Study sheds more light on the relationship between polyamines — essential molecules in living cells — and cancer progression.
A group of natural compounds, highly promoted for their potential anti-aging, you may also promote the growth of cancer cells.
The conclusion comes in a led by scientists from the Tokyo University of Science, who sought to better clarify the relationship between polyamine — essential molecules present in all living cells — and the progression of cancer.
Among these substances are spermidine ea rotten known to participate in fundamental processes such as cell growth and protein synthesis.
In recent years, studies in animal models have linked spermidine to benefits such as greater longevity, better overall health, and less memory decline with age.
Therefore, the substance has gained visibility in dietary supplements sold as promoters of well-being, says the .
But researchers emphasize that there is a another side of this story.
Previous work had already linked polyamines to the spread of cancer. The new study sought to understand, in greater detail, how these molecules influence the behavior of tumor cellsin particular its tendency to consume glucose through the so-called aerobic glycolysis — a mechanism often used by cancer to sustain growth even when there is sufficient oxygen.
The team used laboratory cultures of cells from
The tests focused on two very similar proteins, eIF5A1 e eIF5A2.
Despite sharing almost identical amino acid sequences, the first is associated with the normal functioning of healthy cells, while the second has been linked to tumor growth and development.
According to the results, polyamines increase the production of eIF5A2 and push cancer cells into a metabolic mode favorable to proliferation.
This effect appears to occur, in large part, because these molecules remove a natural “brake” on the production of eIF5A2: a small RNA molecule called miR-6514-5p.
When researchers reduced polyamine levels or eliminated eIF5A2, cancer cell growth slowed significantly.
To the reintroduce spermidine, a tumor expansion was restoredreinforcing the idea that this substance may play an important role in the proliferation of cancer.
The authors leave, however, a warning: the study does not show that spermidine causes cancer.
What it shows is that, once the tumor process has started, cancer cells can take advantage of the biological advantages of polyamines to survive and grow.
Still, scientists consider that the eIF5A2 and miR-6514-5p may become new therapeutic targets.
For now, however, the results are limited to experiments in cell cultures, far from immediate clinical application.
