Blueberry extract was found to be a good radiotherapy sensitiser in a combined study from US and Chinese Medical schools; radiotherapy is known to work better if sensitisers are simultaneously used on the cancer cells - the drug Cisplatin is used as a sensitiser in this way.
Radiosensitizers are chemicals or pharmaceutical agents that enhance the killing effect on tumor cells by accelerating DNA damage and producing free radicals indirectly. They are used in conjunction with radiotherapy to increase its effectiveness and make cancer cells more vulnerable to radiation therapy.
Hypoxic cell sensitisers are common - they are a specific type of radiosensitizer used to overcome the problem of hypoxia (lowered oxygen - and anaerobic defence systems) in solid tumors, where poorly oxygenated cells are disproportionately resistant to therapeutic radiation. These sensitisers mimic the sensitising effect of oxygen.
Hyperbaric Oxygen, although resisted by oncologists in charge of radiotherapy. works in this way - you can read more about the
use of Hyperbaric oxugen to fight cancer here.
Melatonin, berberine and turmeric and also known to be radiosensitisers.
The research on blueberries (1) was an in vitro lab study using cervical cancer cells. Blueberry extract use was shown to result in more cells being killed by the Radiotherapy. The researchers were studying resveratrol.
Apart from the drug Cisplatin, research has shown that PARP inhibitor Rucaparib can suppress cancer cells and act in this way on cervical cancer cells (2).
Other natural compounds have also been shown to be radiosensitisers - these include Green tea with prostate cancer cells (3), Black cumin seed which caused apoptosis in cervical cancer lines (4), Raspberry extract with cervical cancer (5), and Kiwi fruit extract with Melanoma (6).
***********
References
2. The poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor rucaparib suppresses proliferation and serves as an effective radiosensitizer in cervical cancer; Tang M, Liu Q, Zhou L, Chen L, Yang X, Yu J, Wang Y, Qiu H.
Invest New Drugs. 2019 Feb;37(1):65-75. doi: 10.1007/s10637-018-0616-7. Epub 2018 Jun 6.PMID: 29872938
3. A Potential Role for Green Tea as a Radiation Sensitizer for Prostate Cancer; Schroeder AC, Xiao H, Zhu Z, Li Q, Bai Q, Wakefield MR, Mann JD, Fang Y; Pathol Oncol Res. 2019 Jan;25(1):263-268. doi: 10.1007/s12253-017-0358-4. Epub 2017 Nov 3.PMID: 29101735
4. Methanolic extract of Nigella sativa seed inhibits SiHa human cervical cancer cell proliferation through apoptosis.
Hasan TN, Shafi G, Syed NA, Alfawaz MA, Alsaif MA, Munshi A, Lei KY, Alshatwi AA.
5. Raspberry Extract With Potential Antitumor Activity Against Cervical Cancer.; Sham N, Qin C, Zhu Z, Redington CG, Xiao H, Bai Q, Wakefield MR, Kou L, Fang Y; Anticancer Res. 2021 Jul;41(7):3343-3348. doi: 10.21873/anticanres.15122. PMID: 34230130
6. Harnessing the Power of Kiwifruit for Radiosensitization of Melanoma.
Kou L, Zhu Z, Fajardo E, Bai Q, Redington C, Xiao H, Lequio M, Sham N, Wakefield MR, Fang Y. Anticancer Res. 2021 Dec;41(12):5945-5951. doi: 10.21873/anticanres.15413. PMID: 34848448