title: Integrative nanomedicine: treating cancer with nanoscale natural products.
abstract: Finding safer and more effective treatments for specific cancers remains a significant challenge for integrative clinicians and researchers worldwide. One emerging strategy is the use of nanostructured forms of drugs, vaccines, traditional animal venoms, herbs, and nutraceutical agents in cancer treatment. The recent discovery of nanoparticles in traditional homeopathic medicines adds another point of convergence between modern nanomedicine and alternative interventional strategies. A way in which homeopathic remedies could initiate anticancer effects includes cell-to-cell signaling actions of both exogenous and endogenous (exosome) nanoparticles. The result can be a cascade of modulatory biological events with antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic effects. The Banerji Protocols reflect a multigenerational clinical system developed by homeopathic physicians in India who have treated thousands of patients with cancer. A number of homeopathic remedy sources from the Banerji Protocols (eg, Calcarea phosphorica; Carcinosin-tumor-derived breast cancer tissue prepared homeopathically) overlap those already under study in nonhomeopathic nanoparticle and nanovesicle tumor exosome cancer vaccine research. Past research on antineoplastic effects of nano forms of botanical extracts such as Phytolacca, Gelsemium, Hydrastis, Thuja, and Ruta as well as on homeopathic remedy potencies made from the same types of source materials suggests other important overlaps. The replicated finding of silica, silicon, and nano-silica release from agitation of liquids in glassware adds a proven nonspecific activator and amplifier of immunological effects. Taken together, the nanoparticulate research data and the Banerji Protocols for homeopathic remedies in cancer suggest a way forward for generating advances in cancer treatment with natural product-derived nanomedicines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Community Medicine, The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson (Dr Bell), United States.
authors.forename: Iris R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.affiliation: Hahn School of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of San Diego, California, and Bastyr University - California (Dr Sarter), United States.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sarter
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, The University of Arizona (Drs Koithan), United States.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koithan
authors.affiliation: PBH Research Foundation, Kolkata, India (Drs Banerji), India.
authors.forename: Prasanta
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Banerji
authors.affiliation: PBH Research Foundation, Kolkata, India (Drs Banerji), India.
authors.forename: Pratip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Banerji
authors.affiliation: Samueli Institute, Alexandria, Virginia (Dr Jain), United States.
authors.forename: Shamini
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.affiliation: Samueli Institute, Alexandria, Virginia (Dr Ives), United States.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ives
keywords: Banerji Protocols; Cancer treatment protocols; complementary and alternative medicine; exosomes; homeopathy; hormesis; integrative medicine; nanomedicine; nanoparticles; nosodes; pulsed drug dosing
references.citation: J Nanobiotechnology. 2010 Aug 13;8:18
references.pmid: 20707919
references.citation: PLoS One. 2012;7(10):e47480
references.pmid: 23094054
references.citation: Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2008 Oct-Dec;9(4):763-9
references.pmid: 19256773
