Skip to content
Featuring Demian Dressler, DVM and Sue Ettinger, DVM, Dip. ACVIM (Oncology), authors of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide

Luteolin and Dog Cancer, Continued

Updated: April 27th, 2020

Summary

A look at the cutting edge, new bioflavoniod luteolin, its application in cancer treatment, and a source.

This is the follow up to the last post about luteolin, a bioflavonoid found in several plants (celery, perilla, artichoke, peanut hull, chrysanthemum and others).

This stuff has a whole slew of literature supporting it’s use for cancer.

It is so new though that not many have heard of it in this country.



I have been using it with dogs with cancer and have been impressed with some of the results.  This of course is my clinical opinion, and is not meant to be  a blanket recommendation.

Why did I get interested? Well, the evidence in rodents and people point to some really good stuff! And to top it off, there seems to be harmony with chemotherapy agents.  Read on!

Cancers with a molecule on the outside of their cells called HER are pretty resistant to chemo.  Luteolin showed it could decrease the tumors in rodents with these tough cancers. Here’s the link.

Luteolin also was able to decrease prostate cancer cell growth in mice, as well as oral squamous cell carcinoma cells.  Check out this article here

I found another article that showed the same for liver cancer cells.  See for yourself!


For more helpful tools and information, get a copy of the Dog Cancer Survival Guide


So we have multiple different cancers all responding to luteolin in mice, and based on my research no significant adverse effects in 26 dogs so far. This is not that many in the broad scheme of things, but is pretty darned good anyway.

And this was all when it was given by mouth, in living bodies, not test tube or petri dishes, and not injected…

Finally, chemo effects were actually enhanced with cisplatin (read more), doxorubicin, and the human chemo drug paxlitaxe.

Luteolin is found in Apocaps, which was created for my patients and is now available.

As always, discuss medical decisions with your vet or oncologist before action, and I hope this helps!

Best,

Dr Dressler



 

Leave a Comment





  1. Kathy on October 14, 2010 at 8:47 am

    Dear Dr. Dressler,

    First, thank you for writing such a great book. Your book has helped me and my dog in this battle. My dog was dianosed with lymphoma last June, finished chemo beginning of January… unfortunatelt he came out of remission end of March. At the moment he is undergoing his 2nd chemo.

    I am looking at giving Luteolin by Lutimax to my dog. The company has lozegens and powder from (which a lady told me is for canine use.) Which would you recommend?

    When you introduced arteminsinin, you note multi vatimins, Q10… may reduce the effetiveness. What about luteolin? You mentioned there seems to be harmony between chemo and luteolin, which really sounds cool!

    Sincerely yours,
    Kathy

    • DemianDressler on October 16, 2010 at 2:47 pm

      Dear Kathy-
      good question. In anti cancer doses, luteolin is pro oxidant. Thus, compounds that have strict anti oxidant effects would theoretically reduce its effects.
      Best,
      Dr D

      • Kathy on November 10, 2010 at 2:36 pm

        Dear Dr. Dressler,

        I understand we should avoid using anioxidants while giving arte, luteolin… etc. Is daily multi vatamins okay to use? Anyway I can order Apocaps and have it shipped to Canada?

        Regards,
        Kathy

        • DemianDressler on November 23, 2010 at 6:45 pm

          Dear Kathy
          I assume your dog has cancer (yes, I know this is the Dog Cancer Blog..)?
          I usually have people give the multivits at a different time of day than the others (space out by 4-6 hours or something).
          We are working on international fulfillment now…will keep you posted.
          Best,
          D

  2. Kelly on October 5, 2010 at 12:05 pm

    Dear Dr. Dressler,

    My 11-year old rescued chow, Teddy, was diagnosed with oral squamous cell carcinoma last week. He had been a backyard breeder dog kept in extremely poor conditions & was lucky enough for us to find & rescue him just last year. Now he’s facing this horrible disease. Our vet says the tumor is inoperable & untreatable due to its location. It is on the roof of his mouth & has invaded his nasal passage causing nose bleeds & congestion. He put him on 20mg of Prednisone twice a day & sent him home.

    Except for being annoyed with this thing in his mouth that he can feel & having more difficulty nose-breathing, he is still the happy little guy who stole my heart the first day I saw him last year. I started him on the cancer diet, & ordered Apocaps & K-9 Immunity w/Transfer Factor. I already had Only Natural Pet B.S.S.T. Herbal Formula & Genesis Resources Canine CAS Options. I’ve been researching other treatments such as photodynamic therapy & piroxicam, the latter of which I think probably has too many side effects for not-too-great results. I just want to do everything in my power to give him the life he deserves. Which combination of these products would you recommend? Are there any other treatments that you know of that I could check into that might be effective for my little guy?

    Thanks for everything you do!

    • DemianDressler on October 13, 2010 at 5:33 pm

      Dear Kelly,
      I would not mix the antioxidants and Apocaps as you may decrease the potency of both. I would consider also Yunnan Baiyao (see this post). In this case you might combine artemisinin with the others as discussed in the Guide (all under veterinary supervision of course).
      Hope it helps!
      D

    • Lisa Zucker on December 3, 2010 at 6:42 pm

      Dear Dr. Dressler,
      My dog has lymphoma cancer and I purchased your Apocaps. I have him on 20 mg of prednisone a day. Can I give this to him with the prednisone or do I need to ween him off? Does apocaps cure cancer or just help support him through his dying process? I am also giving him homopathic remedy, chinese herbs and a mushroom formula. Can these all go together?
      Thanks, Lisa

      • DemianDressler on December 8, 2010 at 8:32 pm

        Dear Lisa,
        I usually use 1/4 to 1/2 the labeled dose of Apocaps when a patient of mine is on pred. And I wish I had the cure for cancer, but I cannot say that I do, at least not if the cancer is spread in the body tissues. I can say that I have been able to extend life span and life quality in my patients though and have beaten the odds many times.
        The treatment sounds fine to me, but make sure your vet is involved in all steps…
        Also, have you taken the other steps in the Guide?? It is an easy read and worth it.
        Best,
        Dr D

  3. Beth on September 28, 2010 at 2:23 pm

    Hi Dr. Dressler,

    I am using curcumin (250 mg/ 3 x day on empty stomach) and the fresh parsley 2x/day (2-4 oz total) with food as “Big Guns,” K-9 Immunity Plus (4 tabs/day), multivitamins, enzymes in her food, and fish oil at 1000 mg/10 pounds along with your recommended cancer diet. I feel the Apocaps would be much more expensive than the three choices above, unless I must give the luteolin, since my dog is over 60 pounds. Are the curcumin and parsley a solid enough combo of “Big Guns,” or should I switch to EGCG or Luteolin with the curcumin? If I do decide to go for the Apocaps, can I remove the K-9 Immunity from her regimen totally? She has a myxosarcoma in her hind leg that has been surgically removed without clean margins. I am opting against radiation treatment. I have been advised that the tumor has a very slow rate of metastasis, do I still need the amino acids or MCP? Please advise. Thank you for your support.

    Beth

    • DemianDressler on September 29, 2010 at 8:04 pm

      Dear Beth,
      You raise a good point, especially during this economy. How does one prioritize?
      Unfortunately the amount of parsley needed to get an anti-cancer concentration of luteolin in the body is beyond what is manageable for most dogs. Secondly, you want to add something to the curcumin to increase the blood levels (boost bioavailability).
      In my opinion, I would go for a combo of Apocaps with K-9 Immunity with Transfer Factor if you can swing it. Skip the aminos, MCP, multivits, enzymes, and fish oil. That should free up the funds enough to afford these top picks (the result of extensive analysis).
      Best,
      D

  4. Tami on April 3, 2010 at 8:16 am

    We’re getting the Apocaps now from Amazon, and they’re much less than the $90 mentioned here. We’d been giving luteolin, curcumin, and other supplements separately to Benny (our dog diagnosed with osteosarcoma), but the Apocaps are certainly easier to administer! And we had an unfortunate incident involving the curcumin by itself – Benny had a digestive upset and now we have what seems to be a permanent curry-colored stain on our carpet.

  5. Alicia Murdock on March 9, 2010 at 5:18 pm

    Dear Dr. Dressler,

    My dog Ranger is currently on Luteolin and Curcumin. As well as the digestive enzymes. He doesn’t seem to tolerate the enzymes very well. Could I mix the enzymes in his food or must it be given on an empty stomach? He is also on K-9 Immunity. If I put Ranger on Apocaps will he still need K-9 Immunity?

    Also, this may sound like a crazy question, but I’ll ask anyway. We live in South Florida and our Golden Retriever was recently diagnosed with Lymphoma. Just on our block alone, there are two other dogs that have been recently diagnosed with Lymphoma. We can’t help but worry that something is causing our pets to get sick. Should we be concerned with the water they are drinking or the fact that we live by a lake? Could a dog get Lymphoma from toxins in the water or is it something they are born with??

