Researchers at Stanford University's School of Medicine have published research suggesting that a form of the chemical arsenic may have additional anti-cancer capacity than previously believed.
The form is called arsenic trioxide; it has already been approved for use in humans by the US FDA, and it has been used to treat acute promyelocytic leukemia for about a decade.
Researchers believe that arsenic trioxide, in combination with another drug, may be effective against solid tumors, such as medulloblastoma.
CANCER TYPE(S)
Brain cancer
TREATMENT TYPE
Chemotherapy
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Low levels of arsenic trioxide appear to block one of the last steps involved in what's known as the Hedgehog pathway—the Hedgehog pathway is a cellular signaling cascade that leads to tumor development, in particular in the brain, blood, skin and muscle. In order to maximize the outcome, researchers combine arsenic trioxide with another Hedgehog inhibiting drug, cyclopamine, which acts at one of the early steps of the pathway.
It should be noted that in arsenic poisoning, the ability of a cell to produce energy is cut off when the chemical reaches certain levels. Arsenic trioxide in chemotherapy has a different mechanism of action.
WHERE WAS THIS RESEARCH PUBLISHED?
Online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
By Ross Bonander
Citation
Kim J et al. "Arsenic antagonizes the Hedgehog pathway by preventing ciliary accumulation and reducing stability of the Gli2 transcriptional effector." PNAS. Published online before print July 12, 2010, doi:10.1073/pnas.100682210
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