Drug for diarrhea can kill invasive cancer cells – BGR

• New research suggests that a drug used to slow down the digestive tract may be helpful in treating cancer.
• The drug, called loperamide, is often used to treat diarrhea, but it can also destroy some tumor cells.
• Further research is needed, but the findings could lead to novel cures for some aggressive types of cancer.

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In the fight against cancer, doctors and scientists have tried many, many non-controversial things. Existing drugs that were not intended to treat certain illnesses will sometimes be beneficial later on, and it is not until a comprehensive study of the effects of drugs that scientists really know what is. able to prescribe any medication.

Now the anti-diarrheal drug loperamide is getting attention from doctors after it was shown by a team of scientists at Goethe University to be helpful in treating glioblastoma, a type of cancer which is particularly aggressive and deadly. The drug causes a state in human cells that healthy cells can withstand, but cancer cells cannot.

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According to a new paper published in the journal Autophagy, when loperamide interacts with tumor cells, the cells emit a stress response that effectively acts as a self-destruct command for the cell. The cancer cell eventually dies, which is a good thing.

The way the drug works is linked to a process of cell autophagy, which helps keep cells healthy by breaking down unwanted items or damaged parts. In a healthy cell, this process is obviously very useful, but when the process is intensified, as loperamide seems to help, tumor cells cannot handle its intense activity and eventually break down so much that they die.

In the paper, the researchers note that this treatment appears to work well against glioblastoma cells. Glioblastoma is an extremely destructive form of cancer that spreads rapidly and can often cause death. Finding a modern treatment for such a devastating disease is a big deal, but the team is not ready to start administering the anti-diarrheal medication to cancer patients yet.

The team suggests that the findings could be used in future treatments. If scientists can differentiate or perhaps even intensify the stress response the drug produces within cells, they could target tumor cells while avoiding them. healthy cells effectively, as they appear to be able to handle intense activity.

Going forward, it will be interesting to see if the drug, which has been proven to be safe and effective in treating diarrhea, could help fight the spread of cancer in patients. If so, this was not the first time that an existing drug was beneficial for diseases that were not originally designed for treatment, but it is perhaps the best surprise yet.