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Tumor cells consume even more glucose than healthy cells
Researchers at the University of Glasgow have demonstrated that a simple sugar supplement can slow cancer growth.
The team from the Beatson Institute of Cancer Research UK (CRUK) has also discovered that it could make chemotherapy more effective against certain tumors.
They performed their experiments on mice, but said that this could someday lead to human treatment.
The Glasgow study could indicate a way to "die" of cancer cells.
Every cell in our body feeds on glucose. The tumor cells consume even more.
The team, led by Professor Kevin Ryan of the University of Glasgow, fed mice with tumors, another sugar called mannose.
Mannose is naturally present in many fruits. It is also made in some cells of our body.
Its molecular structure is almost identical to that of glucose, but the small difference seems to hold a crucial key.
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The mice had different types of tumors. Some received mannose three times a week through a feeding tube. Others have it continuously in their drinking water.
The team of Prof. Ryan wrote in the journal Nature that the mice showed no obvious side effects of mannose. More importantly, sugar appeared to significantly reduce the growth of certain types of tumors.
The process was repeated, this time with widely used chemotherapy drugs, cisplatin and doxorubicin, to see if mannose increased their effectiveness. In some cases, tumor growth seemed to slow down and the lifespan of some mice even increased.
Fewer tumors
The reason? The tumors, hungry for glucose, were hungry. The mannose seems to be an obstacle.
The experiments suggest that mannose does not block so much glucose that reaches cancer cells, but rather affects the way these cells try to use glucose.
A key sign of its effectiveness is the presence of an enzyme called phosphomannose isomerase (PMI). Mannose is linked to lower levels of PMI in cancer cells.
Researchers at the Beatson Institute have tested this aspect on human cancer cells in the laboratory.
Cancer cells of the ovary, kidney, breast, prostate and intestine were among the people tested. The lowest levels of PMI have been found with cancer cells in the intestine. Mice with the same cancer also developed significantly fewer tumors.
There are, however, important caveats. This is not a cure for cancer. It may not even be a treatment.
Moving from this discovery to something that can be given to patients can take years.
Until now, the experiments have only been conducted on mice but could someday lead to treatments in humans
According to Professor Ryan, the results are promising, but further research is needed to confirm the results.
He said: "What we have done is to bring things to a preclinical stage.
"But of course, everything that happens in the form of a treatment will have to be tested on humans.
"We are moving clinical trials forward as quickly as possible."
A positive aspect of this is that mannose is already sold as a dietary supplement. Doctors can prescribe it as a short-term remedy for some urinary tract infections.
But the implications of a long-term treatment are not known.
& # 39; Glow of hope & # 39;
CRUK Chief Nursing Officer Martin Ledwick warns cancer patients not to prescribe mannoses themselves.
"It's very early research," he says.
"There is a real risk of negative side effects that have not been tested yet.
"It's important to consult a doctor before drastically changing your diet or taking new supplements."
The Beatson Institute's research was jointly funded by CRUK and the St Andrews-based Worldwide Cancer Research (WWCR).
Dr. Helen Rippon, Chief Executive Officer of WWCR, said that it leaves "a glimmer of hope" that a readily available sugar could in the future become an economical and safe complement to cancer treatment. .
"At the moment, it is too early to say whether it will benefit people as well as the mice.
"But saving lives begins with such discoveries."
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