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Mannose, a type of sugar found in cranberries and other fruits, is widely available as an alternative treatment for cystitis and urinary tract infections.
This drug is thought to suppress cancer by interfering with the ability of tumors to absorb glucose.
When mannose was administered to mice with pancreatic cancer, lung or skin in their drinking water, the growth of their tumors had slowed down considerably without any obvious side effects.
Lead Professor Kevin Ryan, a researcher at the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute in Glasgow, said, "Tumors need a lot of glucose to grow. Limiting the amount they can use should therefore slow down the progression of the cancer. The problem is that normal tissues also need glucose, so we can not remove it completely from the body.
"We found a dose of mannose that could block enough glucose to slow tumor growth in mice, but not so long as normal tissue was affected.
"This is a preliminary study, but we hope that this perfect balance will enable cancer patients in the future to receive mannose in order to improve chemotherapy without harming their patients." overall health. "
To see how mannose might affect cancer, the mice were treated with cisplatin and doxorubicin, two of the most widely used chemotherapy drugs.
Pr Ryan's team found that the nutrient enhanced the effects of chemotherapy, slowing down the growth of tumors and reducing their size.
It has also increased the life of some mice.
In subsequent tests, cells from other types of cancer, including leukemia, osteosarcoma (bone cancer), ovaries and intestines cancer, were exposed to mannose in the laboratory. Some cells responded well.
Other not.
The anticancer potential of mannose seems to depend on the presence of an enzyme that breaks down sugar in the cells.
Professor Ryan added, "Our next step is to determine why treatment works only in certain cells, so we can determine which patients might benefit the most from this approach.
"We hope to begin human mannose clinical trials as soon as possible to determine its true potential as a new cancer therapy."
Martin Ledwick, chief nurse of Cancer Research UK, warned cancer patients not to treat themselves on mannose.
He said: "Although these results are very promising for the future of some cancer treatments, this is a very early research that has not yet been tested in humans.
"Patients should not self-prescribe mannose because there is a real risk of negative side effects that have not been tested yet. It is important to consult a doctor before drastically changing your diet or taking new supplements. "
Dr. George Poulogiannis, of the London Cancer Institute, said, "This study shows that interfering with key features of tumor metabolism can help identify the Achilles' heels of cancer and could lead to more therapeutic strategies." effective.
"However, there is still a lot of work to be done before this research can be translated into clinical trials, including clinical trials to verify whether the treatment is safe and whether it can slow tumor growth in cancer patients."
The research is reported in the latest issue of Nature – a multidisciplinary scientific journal.
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