references.citation: Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys. 2011 Dec;84(6 Pt 1):061705
references.pmid: 22304107
references.citation: Homeopathy. 2013 Jan;102(1):66-81
references.pmid: 23290882
references.citation: Acc Chem Res. 2012 Nov 20;45(11):1916-26
references.pmid: 22449243
references.citation: Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 1998 Apr;22(3):511-21
references.pmid: 9612847
references.citation: J Pharm Sci. 2008 Feb;97(2):632-53
references.pmid: 17546667
references.citation: Homeopathy. 2005 Jan;94(1):26-32
references.pmid: 15751331
references.citation: Nanomedicine (Lond). 2012 Mar;7(3):335-52
references.pmid: 22385197
references.citation: Curr Med Chem. 2010;17(1):74-95
references.pmid: 19941477
references.citation: Carbohydr Res. 2011 Nov 29;346(16):2622-8
references.pmid: 21983262
references.citation: Nat Immunol. 2008 Aug;9(8):847-56
references.pmid: 18604214
references.citation: Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2010 Sep;35(1):2-16
references.pmid: 19822172
references.citation: Langmuir. 2012 Jul 24;28(29):10860-72
references.pmid: 22724385
references.citation: Int J Pharm. 2012 Oct 15;436(1-2):351-8
references.pmid: 22721849
references.citation: Integr Cancer Ther. 2012 Jun;11(2):172-82
references.pmid: 21771822
references.citation: J Clin Oncol. 2004 Apr 15;22(8):1447-53
references.pmid: 15084618
references.citation: Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2011 Jun 15;253(3):270-81
references.pmid: 21549736
references.citation: Front Genet. 2012 Oct 26;3:222
references.pmid: 23112806
references.citation: Mater Lett. 2008 Apr 15;62(10-11):1487
references.pmid: 20165549
references.citation: Expert Rev Mol Diagn. 2005 Nov;5(6):893-905
references.pmid: 16255631
references.citation: PLoS Comput Biol. 2009 Nov;5(11):e1000557
references.pmid: 19893626
references.citation: Int J Oncol. 2010 Feb;36(2):395-403
references.pmid: 20043074
references.citation: Homeopathy. 2007 Jul;96(3):163-9
references.pmid: 17678812
references.citation: Dose Response. 2012;10(1):66-74
references.pmid: 22423229
references.citation: Homeopathy. 2010 Oct;99(4):231-42
references.pmid: 20970092
references.citation: Biopolymers. 2008 Jun;89(6):555-64
references.pmid: 18253947
references.citation: Anal Biochem. 2012 Sep 1;428(1):44-53
references.pmid: 22691960
references.citation: J Pharm Sci. 2012 Aug;101(8):2952-9
references.pmid: 22674153
references.citation: Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2011;2011:286320
references.pmid: 19617203
references.citation: Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2013 Jan;65(1):80-8
references.pmid: 23036224
references.citation: Hum Exp Toxicol. 2013 Feb;32(2):120-52
references.pmid: 23060412
references.citation: Curr Drug Discov Technol. 2011 Sep;8(3):269-76
references.pmid: 21291408
references.citation: Ultrason Sonochem. 2012 May;19(3):540-5
references.pmid: 21963874
references.citation: Acc Chem Res. 2013 Mar 19;46(3):672-80
references.pmid: 22775328
references.citation: Biogerontology. 2011 Oct;12(5):437-44
references.pmid: 21380847
references.citation: Cancer. 2001 Aug 1;92(3):684-90
references.pmid: 11505416
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Oct 23;109(43):17336-41
references.pmid: 23045634
references.citation: Biochem Pharmacol. 2010 Dec 15;80(12):1833-43
references.pmid: 20654584
references.citation: Dose Response. 2012;10(3):344-54
references.pmid: 22942868
references.citation: J Biomed Nanotechnol. 2013 Jan;9(1):132-41
references.pmid: 23627076
references.citation: Recent Pat Drug Deliv Formul. 2010 Nov;4(3):245-55
references.pmid: 20863275
references.citation: Environ Int. 2011 Aug;37(6):1118-25
references.pmid: 21377208
references.citation: Int J Nanomedicine. 2012;7:591-605
