Wednesday Dec 31, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new study published in the Jan 1, 2009 issue of Clinical Cancer Research suggests that grape seed extracts may be chemo- protective against leukemia.

The study led by Xianglin Shi, Ph.D. at the University of Kentucky and colleagues showed that 76 percent of laboratory leukemia cells died within 24 hours of exposure to an extract of grape seeds.

The researchers found that the grape seed extract, which is commercially available, exerted the anti-cancer effect by activating a protein called JNK, which regulates the JNK -involved apoptotic pathway.

The activated JNK led to up-regulation of Cip/p21, which controls the cell cycle. When the JNK gene was silenced, the extract became ineffective.

The extract was found to have no effect on the healthy cells.

Early studies have suggested that grape seed extracts may be chemo- preventative against a number of cancers including skin, breast, colon, lung, stomach and prostate cancer.

The current study was believed to be the first to test a grape seed extract in hematological cancers.

Hematological cancers including leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma were diagnosed in an estimated 118,310 people and killed 54,000 in 2006. The cancers are the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States.