Ip6

What it is.

IP-6, a promising anticancer compound sold as a nutritional supplement, is a combination of inositol (a B vitamin) and phytic acid, also known as inositol hexaphosphate

IP6 is a sugar molecule with six phosphates attached. It occurs naturally in nature in such diverse things as wheat, rice bran, legumes and even in nearly all mammal cells. It helps to regulate cellular functions, particularly cell differentiation and proliferation.

Side Effects:
IP6 can interfere with iron absorption, thus it should only be taken under medical supervision. People with cancer or immune-related illnesses should talk to their specialist before taking IP6.*

Dose

• The effects of IP6 are dose dependent.
• Dose should be taken on an empty stomach
• Information on doses vary shown below
• Must talk to mums doc re side effects

• For daily prevention, from 2 to 4 capsules (230mg each) per day in two divided doses is sufficient. Those at high risk for cancer, fatty liver, kidney stones, etc should take from 4 to 8 per day in two divided doses. Anyone with an active case of cancer should take from 10 to 16 capsules per day in two divided doses. All doses should be taken on an empty stomach.

• Toxicity studies (dating back to 1958) showed that a daily dose of 9 grams of IP-6 for 3 years resulted in only beneficial side effects, including lesser incidences of kidney stones and fatty liver, as well as lower cholesterol levels. It is important to note that IP-6 does not kill the cell, as most anticancer agents do; thus, hair loss and immune suppression does not occur. A suggested dosage of 1-3 grams a day is adequate for most individuals. For those requiring larger doses, a powder is available (1 scoop twice daily equals 16 capsules, supplying about 6.4 grams of Ip-6).

• In patients with cancer or at high risk for cancer, experts recommend a dose in the range of 4,800 - 7,200 mg IP6 along with 1,200 - 1800 mg inositol. This should be taken on an empty stomach.

Pubmed Articles Background and conclusion:

Article 1

·     Tantivejkul K,

·     Vucenik I,

·     Shamsuddin AM.

BACKGROUND: The anti-cancer agent inositol hexaphosphate (IP6) is an abundant intrinsic component of both plant and mammalian cells. In addition to inducing differentiation and inhibiting growth of numerous cancer cell lines in vitro, IP6 has been demonstrated to prevent and abrogate both primary tumor and metastasis in vivo.

CONCLUSION: The results of this study show that IP6 inhibits the metastasis of human breast cancer cells in vitro through effects on cancer cell adhesion, migration and invasion.

PMID: 14666663 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Article 2

·     Tantivejkul K,

·     Vucenik I,

·     Shamsuddin AM.

BACKGROUND: We have shown that inositol hexaphosphate (IP6), a natural compound and a potent anti-cancer agent, inhibited cancer cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, thereby leading to inhibition of cell migration and invasion. Cell adhesion to ECM is mediated by specific cell surface integrins, which transduce intracellular signals through their interaction and activation of other proteins that are recruited to the focal adhesion. We hypothesize that IP6 decreases cell adhesion by suppressing the integrin receptors and their subsequent signaling pathway.

CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that IP6-induced inhibition of cancer cell adhesion, migration and invasion may be mediated through the modulation of integrin dimerization, cell surface expression and integrin-associated signaling pathway.

PMID: 14666664 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Article 3

·     Tantivejkul K,

·     Vucenik I,

·     Eiseman J,

·     Shamsuddin AM.

Background

The current treatment of breast carcinomas recognizes the importance of combination therapy in order to increase efficacy and decrease side effects of conventional chemotherapy. Inositol hexaphosphate (IP6), a naturally occurring polyphosphorylated carbohydrate, has shown a significant anti-cancer effect in various in vivo and in vitro models, including breast cancer. In this study, we investigated the in vitro growth inhibitory activity of IP6 in combination with adriamycin or tamoxifen, against three human breast cancer cell lines: estrogen receptor (ER) alpha-positive MCF-7, ER alpha-negative MDA-MB 231 and adriamycin-resistant MCF-7 (MCF-7/Adr)

Conclusion

Our data not only confirm that IP6 alone inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells; but it also acts synergistically with adriamycin or tamoxifen, being particularly effective against ER alpha-negative cells and adriamycin-resistant cell lines.

