One of the distinctive properties of cancer cells is the ability to absorb a lot of nutrients and oxygen, causing them to uncontrollably grow and multiply. Besides, it creates a very unfavorable environment, where other cells including «killers» of cancer, can live very long.
In addition, as recently discovered by scientists, the cancer cells are protected from destruction in other ways: they can ignore molecules that trigger a reaction of cell self-destruction, or use them as signals of growth, and to develop not typical of normal cells substances deterring immune bodies or make the tumor invisible to them.
So, Yuri Korystov of ITEB RAS and his colleagues cite the example of the lipoxygenase family of enzymes that control the activity and growth of cells. These proteins break down fat molecules and convert them into different signals, in particular — in commands to start a program of apoptosis, or cell suicide.
These signals are quite good on healthy cells, causing their mass death, but cancer takes them quite the opposite — the cells begin to actively proliferate. Accordingly, suggested Biophysics, suppression of the activity of LOX inhibitor can inhibit tumor growth, or even destroy it.
Substances that inhibit these enzymes, scientists have recently discovered in the extract Lecanicilium lecanii fungi, parasitic on aphids, whiteflies and other insect pests. This discovery was made to check whether extraction from fungi to suppress the growth of cancer cells in vitro.
As shown by experiments on cell cultures, blood cancer, fungal enzymes really slowed the growth of tumors, so the researchers turned to experiments on mice, the body which introduced the cancer cells. When the rodents grew tumors, the researchers pulled them out and treated with mushroom extract.
It turned out that the substance of Lecanicilium lecanii can actually kill cancer cells blood, although not as well as other substances that inhibit the work of the LOX inhibitor.
But researchers have found fungal extract another positive feature that can ease the fight against cancer. As shown by further experiments, it not only accelerates the death of cancer cells, but also protects T cells (the main «conductors» of the immune system) from mass death during radiotherapy. Therefore, the immune system may start to struggle with the remnants of the tumor after cessation of exposure.
This combination of properties, as scientists believe, allows the use of extract Lecanicilium lecanii to enhance radio — and chemotherapy or reduce their dose. The findings of scientists and the future prospects for the use of these substances was contained in articles in the journals «Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine» and «Medical radiology and radiation safety».
https://chelorg.com/2017/11/14/russian-scientists-found-in-fungi-parasites-a-potential-cure-for-canc...
Russian scientists found in fungi-parasites a potential cure for cancer
Biochemists from the Institute of theoretical and experimental Biophysics RAS, Pushchino found in parasitic fungi, insects, an unusual substance that inhibits the growth of cancer cells and causes them to self-destruct, the press service of the Institute.
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