scientist from India and Swansea University in the UK have of late discovered that nanoparticles derive from afternoon tea leaf can inhibit and destroy lung cancer cell .
Although still very early days , the finding – just like many of the best scientific discoveries – was stumbledupon by stroke .
The discovery is all down to eldritch but grand small things known asquantum dots , a type of nanoparticle that is just 4,000th the thickness of a human whisker . They are so unthinkably little that they were able to dawn into the nanopores of Crab cells and knock down them with a cytotoxic effect , thereby kill up to 80 of pct them .
The manipulation of nanoparticles is already being explore countless dissimilar fields . For example , company are also using quantum - dot engineering to render enhanced color quality fortelevisions and display screensand more efficient solar panel . They are also utile for tumor imaging because their changeable complex body part give them singular fluorescent fixture properties if they ’re arrive at with lighting . However , the process of making them chemically is complicated , expensive , and can have toxic side effects .
So , the squad arrange out to create a simpler method of produce non - toxic nanoparticles , as detailed in the journalACS Applied Nano Materials . They did this using aCamellia sinensistea leaf extract with two other chemical substance . When it came to seeing if they were any beneficial at cancer cell bioimaging , the researchers noticed something awful : the quantum dots appeared to be killing the cancer electric cell .
" Our enquiry confirmed premature grounds that teatime leaf selection can be a non - toxic option to making quantum back breaker using chemical substance , " Dr Sudhagar Pitchaimuthu , lead investigator on the project , explained in astatement .
“ The real surprise , however , was that the battery-acid actively inhibited the growth of the lung cancer cells . We had n’t been expect this . ”
It should be emphasise that this does n’t think drunkenness afternoon tea will forestall or " cure " lung cancer . As you ’ve hopefully gathered , it ’s a nether region of a lot more complicated than that . It ’s also passing early days for the inquiry . Dr Pitchaimuthu toldBBC Newsthat they imagine there could be human trial in two long time and , all being well , perhaps a viable treatment in a decennium .
Nevertheless , this Camellia sinensis - infused enquiry show that quantum dots could hold some real hope in the field of cancer inquiry and beyond .
“ The next step is to scale up our operation , hopefully with the service of other collaborators , ” added Dr Pitchaimuthu . “ We want to inquire the role of tea leaf extract in cancer cell imagery , and the port between quantum dots and the Crab cellphone . ”
“ We would care to set up a ' quantum loony toons factory ' which will allow us to search more fully the ways in which they can be used . ”
