SALT CAN KILL CANCER CELLS
The next weapon to effectively fight cancer
could be salt as researchers have found that an influx of salt into a cell
triggers its death.
The finding could lead to new anti-cancer drugs, said the
researchers who created a molecule that can cause cancer cells to self-destruct
by carrying sodium and chloride ions into the cells.
"This work shows how chloride transporters can work
with sodium channels in cell membranes to cause an influx of salt into a
cell," said study co-author professor Philip Gale from the University of
Southampton in Britain.
"We found we can trigger cell death with salt,"
Gale added.
Cells in the human body work hard to maintain a stable
concentration of ions inside their cell membranes.
Disruption of
this delicate balance can trigger cells to go through apoptosis, known as
programmed cell death, a mechanism the body uses to rid itself of damaged or
dangerous cells.
Unfortunately, when a cell becomes cancerous, it changes
the way it transports ions across its cell membrane in a way that blocks
apoptosis.
The new synthetic ion transporter works by essentially
surrounding the chloride ion in an organic blanket, allowing the ion to
dissolve in the cell's membrane, which is composed largely of lipids, or fats.
The researchers found that the chloride transporter tends
to use the sodium channels that naturally occur in the cell's membrane,
bringing sodium ions along for the ride.
"We have shown that this mechanism of chloride
influx into the cell by a synthetic transporter does indeed trigger
apoptosis," said co-author of the study Jonathan Sessler from the
University of Texas at Austin.
The study appeared in the journal Nature Chemistry.
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