Srikumar Chellappan of the University of South Florida, in Tampa, led a study that demonstrated the stimulation of cancer cells by nicotine. Although this is bad news for smokers, understanding the mechanism may aid the development of new anticancer agents. Laboratory results have shown that blocking the nicotine receptors on cancer cells can halt their growth. Experiments revealed that nicotine caused a molecule called Raf-1 to bind to a key protein called Rb, which normally suppresses tumors. It is hoped that chemicals can be found that will inhibit the binding of Raf-1 to the Rb cancer inhibitor.
Journal reference: Journal of Clinical Investigation (DOI: 10.1172/JCI28164)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment