A cheap and widely used antifungal drug – thiabendazole – slows down the growth of cancerous tumors, reports PLOS Biology.
Oral thiabendazole has been used in clinics for about 40 years as an anti-fungal agent.
Researchers at the University of Texas made this discovery by researching the evolutionary relationships of yeast, frogs, mice, and humans. One of the genes that regulates the behavior of yeast cells in harsh conditions in vertebrates is responsible for the growth of blood vessels, or angiogenesis. Thanks to this, knowing the effect of the drug on fungi (including yeasts), its effect on vertebrate tissues was discovered.
Hye Ji Cha, Edward Marcotte, John Wallingford and their colleagues have shown that thiabendazole destroys newly formed blood vessels – for example, frog embryos in water containing the drug were unable to produce blood vessels. In the case of neoplasms, inhibiting the formation of new vessels allows the tumor to be deprived of the supply of nutrients.
In mice, researchers showed that in fibrosarcoma, thiabendazole reduced blood vessel development by more than half. The tumor growth rate also decreased. Fibrosarcomas originate in connective tissue and are usually supplied with very good blood supply.
As the safety of thiabendazole in humans is well documented, its practical application in the treatment of cancer is expected soon. (PAP)
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