references.pmid: 22346353
references.citation: Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2013 Mar;65(3):342-7
references.pmid: 22776312
references.citation: Nanoscale Res Lett. 2012 Mar 21;7:193
references.pmid: 22436303
references.citation: Curr Med Chem. 2013;20(15):1946-55
references.pmid: 23409718
references.citation: Zhonghua Er Ke Za Zhi. 2007 Sep;45(9):692-6
references.pmid: 18021565
references.citation: Nano Lett. 2012 Mar 14;12(3):1470-4
references.pmid: 22313455
references.citation: J Nanosci Nanotechnol. 2011 Nov;11(11):9717-20
references.pmid: 22413279
references.citation: Homeopathy. 2004 Oct;93(4):203-9
references.pmid: 15532700
references.citation: Trends Cogn Sci. 2011 Dec;15(12):576-84
references.pmid: 22078931
references.citation: FASEB J. 2008 Sep;22(9):3358-69
references.pmid: 18511551
references.citation: ACS Nano. 2011 May 24;5(5):3651-9
references.pmid: 21452822
references.citation: Dose Response. 2011;9(2):209-24
references.pmid: 21731537
references.citation: Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2011 May 30;63(6):427-40
references.pmid: 21223990
references.citation: Front Biosci (Elite Ed). 2012 Jan 01;4:1669-82
references.pmid: 22201984
references.citation: Nanotoxicology. 2011 Sep;5(3):326-40
references.pmid: 20846021
references.citation: Pharmacognosy Res. 2010 Nov;2(6):330-4
references.pmid: 21713134
references.citation: Small. 2012 Sep 24;8(18):2841-8
references.pmid: 22674628
references.citation: Mol Cell Biochem. 2006 Apr;285(1-2):121-31
references.pmid: 16538399
references.citation: Environ Toxicol Chem. 2012 Aug;31(8):1793-800
references.pmid: 22573570
references.citation: PDA J Pharm Sci Technol. 2010 May-Jun;64(3):278-87
references.pmid: 21502027
references.citation: J Nanobiotechnology. 2011 Jul 29;9:29
references.pmid: 21801388
references.citation: J Biomater Appl. 2010 Jul;25(1):19-37
references.pmid: 19726533
references.citation: Biochim Biophys Acta. 2011 Mar;1810(3):259-67
references.pmid: 20933574
references.citation: Biomed Microdevices. 2008 Apr;10(2):321-8
references.pmid: 18165903
references.citation: Ultrason Sonochem. 2009 Apr;16(4):448-51
references.pmid: 19201244
references.citation: Anticancer Res. 2011 Jan;31(1):233-41
references.pmid: 21273604
references.citation: Food Chem Toxicol. 2012 Dec;50(12):4412-20
references.pmid: 22982473
references.citation: Nanotechnology. 2012 Sep 21;23(37):375102
references.pmid: 22922335
references.citation: Langmuir. 2010 Oct 5;26(19):15239-47
references.pmid: 20812690
references.citation: Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2009 Jun;6(2):257-63
references.pmid: 18955237
references.citation: Environ Health Perspect. 1993 Dec;101 Suppl 5:15-26
references.pmid: 7516873
references.citation: Clin Cancer Res. 2010 Jul 15;16(14):3607-17
references.pmid: 20519360
references.citation: Sci Total Environ. 2008 Aug 1;400(1-3):396-414
references.pmid: 18715626
references.citation: Homeopathy. 2009 Jul;98(3):169-76
references.pmid: 19647212
references.citation: Curr Cancer Drug Targets. 2011 Feb;11(2):156-63
references.pmid: 21158720
references.citation: Nanoscale. 2013 Feb 7;5(3):845-59
references.pmid: 23292001
references.citation: Immunology. 2012 Jun;136(2):192-7
references.pmid: 22348503
references.citation: Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2013 Jan 1;101:325-36
references.pmid: 23010037
references.citation: Nanotoxicology. 2012 Nov;6(7):700-12
references.pmid: 21793771
references.citation: Biointerphases. 2007 Dec;2(4):MR17-71
references.pmid: 20419892
references.citation: Nonlinear Biomed Phys. 2011 Nov 21;5(1):9
references.pmid: 22104369
references.citation: J Altern Complement Med. 2005 Feb;11(1):21-7
references.pmid: 15750360
references.citation: J Control Release. 2010 Dec 1;148(2):135-46
