Catalytic therapy of cancer with ascorbate and extracts of medicinal herbs.

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 and Department of Cancer Biology and Pharmacology, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Peoria, IL 61605, USA. Abstract Catalytic therapy (CT) is a cancer treatment modality based on the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) using a combination of substrate molecules and a catalyst. The most frequently used substrate/catalyst pair is ascorbate/Co phthalocyanine (PcCo). indicating that the treatment protocol was highly effective in suppressing DNA synthesis and potentially reflecting DNA damage in the tumor cells. Our results suggest that herbal extracts can function as CT catalysts in the treatment of cancer.