This technology provides pharmaceutical compositions for the prevention and treatment of cancer, as well as health functional food compositions for prevention and improvement, using extracts from Cyperus exaltatus—a traditional Korean craft crop—as an active ingredient. It targets 25 types of cancer, including prostate, stomach, lung, liver, colorectal, breast, and blood cancers.
Cancer is a refractory disease with the second-highest mortality rate after heart disease. Despite advancements in diagnosis and treatment, the five-year survival rate for many progressive cancers remains between 5% and 50%. Due to aggressive invasion and lymph node or distant metastasis, the survival rate for some cancers has barely improved in 20 years. Meanwhile, Cyperus exaltatus has long been cultivated in regions like Ganghwado and Gyodongdo, used exclusively for crafts such as mats, cushions, and baskets, with no previously reported anti-cancer effects.
This technology extracts Cyperus exaltatus using water, C1-C4 alcohols, or a mixture thereof. The extract arrests the cancer cell cycle to prevent proliferation and inhibits cancer cell motility and metastasis. It also reduces the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP), which cancer cells use to degrade surrounding tissue and spread. Applicable as a natural anti-cancer candidate for metastatic solid tumors, a health supplement for cancer recovery, and a functional ingredient for local farmers, this technology transforms a traditional craft crop into an anti-invasion and anti-metastasis agent, creating a new source of income.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Education's Life and Environment Research Institute.
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