Suddenly, anti-allergy medicine turned out to be a remedy for cancer

According to "Vesti", glioblastoma is one of the most common and deadly types of brain cancer in adults. Until now, physicians do not have effective therapy (operations are often impossible, and the tumor does not respond to drugs). However things change. Scientists of the University of Helsinki have found a weak spot in cancer.

It turned out that increased expression of MDGI protein that binds fatty acids in glioblastoma cells enhances the ability of cancer cells to penetrate tissues and is associated with a poorer prognosis for the patient. However, the absence or forced inhibition of MDGI work provoked instability in the cancer cell membranes. Important substances literally began to flow out the organelles of the cancer cells resulting cellular death.

It is possible to activate such leakage with drugs that penetrate the blood-brain barrier. Clemastien (medicine against allergies) is one of such drugs. It caused the death of cancer cells, even when minimal concentrations of the drug were used. In rodents, clemastine helped to reduce the spread of brain tumors and increase the survival rate of animals. In a separate case, the medicine made the cancer disappear completely.

Source: MEDdaily