Med. plant 'kills brain tumour cells'

(ANSA) - Rome, June 29 - A Mediterranean plant belonging to the citrus family has been found to kill the malignant cells of the most common and incurable form of brain tumours, researchers of the Naples Second University (SUN) say.
    The pre-clinical study showed that a liquid extract of the plant Ruta graveolens can kill aggressive glioblastoma brain tumour malignant cells without damaging healthy cells, according to a report in the scientific journal PLOS One.
    The research was coordinated by Luca Colucci-D'Amato, lecturer in general Pathology at the SUN and financed by the Network for safeguarding and management of agro-food genetic resources AGRIGENET.
    "Natural substances represent an important source of new molecules with theraputic activity in many illnesses including cancer," said Claudia Ciniglia, a lecturer in botany at SUN.