STARKVILLE, Miss., Sept. 8 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say a common weed -- the American mayapple -- may have anti-cancer properties.
An Asian cousin -- Podophyllyum emodi -- is nearly extinct because it produces podophyllotoxin and the compound and its derivitives has been used in drugs treating lung and testicular cancer, brain tumors, lymphoblastic leukemia, psoriasis and malaria.
Researchers at Mississippi State University in Starkville and the University of Mississippi in Oxford confirm that mayapple colonies in the eastern part of the United States can be used for the development of high podophyllotoxin cultivars to provide the base for commercial production of podophyllotoxin in the United States.
"The objective of this study was to estimate podophyllotoxin concentration in American mayapple across its natural habitats in the eastern United States and to identify high podophyllotoxin types that could be used for further selection and cultivar development," study leader Valtcho Zheljazkov said in a statement.
The findings are published in HortScience.