references.pmid: 20797419
references.citation: BMC Complement Altern Med. 2002 Apr 10;2:4
references.pmid: 11943072
references.citation: Genet Mol Res. 2003 Jun 30;2(2):223-8
references.pmid: 14966688
references.citation: Langmuir. 2012 Jan 31;28(4):2156-65
references.pmid: 22084966
references.citation: Nanoscale. 2011 Nov;3(11):4713-9
references.pmid: 21971916
references.citation: Homeopathy. 2004 Apr;93(2):99-102
references.pmid: 15139095
references.citation: Int J Clin Pract. 2012 Dec;66(12):1178-88
references.pmid: 23163497
references.citation: Lipids Health Dis. 2012 Feb 15;11:27
references.pmid: 22336518
references.citation: Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2012 Feb;22(2):143-52
references.pmid: 21745729
references.citation: Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:954374
references.pmid: 22548123
references.citation: Homeopathy. 2004 Oct;93(4):210-5
references.pmid: 15532701
references.citation: Immunol Cell Biol. 2013 May;91(5):350-9
references.pmid: 23528729
references.citation: Crit Rev Neurobiol. 1996;10(1):101-17
references.pmid: 8853956
references.citation: BMC Med Res Methodol. 2012 Apr 17;12:49
references.pmid: 22510227
references.citation: Immunology. 2007 Jan;120(1):90-102
references.pmid: 17073943
references.citation: Curr Drug Discov Technol. 2011 Sep;8(3):188-96
references.pmid: 21513482
references.citation: PLoS One. 2012;7(12):e51170
references.pmid: 23272090
references.citation: Langmuir. 2012 Nov 13;28(45):15864-75
references.pmid: 23083226
references.citation: Biochem Pharmacol. 2012 Apr 15;83(8):1104-11
references.pmid: 22285912
references.citation: Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Xue Bao. 2011 Jul;9(7):752-60
references.pmid: 21749826
references.citation: Int J Nanomedicine. 2012;7:3659-66
references.pmid: 22888225
references.citation: Arch Toxicol. 2011 Jul;85(7):733-41
references.pmid: 20502881
references.citation: Dose Response. 2010 Aug 12;8(4):501-17
references.pmid: 21191487
references.citation: Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2007 Jul-Sep;8(3):390-4
references.pmid: 18159975
references.citation: Mol Cancer Ther. 2010 Aug;9(8):2255-64
references.pmid: 20647339
references.citation: Homeopathy. 2010 Jan;99(1):15-24
references.pmid: 20129173
references.citation: Bull Exp Biol Med. 2012 Aug;153(4):455-8
references.pmid: 22977843
references.citation: J Clin Epidemiol. 2008 Dec;61(12):1197-1204
references.pmid: 18834714
references.citation: J Acupunct Meridian Stud. 2012 Aug;5(4):166-75
references.pmid: 22898065
references.citation: Front Biosci (Elite Ed). 2011 Jun 01;3:1128-38
references.pmid: 21622119
references.citation: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009 Apr 15;(2):CD004845
references.pmid: 19370613
references.citation: Exp Gerontol. 2013 Jan;48(1):94-8
references.pmid: 22525591
references.citation: Int J Pharm. 2011 Jul 29;414(1-2):1-5
references.pmid: 21536114
references.citation: Hum Exp Toxicol. 2010 Jul;29(7):561-5
references.pmid: 20558607
references.citation: Chem Biol Interact. 2012 Feb 5;195(3):206-14
references.pmid: 22197969
references.citation: Homeopathy. 2008 Oct;97(4):169-77
references.pmid: 19371564
references.citation: Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2008 Dec;233(12):1591-601
references.pmid: 18997108
references.citation: J Biomater Sci Polym Ed. 2012;23(11):1381-400
references.pmid: 21722423
references.citation: Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2004 Dec;1(3):291-300
references.pmid: 15864357
references.citation: Apoptosis. 2013 Mar;18(3):300-14
references.pmid: 23238991
references.citation: Eur J Integr Med. 2013 Apr 1;5(2):126-140
references.pmid: 23795222
references.citation: Chem Soc Rev. 2006 Jul;35(7):583-92