General Research

·        IP-6 activates natural killer cells, amazing cells that work without antibody participation (Baten et al. 1989).

·        IP-6 decreases cellular proliferation (Sakamoto et al. 1993; Shamsuddin et al. 1989a). Normally, cells divide in a well-ordered fashion, with worn-out cells replaced with new, healthy cells. When regulatory control is lost, excess growth occurs and cancer can develop. Illustrative of its potential, IP-6 reduced large intestinal cancer (by regulating cell proliferation) in F344 rats even when the treatment was begun 5 months after carcinogenic induction (Shamsuddin et al. 1989b).

·        IP-6 promotes differentiation of cancer cells, that is, an unspecialized, atypical cell structure assumes the likeness of the tissue of origin, indicating the virulence of the malignancy is waning (Yang et al. 1995). IP-6 was shown to inhibit growth and induce differentiation in HT-29 human colon cancer cells, making it valuable as an adjunctive treatment in colon cancer. IP-6 also strongly inhibited growth and induced differentiation in human prostate cancer cells (PC-3) in both in vitro and in vivo studies (Shamsuddin et al. 1995).

·        Dr. A. Shamsuddin, research scientist and professor of pathology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, explains that one of IP-6's cousins (IP-3, i.e., inositol with three phosphates) is a signal transduction molecule, meaning it relays messages to the cell. If the cell is exposed to a cancer-causing agent, a signal is transported from outside the cell into the cell (most probably to the nucleus) so the cell knows how to react to that particular stimulant. Since IP-3 is a "send" molecule and IP-6 is related to IP-3, but in a higher phosphorylated form, it is very possible that IP-6 could work against all varieties of cancer cells. To date, IP-6 has been effective against every cancer cell tested (Shamsuddin et al. 1997; Grases et al. 2002).

·        After inducing cancer in laboratory animals, IP-6 (administered orally, by injection at the site of the tumor, or intraperitoneally) resulted in tumors two-thirds smaller than the controls. As tumors reduced in size, survival rate increased (Shamsuddin et al. 1989b).

·        IP-6 increases expression of the tumor suppressor gene p53 by up to 17-fold. p53 acts on cells under stress, such as those with DNA damage, reducing proliferation and encouraging apoptosis. When cancer arises, a mutation in p53 is commonly involved. Lastly, since loss of p53 function increases cancer cells' resistance to chemotherapeutic agents, the stimulating action of IP-6 on p53 makes it an attractive adjuvant chemotherapeutic agent as well (Shamsuddin et al. 1997; Saied et al. 1998).

·        Toxicity studies (dating back to 1958) showed that a daily dose of 9 grams of IP-6 for 3 years resulted in only beneficial side effects, including lesser incidences of kidney stones and fatty liver, as well as lower cholesterol levels. It is important to note that IP-6 does not kill the cell, as most anticancer agents do; thus, hair loss and immune suppression does not occur. A suggested dosage of 1-3 grams a day is adequate for most individuals. For those requiring larger doses, a powder is available (1 scoop twice daily equals 16 capsules, supplying about 6.4 grams of Ip-6).

·        Recent studies show that as the intake of high fiber cereal diets increase, breast cancer rates fall. Inositol hexaphosphate (IP6) is abundant in cereals, legumes, and seeds. Experiments demonstrate a reproducible and striking anti-cancer action of IP6. It therefore appears that IP6 is one of the components, if not the most active ingredient, of high fiber cereal diet responsible for cancer inhibition. A study investigated a) whether dietary fiber containing high IP6 shows an inhibition of artificially induced breast cancer, and b) if pure IP6 is more active as a cancer preventive agent, compared to that in the diet. Results showed that supplemental dietary fiber in the form of bran exhibited a modest, statistically nonsignificant inhibitory effect. In contrast, animals given IP6 in drink showed significant reduction in tumor numbers. Therefore, pure IP6 is definitively more effective than a high fiber diet in preventing experimental mammary tumors. Thus, for cancer prevention, prophylactic intake of IP6 may be not only more effective, but also more practical than gorging on large quantities of fiber.