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Researchers think that a fungus in old tombs can provide a new precious tool in the fight against cancer.
The fungus Aspergillus flavus, sometimes nicknamed the “curse of the mummy” for its Potential link with the death of archaeologists who searched famous tombs like that of the Tutankhamene King In Egypt is promising in the cessation of cancers such as leukemia, according to a New study published Monday in Chemical biology of nature of a team of scientists led by the University of Pennsylvania.
“The mushrooms have given us penicillin”, Sherry Gao, associate professor in chemical and biomolecular and bio-engineering engineering in Penn, principal author of the study, said in a declaration. “These results show that many more drugs derived from natural products remain to be found.”
During their research, scientists has isolated and purified a new class of molecules derived from fungus, asperigimycins, and tested them against common cancers in breast, liver and lung cells.
Even without modification, two of the four asperigimycins of experience had “powerful” effects against leukemia cells, according to the university.
Another variation, to which scientists added a fatty lipid molecule, carried out cytarabicine and daurubicin approved by the Food and Drug Administration, added the university.
Researchers think that these molecules, created within the fungus cell machine, then modified by study authors, block some of the cellular division mechanisms, stopping unckled cell growth that causes cancer.
“The cancer cells are divided uncontrollable,” added Gao in the declaration. “These compounds block the formation of microtubules, which are essential for cell division.”
Aspergillus flavus, which is commonly found in the soil, can cause pulmonary infections in humans, especially among those with compromise immune systems and infects a variety of agricultural crops.
Consequently, it is one of the most frequently isolated mold species in agriculture and medicine, according to Popular science.
The Penn team, which also included researchers from Rice University, of the University of Pittsburg, the University of Texas, the University of Washington of St. Louis, the Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Porto, declared that its research was unique because it focused on a class of peptides more commonly studied in bacteria, rather than Fungus.
Research, which scientists hope to continue in animal models and potential human trials on the road, was funded by the National Health InstitutesThe Biomedical Research Center from which the Trump administration hopes to reduce $ 18 billion in funding.
