Scientists from the Paris-based Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne claimed they have found a way to treat liver cancer by starving cancel cells through blocking the amino acid glutamine gaining access to cancer cells.
Starving cancer cells by cutting off glutamine
In the study which was recently published in the journal Genes and Development, researchers revealed that cancer cells in the liver are ‘addicted’ to glutamine- an amino acid- by fuelling the cancer cells to go on overdrive and speed up their game against normal cells.
A liver protein as the liver receptor homolog 1 or LRH-1 is responsible for digesting glutamine into smaller molecules that are then feasted upon by liver cancer cells. Researchers believe that by blocking the LRH-1 would result to starving cancer cells and further reduce the proliferation of the diseased cells and at the same time preserve the normal ones.
The tests were conducted in mice but the scientists are looking at pushing for human trials soon.
Similar experiments are also being conducted regarding a related approach to other cancer types.
The ketogenic diet was developed early at the turn of the century to treat people suffering from epilepsy, believing that with a high fat diet the body will be forced to burn fats instead of carbohydrates and the low-carb intake allows the body to convert the fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies that later acts to replace glucose.
Scientists back then noted that large amounts of ketone bodies in the system was associated with reduced frequency of seizure attacks and can be used to ‘starve’ some types of cancers.
Cancer cells feed on glucose but gets adverse effects from using ketone bodies.
This diet’s impact has only been tested on animals where a 2012 study on mice gave proof that ketone bodies contributed to enhancing the effect of radiation on treating a tumor.
One such method was used on a child suffering from brain tumour who undertook the planned ketogenic diet and after months on the diet, surgeons who removed the tumour claimed it reduced in size.
Just this year alone, medical authorities estimate that there were 27,170 deaths due to primary liver cancer, 18,280 in men and 8,890 in women.
The American Cancer Society paints a grim picture for the United States, where combined estimates on primary liver cancer and intrahepatic bile duct cancer, two of the most common types of liver cancer where there are about 39,230 new cases are diagnosed.
The incidence of liver cancer has increased three-fold since 1980 and is often more prevalent in men than in women.
Worldwide, this disease is more common in sub-Saharan Africa and in Southeast Asia compared to the US.
Image Credit: Starving cancer cells by blocking their metabolism – Medical Xpress
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