effective Thanks To Grape Seeds

In Italy it represents 0.4% of all malignancies diagnosed in men and 0.2% of those diagnosed in women.

The study was born from the collaboration between ENEA, CNR and the "Federico II" University of Naples

Mesothelioma is a tumor that arises from the cells that line the mesothelium. It is a fabric that covers the surface of the serous membranes which, in turn, line the inner wall of the chest, abdomen and space around the heart. Depending on the affected area, the mesothelium takes on different names. The main risk factor for this disease is exposure to asbestos. 

This term indicates a family of minerals rather common in nature with a fibrous structure very resistant to heat. Its fibers, if inhaled, settle in the lungs and can damage the mesothelial cells causing, in some cases, pleural cancer. Other less common risk factors are exposure to zeolites with erionitis, radiation to the chest and abdomen, thorium injections (used in medicine until 1950). 

According to some studies, the SV40 virus infection is also indicted. Mesothelioma symptoms are initially unspecific and therefore are ignored or interpreted as signs of other more common and less serious ailments. The most typical manifestations of pleural mesothelioma include: pain in the lower back or on one side of the chest, cough, fever, tiredness, shortness of breath, muscle weakness, weight loss and difficulty in swallowing.

A new perspective in the fight against this disease derives from a study born from the collaboration between ENEA, CNR and the "Federico II" University of Naples and published in the Journal of Functional Foods. The researchers managed to demonstrate that within the grape seeds (commonly called grape seeds) there are molecules capable of blocking the growth of the malignant cells of mesothelioma. Furthermore, the same molecules would prove useful in strengthening common anticancer therapies, for example chemotherapy. 

The analyzes, in particular, were carried out on the grape seeds of the Aglianico and Falanghina grapes, both typical of Campania. According to the molecular survey conducted at the Agriculture Department of UNINA, especially the seeds of the Aglianico grape are rich in proanthocyanins with a strong antioxidant power. Falanghina grape seed extract managed to reduce the viability of cancer cells by 30% after 24 hours. That of Aglianico grape seeds, instead, of 40%.

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