• AHA
  • ESC
  • ASCO
  • ACC
  • RSNA
  • ISC
  • SABCS
  • AACR
  • APA
  • Archives
株式会社ヘスコインターナショナルは、法令を遵守し本サイトをご利用いただく皆様の個人情報の取り扱いに細心の注意を払っております。


Bacterial protein azurin can kill human melanoma cells in mice without causing clinically apparent adverse effects

A protein secreted by bacteria can kill cancer cells without any apparent adverse side effects, according to animal research published in the October 29th issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The researchers isolated azurin, a well-known protein that is involved in cellular metabolism, from the growth medium of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. When the protein was tested in mice injected with human melanoma cells, the protein shrank tumors; however, in contrast to other studies, which have used whole bacteria, the experiments caused no deaths or apparent adverse reactions in the lab animals.

"Bacterial proteins could well be a new weapon in the war against cancer," said Ananda Chakrabarty, a microbiologist and immunologist.

Specially-bred immunodeficient mice implanted with human melanoma were treated with 0.5 mg azurin daily for 22 days. At the conclusion of the trial, the average size of the tumors in treated mice was 60 percent smaller than the average tumor size in untreated mice. None of the mice showed signs of illness or loss of weight.

The researchers said that azurin appears to work as an anticancer agent by stabilizing the p53 protein, product of the p53 tumor suppressor gene. Normally, the p53 protein is short-lived, surviving just a few minutes before degradation. However, azurin enters the nucleus, binding to the p53 protein and protecting it from degradation.

According to Dr. Tapas Das Gupta, a co-investigator, preliminary data show that azurin kills several types of cancer cells, including breast and colon cancer.

"These results suggest that azurin could be a useful anticancer agent not just for melanoma but for different kinds of tumors," Das Gupta said. However, he cautioned that extensive studies are needed to confirm the initial laboratory results.



DOLについて - 利用規約 -  会員規約 -  著作権 - サイトポリシー - 免責条項 - お問い合わせ
Copyright 2000-2025 by HESCO International, Ltd.