Establishing the negative impact of antidepressants on cancer patients and successful attempts at microwave electromagnetic field therapy – these are the results of Polish scientists’ research presented at the immunology congress in Gdańsk.
At the XNUMXth Congress of the Polish Society of Experimental and Clinical Immunology, the results of the latest works by Polish scientists on the threats to the immune system and important therapies that could correct its disorders or counteract diseases resulting from malfunction were presented.
The research team led by prof. Marek Dąbrowski from the Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (WIHE) in Warsaw, he conducted research on the influence of the microwave electromagnetic field on the cells of the immune system in the case of atopic dermatitis. Microwave electromagnetic field is emitted by wireless communication devices – mainly cell phones and home cordless phones. Scientists from WIHE examined the emission with the most common frequency of 900 MHz.
Research has shown that the microwave electromagnetic field of this frequency has a significant impact on the immune system in the case of atopic dermatitis. Under its influence, the production of the anti-inflammatory protein interleukin-10 in cells taken from sick people increased, while the pro-inflammatory interleukin-6 decreased. This led to the extinction of the inflammation symptoms and the reduction of skin lesions.
One of the most interesting discoveries of Polish immunologists, presented at the XNUMXth Congress, was the finding by a team of researchers led by Dr. Marta Kubera from the Institute of Pharmacology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Krakow, the influence of antidepressants on the development of cancer. Scientists investigated the effects of the active substances of two known antidepressants – fluoxetine and desipramine – on the development of adenocarcinomas and melanomas.
During the experiment, the mice were given drugs before and after the introduction of various types of cancer cells. The drug has a significant effect on the development of melanoma; inhibition of tumor growth was found in young male mice in the case of desipramine administered prior to engraftment of cancer cells. In the old males, tumors grew faster. Researchers also observed a large number of deaths from tumor metastasis. Fluoxetine administered after the implantation of cancer cells inhibits tumor growth by approx. 70%. Desipramine also has a similar but weaker effect.
As explained by Dr. Marta Kubera, these drugs work on the immune system, reducing its effectiveness. However, it also depends on the type of cancer – in some cases, antidepressants can inhibit their growth, while in others they can have a negative effect. Meanwhile, it is the effectiveness of the immune system during the development of cancer cells that determines the subsequent course of the disease.
The experiments conducted by Polish scientists are the first to show such a clear relationship between antidepressants and cancer development. This is a very important problem – over 73 percent. cancer patients show symptoms of depression and most of them are treated with different types of antidepressants. According to Kubera, the results of the research show that doctors should deeply rethink the therapy with antidepressants, especially in the period before and immediately after tumor removal surgery. This period is crucial in anticancer therapy and determines the possibility of curing or the risk of cancer spreading.
16 doctors and scientists from over 18 scientific institutions and hospitals from all over Poland took part in the 200th Congress of the Polish Society of Experimental and Clinical Immunology, which was held on June 40-XNUMX in Gdańsk.
Marek Mejssner (PAP)