By Eulalee Thompson, Staff Reporter 
LABORATORY STUDIES by Northern Caribbean University (NCU) scientists indicate that the common household condiment, garlic, has some anti-cancer properties which in the future could be used as a cure for cancer. The scientists, whose research has been accepted for publication an international medical journal, say that garlic acts by repressing or inhibiting the synthesis of protein in cancer cells.
In in vitroexperiments, garlic solution has been shown to dramatically slow down the viability of the cancer cells. The potent ingredient, allicin, which gives garlic its pungent smell, according to Christian Nwaukwa, NCU's molecular biologist, is the main gateway to all the benefits of garlic.
"Garlic smells bad because of its molecular structure but if people could get exposed enough to garlic, it will help to prevent cancerous conditions... (It) has serious effects at the molecular level, has a positive impact and could be used as a good source of cancer prevention and further research will show that it can be used in the treatment and cure of cancer," said Mr. Nwaukwa.
Mr. Nwaukwa, along with his research supervisors, Drs. Paul Gyles and Juliet Penrod, has been conducting in vitro experiments with garlic solution. Mr. Nwaukwa explained that two types of cancer cells the Hep2, which was originally isolated from the larynx of a 56-year-old Caucasian male and the LLC-MK2, isolated from the monkey kidneys, were treated with garlic solution. Normal (non-cancerous) cells (the vero cells) were used as the experimental control.
"After 24 hours, we noticed that the viability of the treated cancer cells reduced dramatically, while the viability of the vero cells had not been reduced. The viability of untreated cells remained normal, for example, the Hep2 cells grew unaided. LLC-MK2 cells were not as aggressive as the Hep2 cells," Mr. Nwaukwa said.
Not only did the cancer cells' viability reduce but the researchers noticed distinct 'morphological disparity' between treated and untreated cells, that is, they noticed a change in the nature and structure of the treated cells. Mr. Nwaukwa said that there were indications that the cancer cells, treated with garlic solution, may not survive.
The researchers were interested in the activity of certain cancer-cell proteins (which are linked to cancer proliferation). Two proteins (JNK 1 and JNK 2) were identified as present in untreated cancer cells but absent in the garlic-treated cancer cells.
Mr. Nwaukwa said, however, that while garlic appeared to inhibit the protein synthesis of cancer cells, it did not have a negative effect on normal cells (the vero cells), suggesting that the action of garlic on cells is selective. The scientists will next move their research from in vitro studies to inside body (in vivo), using mice.
So, how much garlic will produce this anti-cancer effect? Mr. Nwaukwa recommends two gloves per day, taken over a long period of time. He also said that it is more potent when it is eaten raw.
"If anyone says that you can cook garlic and get the same benefits and same potency, that's not true. The best way to eat it is to crush it and let it sit for about 10 minutes and then you can cook with it or eat it raw," he said.