references.pmid: 16791330
references.citation: Nanomedicine. 2011 Dec;7(6):780-8
references.pmid: 21601655
references.citation: Biol Pharm Bull. 2007 Jan;30(1):128-32
references.pmid: 17202672
references.citation: Vaccine. 2009 May 18;27(23):3013-21
references.pmid: 19428913
references.citation: Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2011;2011:
references.pmid: 20953431
references.citation: J Control Release. 2012 Feb 10;157(3):354-65
references.pmid: 21820024
references.citation: Pancreas. 2003 Aug;27(2):174-9
references.pmid: 12883267
references.citation: Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2006 Jul-Sep;7(3):439-43
references.pmid: 17059340
references.citation: Complement Ther Med. 2005 Dec;13(4):229-30
references.pmid: 16338191
references.citation: Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2011 Aug;4(8):1158-71
references.pmid: 21546540
references.citation: J Biomed Nanotechnol. 2009 Feb;5(1):106-14
references.pmid: 20055113
references.citation: Brain Behav Immun. 2012 Feb;26(2):337-45
references.pmid: 22041296
references.citation: Oncol Rep. 2008 Jul;20(1):69-74
references.pmid: 18575720
references.citation: Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2012 Oct 1;98:112-9
references.pmid: 22705935
references.citation: FEBS J. 2012 May;279(10):1710-20
references.pmid: 22333209
references.citation: Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2012;2012:386286
references.pmid: 23304253
references.citation: Eur J Pharm Sci. 2012 Sep 29;47(2):313-24
references.pmid: 22771545
references.citation: J Control Release. 2009 Feb 10;133(3):238-44
references.pmid: 18951932
references.citation: Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2007 Jan-Mar;8(1):98-102
references.pmid: 17477781
references.citation: J Nanosci Nanotechnol. 2006 Nov;6(11):3343-6
references.pmid: 17252761
references.citation: Carcinogenesis. 2012 Nov;33(11):2242-9
references.pmid: 22831956
references.citation: J Venom Res. 2012;3:15-21
references.pmid: 23236583
references.citation: Int J Nanomedicine. 2012;7:1189-202
references.pmid: 22419867
references.citation: Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2011 Aug 1;86(1):189-97
references.pmid: 21530188
references.citation: Int J Cancer. 2009 Sep 1;125(5):1016-26
references.pmid: 19405120
references.citation: Int J Mol Sci. 2012;13(9):10771-806
references.pmid: 23109822
references.citation: Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2010 Jul 2;397(3):397-400
references.pmid: 20501321
references.citation: Homeopathy. 2007 Jul;96(3):189-95
references.pmid: 17678816
references.citation: Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2010 Jul;210(4):533-45
references.pmid: 20401745
references.citation: Cell Physiol Biochem. 2012;30(3):653-65
references.pmid: 22854437
references.citation: PLoS Comput Biol. 2009 May;5(5):e1000348
references.pmid: 19562010
references.citation: Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2010 Jun;235(6):678-88
references.pmid: 20511672
references.citation: Cancer Biol Ther. 2011 Mar 1;11(5):464-73
references.pmid: 21193839
references.citation: AAPS PharmSciTech. 2010 Sep;11(3):1320-7
references.pmid: 20730575
references.citation: Phys Rev Lett. 2007 Jan 19;98(3):036102
references.pmid: 17358697
references.citation: Interdiscip Sci. 2009 Jun;1(2):81-90
references.pmid: 20640822
references.citation: J Immunother. 2007 May-Jun;30(4):378-95
references.pmid: 17457213
references.citation: BMC Med. 2010 Dec 13;8:83
references.pmid: 21144040
references.citation: Acc Chem Res. 2007 Sep;40(9):836-45
references.pmid: 17672518
references.citation: Integr Cancer Ther. 2013 Sep;12(5):385-92
references.pmid: 23355475
references.citation: Small. 2012 Feb 6;8(3):404-12
