Summary of Research Findings

Antioxidant Research (continued)
18. Title
Oxygen Free Radical (OFR) Scavenging Effects of an Anti-Carcinogenic Natural Product, Maharishi Amrit Kalash
Publication
The Pharmacologist, Vol. 32, No. 3, p. 155, 1990 (Abstract).
Authors
Jeremy Z. Fields, Paresh A. Rawal, John F. Hagen, Todd Ing, R. Keith Wallace, Philip F. Tomlinson, and Robert H.
Schneider.
Conducted at
Res. and Med. Svcs., VA Hosp., Hines, IL 60141
Depts. of Pharmacol. and Med., Loyola Univ. Med. Sch., Maywood, IL 60153
Dept. of Physiology, Maharishi Int’l. Univ., Fairfield, IA 52556
Summary
Recently H. Sharma et al (Pharm Bioch Behav, 35:767-773, 1990) showed that MAK, an herbal mixture
derived from 15 different plants, prevents and even reverses chemically induced breast tumors in rats. Although
the chemical constituents are not yet known, we hypothesized that MAK might contain one or more scavengers
of OFR. Aqueous extracts of MAK (5g + 10 ml H 2 0), or superoxide dismutase (SOD), or vehicle were added at
various dilutions to suspensions of [1] human neutrophils (PMN; 1 x 10 6 cells) prior to stimulation (by phorbol
myristate acetate) or [2] xanthine/xanthine oxidase. Superoxide (SO) was monitored via reduction of ferricytochrome
C followed at 550 nm. Like SOD, MAK was able to completely scavenge SO and MAK did not compromise
the viability (trypan blue exclusion) or respiration (O 2 utilization) of PMNs. Thus, the anti-oxidant properties
of MAK may contribute to its anti-carcinogenic properties.
Study 18 Research Highlights
Aqueous extracts of MAK added at various dilutions to suspensions of human neutrophils (PMNs) were able
to completely scavenge superoxide and did not compromise the viability or respiration of PMNs. Thus, the
anti-oxidant properties of MAK may contribute to its anti-carcinogenic properties.
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