Fermented wheat germ extract (Avemar) in the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases

Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2005 Jun:1051:529-42. doi: 10.1196/annals.1361.097.

Abstract

Avemar, the product of industrial fermentation of wheat germ, possesses unique cancer-fighting characteristics. Taken orally, Avemar can inhibit metastatic tumor dissemination and proliferation during and after chemotherapy, surgery, or radiation. Benefits of Avemar treatment have been shown in various human cancers, in cultures of in vitro grown cancer cells, in the prevention of chemical carcinogenesis, and also in some autoimmune conditions. This document reviews the clinical and experimental results obtained with this extract so far. Special references are made for its safety, including its coadministration with anticancer drugs, as well as for its immunomodulatory activity, its molecular targets, and its use in cancer clinical trials.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Autoimmune Diseases / drug therapy*
  • Clinical Trials as Topic
  • Drug Interactions
  • Humans
  • Immunity / drug effects
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Neoplasms / psychology
  • Plant Extracts / adverse effects
  • Plant Extracts / pharmacology
  • Plant Extracts / therapeutic use*
  • Quality of Life

Substances

  • Avemar
  • Plant Extracts