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New Synthetic Fungal Compound Cause Cancer Cells To Self-Destruct

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Every single cell in your body has a lifespan. When it completes its duty, it dies by undergoing a process called apoptosis. There is a specific gene in the cell that takes care of executing this sort of suicidal death. If that gene becomes defective and the self-destruct order doesn’t happen, then tumors form.

Cancer cells are those that become immortal and proliferate, spreading throughout the body. Typically, when a healthy cell dies, it gets eliminated from the body, and a new one takes its place. Cancer cells do not die, so they remain there and still replicate more cells with the same problem.

New Synthetic Fungal Compound Cause Cancer Cells To Self-Destruct
Credit: vitanovski / Depositphotos

Finding a way to fix the gene mutation that causes tumors could be a viable treatment option for cancer. The mutation is in a gene called p53. Things such as ultraviolet light, aging, and mutagenic compounds induce the mutation. Teams of researchers in the field have been focused on fixing p53 in cancer cells to initiate apoptosis.

Through such studies, it was discovered that a naturally occurring compound found in the filamentous fungus species Ascochyta, called FE399, could do just that. In vitro, FE399 reinstating the self-destruct gene that drives the programmed death process, meaning it successfully triggered apoptosis in (colorectal) cancer cells. Unfortunately, the complex nature of the compound made it challenging to extract from the fungus and, therefore, next to impossible to reproduce in large quantities.

Seeing as extracting the original version of FE399 was not an option, a team of scientists from the University of Tokyo thought to develop a synthetic version instead.

Study author Professor Isamu Shiina said:

We wanted to create a lead compound that could treat colon cancer, and we aimed to do this through the total synthesis of FE399.

New Synthetic Fungal Compound Cause Cancer Cells To Self-Destruct
Credit: lightsource / Depositphotos

First, they identified the structure of the compound using commercially available and inexpensive materials and lots of trial and error. Eventually, their efforts were rewarded when, in a significant breakthrough, they managed to produce a trio of spots on a plate containing an identical chemical signature as FE399. Their technique could be used to mass-produce FE399, synthetically.

Prof Shiina said:

We hope that this newly produced compound can provide an unprecedented treatment option for patients with colorectal cancer, and thus improve the overall outcomes of the disease and ultimately improve their quality of life.

Now the team will test the synthetic FE399’s efficiency in the treatment of different types of cancers. Then, the structure and biological activities of the FE399 molecule will need to be evaluated. After all that goes well, they can begin planning for mass production.

The post New Synthetic Fungal Compound Cause Cancer Cells To Self-Destruct appeared first on Intelligent Living.


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