Study says cold drug may prevent cancer spread preadWE

Emobileclinic Researchers Corner

In a recent research, human bladder cancer cells marked with luciferase were inoculated into mice, making a xenograft bladder cancer model. The primary bladder xenograft progressively grew and after one and half months, metastatic tumors were detected in the lungs, liver and bone. The finding was published by the Scientific Reports.

Using a microarray analysis including over 20,000 genes for the metastatic tumors, the researchers found a 3 – to 25-fold increase of the metabolic enzyme aldo-keto reductase 1C1 (AKR1C1). They also discovered increase levels of AKR1C1 in metastatic tumors taken out from 25 cancer patients, suggested that the feat found in the mice also happen in the human body.

Combining with anti-cancer drugs, an inflammatory substance made around the tumor such as interleukin-1β make enzyme levels to increase.
The team also identified for the first time that AKR1C1 enhances tumor and proved that the enzyme obstructs the effectiveness of cisplatin and other anticancer drugs.

Finally, the team found that inoculating flufenamic acid, an inhibiting factor for AKR1C1, into cancerous bladder cells suppressed the cells’ invasive activities and restored the effectiveness of anticancer drugs. Flufenamic acid is also known as a non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug used for managing common colds.

The team’s feat is expected to encourage clinical tests focused on improving prognoses for bladder cancer patients. In the recent cancer treatments, costly molecular-targeted drugs are utilized with untoward financial pressure on both the medical economy and the state coffers.

Dr Shinya Tanaka remarks “this latest research could pave the way for medical institutions to use flufenamic acid – a much cheaper cold drug – which has unexpectedly been proven to be effective at fighting cancers,”

Source
Ryuji Matsumoto (2016): Aldo-keto reductase 1C1 induced by interleukin-1β mediates the invasive potential and drug resistance of metastatic bladder cancer cells. Scientific Reports doi:10.1038/srep34625