The Research Institute of Traditional and Alternative Medicine (RITAM), a biomedical/clinical research group and a Nigerian Non – Governmental Organization (NGO) has hailed the approval of Jobelyn produced by a Nigerian as immune modulator against cancer in the medical history.
In a congratulatory message signed by RITAM’s Chief Medical Officer (CMD)/Principal Investigator, Prince (Dr) Johson. O Idowu, he said: “We felicitate with our Chairman, Otunba Olajuwon Okubena, that his product, Jobelyn, came out to be the first Nigerian brand to come out successfully in the world medical history.
The drug is an improvement on sorghum bicolor supplement, an herbal-based nutritional supplement containing the leaf sheaths of the plant Sorghum bicolor, with potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, chemopreventive and immunomodulating activities.
Research has proved that sorghum bicolor supplement contains various phytochemicals, including phenolic acids and polyphenols such as proanthocyanins.
The supplement is particularly rich in 3-deoxyanthocyanins, such as luteolindin and apigeninidin, and appears to induce apoptosis and inhibit cell proliferation in cancer cells through the stimulation of various apoptosis promoter genes and the downregulation of certain apoptosis inhibitor genes.
In addition, due to the strong antioxidant nature of the phytochemicals, these compounds are able to scavenge free radicals and prevent tissue damage. Also, intake of this supplement modulates the immune system by both increasing the activity of natural killer (NK) cells and initiating the activation of macrophages.
