A drug against malaria, called pyronaridine, also manages to kill cancer cells, according to a new study.
- Pyronaridine has been used against malaria for 30 years.
- Researchers discovered that the drug had anti-cancer properties.
- Trials are still necessary to guarantee the safety and efficiency of the drug in cancer patients.
Doctors know pyronaridine well. It is a drug used for over 30 years against malaria. However, scientists at the University of Texas in El Paso have made a new discovery on this treatment. It has anti-cancer properties. After several years of research on this subject, they have just obtained a patent that could allow it to be used against cancer.
Cancer: increased longevity with pyronaridine
“Louis Pasteur said that chance promotes prepared minds. When I looked closely at the structure of the drug, I saw that he could be used to attack cancer cells”, explains Renato Aguilera, professor of biological sciences, at the origin of the study.
The cancer specialist and his team first tested the molecule on animals and the results were promising. They then conducted a pilot study carried out with terminal phase patients with breast, lung and liver cancer at an advanced stage. Volunteers who had received pyronaridine saw their longevity increased compared to the others. These different data made it possible to obtain a patent giving the possibility of working at development of cancer treatments.
Pyronaridine: How does the drug against malaria act against cancer?
Research has highlighted that pyronaridine interfered with the activity of an enzyme called Type II topoisomerase. The latter helps cancer cells to reply. The molecule thus helps to slow the increase in the growth of the tumor. According to data collected, the drug also encourages the programmed cell death of cancer cells, a process which leads them to “suicide”.
Another advantage of anti-paludism treatment: he did not affect healthy cells. What leaves “Healthy cells intact while killing cancer cells”adds Renato Aguilera in a press release.
“With pyronaridine, we have the hat -trick: a slowed growth in cells, programmed cell death and a minimum impact on healthy cells”rejoices the scientist. “In the future, this drug could be used in combination with immunotherapy to speed up the process of destruction of cancer cells.”
However, studies are still necessary to confirm the results and guarantee product safety in patients who have cancer, before possible placing on the market.
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