Medical use of squalene as a natural antioxidant

Year 2013, Volume 3, Issue 4, 220 - 228, 30.01.2014

Fatma Esra Güneş

Abstract

The aim of the present review is to emphasize the importance of squalene, a nutrient, in preventive and therapeutic medicine. Squalene is a triterpene that carries oxygen independent of the hemoglobin and it can carry oxygen directly to cell membranes throughout the body and reach the regions having low oxygen supply. Squalene has been reported to have an inhibitory effect on cancer promotion and a high anti-tumor activity; thus, it is primarily used as a supportive therapy in a variety of cancers. Epidemiological and experimental animal researches regarding squalene’s anti-cancer properties are interesting and promising. However, these properties of squalene should be supported by further extensive trials in humans.

Key words: Squalene, triterpene, cytotoxic activity, anti-tumor activity, skin disease, cholesterol metabolism

Keywords

Squalene, triterpene, cytotoxic activity, anti-tumor activity, skin disease, cholesterol metabolismMÜSBED 2013;3(4):220-228Derleme / Review

Doğal bir antioksidan olarak skualenin medikal kullanımı

Abstract

Bu derlemenin amacı, koruyucu ve tedavi edici tıp içerisinde skualenin yerini ve önemini vurgulamaktır. Skualen bir triterpen olup, hemoglobinden bağımsız olarak oksijeni hücreye doğrudan taşıyarak tüm vücuda ulaştırabilmektedir. Skualenin kanser oluşumunu önlediği ve yüksek anti-tümör aktivitesine sahip olduğu bildirilmiştir, bu nedenle, çeşitli kanserlerin tedavi sürecinde destekleyici olarak kullanılabilmektedir. Skualenin bu konu ile ilgili epidemiyolojik ve deneysel hayvan araştırmaları ilginç ve umut vericidir. Bununla birlikte, skualenin kimyasal özellikleri nedeniyle farklı hastalıkların tedavisinde kullanılması açısından, insanlarda daha geniş çalışmalarla desteklenmesi gerekmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler : Skualen, triterpen, sitotoksik aktivite, anti-tümor aktivite, deri hastalıkları, kolesterol metabolizması

Keywords

Skualen, triterpen, sitotoksik aktivite, antitümor aktivite, deri hastalıkları, kolesterol metabolizması

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