references.pmid: 22144073
references.citation: Biomed Mater Eng. 2007;17(5):321-7
references.pmid: 17851174
references.citation: Indian J Chest Dis Allied Sci. 2006 Jul-Sep;48(3):171-6
references.pmid: 18610673
references.citation: Ageing Res Rev. 2011 Sep;10(4):413-21
references.pmid: 21292042
references.citation: Nanoscale. 2012 Nov 21;4(22):7127-34
references.pmid: 23070474
references.citation: Nanoscale. 2011 Mar;3(3):777-91
references.pmid: 21161100
references.citation: Nature. 2012 Oct 18;490(7420):347-8
references.pmid: 23051745
references.citation: Small. 2013 Sep 23;9(18):3138-46
references.pmid: 23625779
references.citation: ACS Nano. 2011 Feb 22;5(2):1401-9
references.pmid: 21218791
references.citation: Nanotechnology. 2010 Apr 30;21(17):175104
references.pmid: 20368680
references.citation: BMC Complement Altern Med. 2012 Oct 22;12:191
references.pmid: 23088629
references.citation: Int J Nanomedicine. 2010 Nov 10;5:889-900
references.pmid: 21116329
references.citation: PLoS One. 2012;7(3):e33174
references.pmid: 22432004
references.citation: Nat Nanotechnol. 2011 May;6(5):268-76
references.pmid: 21499251
references.citation: Homeopathy. 2007 Jan;96(1):35-41
references.pmid: 17227746
references.citation: J Cell Biochem. 2008 Jul 1;104(4):1364-77
references.pmid: 18286468
references.citation: ACS Nano. 2013 Apr 23;7(4):3644-52
references.pmid: 23521224
references.citation: Small. 2009 Apr;5(7):846-53
references.pmid: 19288475
references.citation: J Biomed Opt. 2011 Jun;16(6):066012
references.pmid: 21721813
references.citation: Int J Nanomedicine. 2011;6:3281-93
references.pmid: 22228996
references.citation: Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc. 2009 Aug 15;73(4):650-3
references.pmid: 19376740
references.citation: World J Gastroenterol. 2007 May 28;13(20):2798-802
references.pmid: 17569114
references.citation: PLoS One. 2013;8(3):e58491
references.pmid: 23526987
references.citation: Part Fibre Toxicol. 2012 Aug 10;9:32
references.pmid: 22882971
references.citation: J Nanosci Nanotechnol. 2010 Apr;10(4):2694-700
references.pmid: 20355486
references.citation: Front Biosci (Schol Ed). 2013 Jan 01;5:685-708
references.pmid: 23277079
references.citation: Lancet. 2005 Aug 27-Sep 2;366(9487):726-32
references.pmid: 16125589
references.citation: Forsch Komplementmed. 2007 Jun;14(3):148-56
references.pmid: 17596695
references.citation: Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2011;2011:568148
references.pmid: 21647317
references.citation: Chemosphere. 2012 Apr;87(4):423-34
references.pmid: 22245057
references.citation: Int J Clin Pract. 2013 Apr;67(4):385-6
references.pmid: 23521332
references.citation: J Cell Commun Signal. 2011 Mar;5(1):25-38
references.pmid: 21484586
references.citation: Eur J Pharmacol. 2007 Jul 30;568(1-3):89-98
references.pmid: 17560995
references.citation: Neoplasma. 2009;56(6):490-3
references.pmid: 19728756
references.citation: Forsch Komplementmed. 2012;19 Suppl 1:7-14
references.pmid: 22327546
references.citation: IET Nanobiotechnol. 2011 Dec;5(4):132-5
references.pmid: 22149869
references.citation: Int J Oncol. 2003 Oct;23(4):975-82
references.pmid: 12963976
references.citation: Homeopathy. 2005 Oct;94(4):233-40
references.pmid: 16226201
references.citation: Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Xue Bao. 2010 Sep;8(9):853-62
references.pmid: 20836976
references.citation: Dose Response. 2010 Jan 08;8(1):16-21
references.pmid: 20221294
references.citation: Psychopharmacology (Berl). 1986;89(3):338-9
references.pmid: 3088660
references.citation: Methods Mol Biol. 2012;906:3-19
references.pmid: 22791420
references.citation: Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2005 Sep 1;207(2 Suppl):557-64
references.pmid: 15996700