A new anti-cancer drug is 10 times more effective than cisplatin
The creators of a new chemotherapy drug have promised a revolution in cancer treatment
News from the University of Warwick: New drug raises potential for cancer treatment revolutionResearchers from the University of Warwick (UK) have developed a new generation anti-cancer drug based on complex iridium compounds, the effectiveness of which, according to the creators, is ten times higher than existing chemotherapy drugs based on platinum derivatives, which promises a revolution in cancer treatment.
The work was published in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition (Liu et al., The Potent Oxidant Anticancer Activity of Organoiridium Catalysts).
The drug, named ZL105 by the developers, is an iridium-pyridine complex capable, due to its chemical properties, of catalyzing oxidative stress in cells, significantly increasing the level of reactive oxygen species in them, which leads, in the case of cancer cells, to their death.
The structure of the ZL105 molecule (figure from the article in Angewandte Chemie) – VM
The high selective activity of ZL105 against a wide range of tumor cells is ensured by its ability to influence the redox potential of the intracellular medium for a long time. Such an impact disrupts and depletes the energy supply of the cell, which is especially critical for rapidly proliferating cancer cells.
As the authors note, such a mechanism of action, radically different from the mechanism of action of platinum-based chemotherapeutic drugs used in about half of cases, for example, Cisplatin, provides significantly higher efficacy and safety of ZL105. The fact is that the effect of platinum-based drugs, which in itself is toxic to the body, is based on a violation of the structure and function of cellular DNA, which ultimately leads to the defeat of both cancer and healthy cells. This leads to a large number of negative side effects, from nausea and vomiting to kidney failure and hearing loss. In addition, the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs often decreases after the first course due to the resistance acquired by cancer cells to them.
New generation drugs based on non-toxic iridium, which are catalysts that trigger natural signaling and energy processes in the body and remain active when used even in very low, nanomolar doses, due to the targeting and diversity of their action, which does not affect cellular DNA, allow attacking different types of tumor cells, avoiding the development of resistance to therapy and reducing the severity of side effects. effects, said the lead author of the work, Professor Peter J. Sadler (Peter J. Sadler).
According to preliminary estimates, ZL105 is more than ten times more effective than Cisplatin against ovarian, rectal, kidney, skin and some types of breast cancer. The next goal of the researchers is to study the effect of the drug on tumors with genetic and acquired resistance to chemotherapy. In the case of experimental confirmation of the unique properties of drugs based on iridium compounds, their introduction into clinical practice will lead to a revolution in cancer therapy, the creators of ZL105 believe.
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