RangerJoe
Posts: 13450
Joined: 11/16/2015 From: My Mother, although my Father had some small part. Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: fcooke grain alcohol? Nope, among other things: December 8, 2017 Alcohol-abuse drug Antabuse kills cancer cells by Karolinska Institutet https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-12-alcohol-abuse-drug-antabuse-cancer-cells.html#:~:text=A%20new%20study%20in%20Nature%20by%20an%20international,potential%20mechanism%20of%20action%20for%20the%20anti-tumour%20effect. quote:
Tech & Science This Extremely Common Drug Given to Alcoholics Also Kills Cancer Cells, and We Finally Know Why By Dana Dovey On 12/10/17 at 10:10 AM EST Disulfiram (Antabuse) is a drug given to alcoholics to prevent them from drinking, but for decades doctors have noticed the medication appears to have an unexpected side effect: fighting cancer. Now, new research from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden has revealed the biological mechanism behind Antabuse's effect on cancer. The study, published earlier this week in Nature, is the culmination of years of research and the combined efforts of scientists from five countries. In the paper, the team explains how Antabuse appears to "freeze" tumor growth by inhibiting an important protein. Antabuse is an odorless and nearly tasteless powder that, when consumed, causes an unpleasant physical reaction with alcohol, ranging from sweating and hyperventilation to nausea and vomiting. The drug works by interfering with the body's ability to metabolize or break down alcohol. Specifically, the drug disables aldehyde dehydrogenase, an enzyme in the liver that breaks down alcohol, allowing the body to process it. If aldehyde dehydrogenase is unable to function, alcohol builds up in the bloodstream and causes physical problems. Newsweek Newsletter sign-up > However, as shown in this new study, Antabuse has another effect on the body. For their study, the researchers observed the drug's effect on both living mice and on human cancer cells. In doing so, they noted that when the drug is metabolized it causes the protein, NPL4, to clump together with the enzyme p97, immobilizing the protein. This "freezes" the cancer cells and prevents them from disposing of unnecessary proteins. The build-up stresses the cancer cells and eventually causes them to die, Science Mag reported. Results were even more pronounced when the drug was combined with copper, and the drug did not discriminate when it came to what type of cancer cells it killed. In the study it was just as helpful in killing prostate, breast and colon cancer. In addition, only cancer cells are affected by Antabuse while normal cells seem to be unharmed. The reason for this is unclear. Related: Using artificial intelligence to find cancer cures The connection between the drug and cancer treatment dates back decades, with the first case report acknowledging the connection published in 1977 in Progress in Clinical and Biological Research. The case detailed a breast cancer patient who also was an alcoholic. She was given Antabuse to treat her alcoholism, but an autopsy upon her death (which was due to falling from a window, not cancer) revealed that her body was clinically cancer-free despite having no further cancer treatment. In fact, the only drug she had continued to use was Antabuse. https://www.newsweek.com/cancer-treatment-drug-alcoholism-antabuse-742864
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Seek peace but keep your gun handy. I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing! “Illegitemus non carborundum est (“Don’t let the bastards grind you down”).” ― Julia Child
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