Monday Dec 2, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- A study in Journal of Ethnopharmacology suggests that Selaginella tamariscina extract may be used to treat lung cancer.

The study led by Yih Shou Hsieh from Chung Shan Medical University in Taichung, Taiwan and colleagues shows Selaginella tamariscina extract can not only inhibit metastatic activities of lung cancer cells  both in vitro and in vivo ,meaning that this herbal supplement may help stop lung cancer from spreading to other organs.

Selaginella tamariscina is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine indicated for the treatment of chronic trachitis and it has been known to have some anti-tumor activity.   But the study was the first to reveal the anti-metastasis effects of Selaginella tamariscina in the lung cancer.

For the study, highly metastatic A549 and Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells were treated with the Selaginella tamariscina extracts in different doses to examine the invasion and motility of cancer cells.

The researchers found the Selaginella tamariscina extract decreased the expressions of matrix metalloproteinase-2, -9 and urokinase plasminogen activator in a dose dependent manner in both A549 and LLC cells while tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 were found increased in the A549 cell. 

In addition, the Selaginella tamariscina extract was found to inhibit the growth and metastasis of LLC cells in vivo.

The researchers concluded "These results demonstrated that STE (Selaginella tamariscina extract ) could be a candidate antimetastatic agent against lung cancer." (David Liu, PHD)