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Supplement: Significance of Garlic and Its Constituents in Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease

Aged Garlic Extract Is a Potential Therapy for Sickle-Cell Anemia^1,3

Junichiro Takasu^*, Rolando Uykimpang^*, Maria Alenor Sunga^*, Harunobu Amagase^,2 and Yutaka Niihara^*,4

^* Department of Medicine, Harbor–UCLA Medical Center, UCLA School of Medicine, Torrance, CA 90502 and Wakunaga of America Co., Ltd., Mission Viejo, CA 92691

⁴ To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: ysniihara{at}msn.com.

Sickle-cell anemia is one of the most prevalent hereditary disorders with prominent morbidity and mortality. Oxidative phenomena play a significant role in the disorder's pathophysiology. A forumlation of garlic (Allium sativum), AGE, has been reported to exert an antioxidant effect in vitro. We evaluated the antioxidant effect of AGE on sickle red blood cells (RBCs). Five patients (two men and three women, mean age 40 ± 15 years, range 24–58 years) with sickle-cell anemia participated in the study. AGE was administered at a dose of 5 mL daily. Whole blood samples were obtained at baseline and at 4 wk, primarily for Heinz body analysis. In all patients, the number of Heinz bodies decreased over the 4-wk period (58.9 ± 20.0% at baseline to 29.8 ± 15.3% at follow-up; P = 0.03). These data suggest that AGE has a significant antioxidant activity on sickle RBCs. AGE may be further evaluated as a potential therapeutic agent to ameliorate complications of sickle-cell anemia.

KEY WORDS: • aged garlic extract • sickle-cell anemia • S-allylcysteine