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A compound praised for longevity and healthy ageing may have a darker side: in cancer cells, it appears to help tumours grow faster.
An Emerging Longevity Supplement May Accelerate Cancer Growth, Scientists Say
Author: Ava Levinson
Researchers have revealed that a group of compounds growing in popularity for their longevity benefits could speed up the growth of cancer cells. It’s important information both in the context of cancer treatment and anti-aging therapies.
The study, conducted by researchers at the Tokyo University of Science, found that polyamines, essential molecules found in all living cells, can also accelerate the growth of cancer cells.
Study Finds Polyamines Accelerate Tumor Growth
Spermidine, a polyamine, has been linked to longer lifespans, improved health, and lessening memory loss with age, and it’s grown in popularity as part of supplements claiming to boost well being, according to Science Alert. But in examining the biological processes at play, the study links it, along with other polyamines, to cancer cell growth.
“Changes in polyamine metabolism are correlated with various pathologies, including cancer and age-related conditions,” said the researchers in their paper. “However, how polyamines directly modulate genes that affect cancer progression, in particular aerobic glycolysis-dependent cell growth, remains unclear.”
Lab Cultures Were Revealing
Researchers took lab cultures of cervical cancer and breast cancer cells to look into how the cancerous tissues reacted to changes. They specifically examined proteins elF5A1 and elF5A2. While they are similar, the former is known to be essential for healthy cells, while the latter is a key factor in cancer development and growth.
Polyamines impact how these two proteins are produced, so the researchers were interested in whether they played a role in spermidine’s functions as an anti-aging compound and cancer driver.
The results showed that polyamines push cancer cells toward aerobic glycolysis, a metabolic process that fuels rapid growth, and increase production of eIF5A2. When researchers removed that protein, cancer cell growth dropped significantly, but adding the polyamine spermidine restored it.
Study Could Help Advance Cancer Treatment
The findings suggest spermidine may play a role in promoting tumor cell proliferation.
“The biological activity of polyamines via elF5A differs between normal and cancer tissues,” said Kyohei Higashi, a biochemist from the Tokyo University of Science. “In normal tissues, elF5A1, activated by polyamines, activates mitochondria via autophagy, whereas in cancer tissues, elF5A2, whose synthesis is promoted by polyamines, controls gene expression at the translational level to facilitate the proliferations of cancer cells.”
The research does not say that spermidine and other polyamines cause cancer. Instead, they may accelerate the growth of cancer cells in a person who already has the disease.
It’s data that can help advise the development of more effective cancer drugs, while more research is needed to continue investigating what other healthy cells may be affected.
Credits: TCA, LLC.