Driving to suicide
Scientists have proposed a new way to fight cancer tumors
Russian scientists have proposed a new way to destroy malignant tumor cells by launching a "suicide" program in them using a combination of natural and artificially synthesized molecules, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation told RIA Novosti.
We are talking about selectively including apoptosis in cancer cells – a genetically programmed, but due to pathological changes, the process of their self-destruction is blocked. In healthy cells, apoptosis is not disabled and therefore prevents their degeneration into tumor cells. Scientists around the world are looking for ways to trigger cell death as one of the promising approaches to cancer treatment.
A group of researchers led by specialists from the Orekhovich Institute of Biomedical Chemistry (IBMH) and the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia have found a new combination of natural molecules – polyamines – with an artificially synthesized so-called bispidin derivative, which together are able to selectively kill cancer cells, in particular, initiating apoptosis.
Polyamines are like a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they are necessary for every cell for their vital activity, especially for tumor cells for their constant and uncontrolled growth. On the other hand, the products of oxidation or cleavage of polyamines just trigger the same apoptosis.
The authors studied the activation of the breakdown of polyamines associated with the formation of toxic products. In the experiments, scientists used rat and human liver cells – both healthy and tumor.
By themselves, the polyamines added from the outside were not toxic to either cancer or normal cells. However, in the presence of bispidins, only tumor cells died. It was found that this happened precisely as a result of apoptosis. Healthy cells were not damaged at the same time.
The researchers explained the result by the ability of bispidins to activate the functions of enzymes involved in the cleavage of polyamines in cells and the accompanying release of reactive oxygen species, which are deadly for tumors. In cancer cells, the activity of this particular link involved in the control of the cleavage of polyamines is disrupted and toxic oxygen forms are not formed.
The study received financial support from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.
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