    Thanks…Alicia

    • Dr. Dressler on March 14, 2010 at 6:20 pm

      Dear Alicia,

      First, thing, you may want to consider Apocaps instead of all three, which is a source of the ingredients that I designed for my own patients. It has luteolin, curcumin, as well as beta glucans which are found in medicinal mushroom supplements.

      Enzymes for digestion can be mixed in the food to pre-digest the food, but make sure it is not more than lukewarm, and leave for at least 30-60 minutes.

      Secondy, I do not think you are crazy. Have you heard of “The Love Canal”? This was the site of a housing development on top of a industrial waste site, and the cancer rates there are much higher than normal. I am not trying to say that is what is going on with your dog necessarily, but as you may have learned in The Dog Cancer Survival Guide, there are environmental factors that increase cancer risks in certain areas.

      That being said, there are also genetic issues too, which is why we have breeds at higher rates for certain cancers. Goldens certainly are prone to lympho, and they are born with those genes.

      I hope this helps,
      Dr D

  6. Lucy on March 8, 2010 at 9:56 am

    Dr. Dressler,

    My dog Shaymis a Shapr-pei was just diagnosed with lymphoma. He is currently on Prednisone, but I have ordered Apocap can he still take the Prednisone? And should I also buy luteolin as a seperate supplememnt or will the Apocap have enough in it? What supplements do you recommend along with Apocap if any?

    • Dr. Dressler on March 8, 2010 at 4:26 pm

      Dear Lucy,
      as always, have your vet involved in all aspects of your dog’s care. I will often drop the dose of pred down to about 1/4 or 1/2 if there is any problem with taking the Apocaps along with the pred (like vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite and so on). Apocaps has enough luteolin. Other than that, it depends on the dog. Generally, a dog cancer diet with the additives in the Guide can help. The Apocaps has so many things in the single capsule that addressing apoptosis is fairly complete. Ginger, garlic, cimetidine, modified citrus pectin, Wobenzym N and others are all covered in detail.
      Don’t forget sleep, life quality enrichment, touch therapies, etc.
      Best,
      Dr D

  7. Nancy on February 15, 2010 at 7:21 am

    6 weeks is up. Where are the apocaps ? Please.

    • Dr. Dressler on February 15, 2010 at 7:48 pm

      Dear Nancy,
      We are waiting for the manufacturer to finish making the capsules. I understand this is frustrating…it is so for all of us.
      Best,
      Dr D

  8. Tracy on December 21, 2009 at 9:15 am

    Dr. Dressler,

    I have almost finished reading your cancer book. All I can say is bravo…thank you for your research and information.

    I was just looking at Apocaps for my dog that had a leg amputated due to soft tissue sarcoma on her knee…is the cost per bottle really $129? For 90 caps? I would love to put her on it but at that price……..ugh..

    Tracy

    • Dr. Dressler on December 22, 2009 at 9:31 pm

      Dear Tracy,
      It’s words like yours that makes it all worth while.
      As far as the Apocaps go, I am sorry to say they are not available now as the supply is depleted and I am waiting for a cheaper batch to be make in bulk, which should be ready in about 6 weeks, give or take. I hear you on the price, which is one of the reasons I am doing what I am doing….cheaper Apocaps. The materials for the supplement are ungodly expensive (in particular the luteolin and apigenin are over $1100 a kilo…). So check back in about 6 weeks and hopefully we can get you what you need.
      All my best,
      Dr D

  9. Tami on December 2, 2009 at 1:54 pm

    Thanks, Fred. Celeste is the person at Lutimax I’ve been dealing with, too – very responsive and helpful. We have a capsule filling device, so we’ll be administering the powder to our Benny that way. He was fortunate to have stereotactic radiosurgery done on his limb at Colorado State University, so we’re primarily concerned about any remaining cancer cells that may be lurking around at this point.

    Best wishes to everyone who may be dealing with canine cancer.

  10. Fred on December 2, 2009 at 9:33 am

    For Dominic & Mel and Tami,

    Based on Tami’s statement above I called Lutimax and talked to Celeste and she was very nice as Tami mentioned.

    Celeste said that she tries to screen customers and is happy to supply LutiMax for Canine use in bulk form without the xylitol. Celeste also advises the amount to give based on your dog’s weight.

    Fred

    • Chris on July 20, 2011 at 6:39 pm

      Neoplasene! Holistic vet recommended it to me today..a lot of research about it.sounds like a very good match for this type of cancer. Don’t give up…I also do Venus fly trap injections dIly…I do it, not a big deal. My poodle has TCC of the bladder…not a treat prognosis, but I refuse to give up…get the apocaps dr. Dressler’s recommends..he is a truly good man

Scroll To Top