| |

Evening Primrose Extract: Targeting TYMS for Mesothelioma Treatment

ByHolly Zink
Evening Primrose Extract: Targeting TYMS for Mesothelioma Treatment

Recent studies have provided exciting insights into how evening primrose extract interacts with TYMS. TYMS is a protein crucial in the development and progression of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

A special mixture derived from evening primrose seeds is showing great potential in reducing TYMS activity. This groundbreaking research is offering new hope to those affected by this aggressive form of cancer.

Understanding Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a type of cancer that is known for being tough to treat, especially in its advanced stages. Scientists have discovered that a key target for treatment is a protein called thymidylate synthase (TYMS).

This protein influences how mesothelioma responds to certain drugs. A natural extract from evening primrose seeds has shown promise. This extract is slowing down the growth and spread of mesothelioma cells.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a serious form of cancer. It often develops silently over many years without showing any symptoms. It is caused by exposure to a toxic mineral called asbestos. Mesothelioma is known for its low survival rate, with only 10% of patients surviving beyond five years after diagnosis. The standard treatment for mesothelioma is a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.

The TYMS Protein and Evening Primrose Extract

One of the reasons mesothelioma is resistant to certain drugs is because of a protein called TYMS. TYMS tends to be overactive in this type of cancer. This overactivity has also been seen in other solid tumors. TYMS levels are closely linked with how aggressive the cancer cells become, and how much they spread.

Polyphenols are natural compounds found in plants. They are known for their cancer-fighting properties. Studies have shown that they can cause cancer cell death and slow down cancer cell growth. They also play a role in stopping the spread of cancer to other parts of the body.

Evening primrose extract is a special mixture of polyphenols made from the seeds of the evening primrose plant. Research has shown that this extract might help to treat cancer. It has been found to slow the spread of cancer cells and has even shown promise in reducing the growth of tumors.

Recent studies have provided exciting insights into how evening primrose extract affects TYMS. Scientists have discovered that this extract targets specific areas of the TYMS gene, effectively reducing its activity.

The research on evening primrose extract and its potential in treating mesothelioma is a significant step forward. By understanding how evening primrose extract interacts with TYMS and other cellular processes, scientists are finding new possibilities for better treatments. More research is needed, but this natural extract holds great promise in offering hope to those affected by mesothelioma.

Source

Chmielewska-Kassassir M, Sobierajska K, Ciszewski WM, Kryczka J, Zieleniak A, Wozniak LA. Evening Primrose Extract Modulates TYMS Expression via SP1 Transcription Factor in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma. Cancers (Basel). 2023;15(20):5003. Published 2023 Oct 16. doi:10.3390/cancers15205003. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10605291/

Similar Posts

  • | |

    Doctors Describe "Concrete Therapeutic Approach" for Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    A team of medical researchers in Italy have achieved what they are calling “excellent” tumor control and survival results in malignant pleural mesothelioma patients using a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Caused by exposure to asbestos, mesothelioma typically spreads quickly across the lung-encasing membrane called the pleura. There is no known cure but treatments are improving. In the current prospective study, 20 malignant pleural mesothelioma patients underwent radical pleurectomy/decortication followed by high doses of radiation. After surgeons removed as much of the visible mesothelioma tumor and surrounding tissue as possible, patients received 50Gy of radiation to the effected side of their chest, delivered in 25 fractions. Regions of particular concern for mesothelioma regrowth got an extra radiation “boost” to…

  • | |

    Does Radiotherapy Reduce Mesothelioma Pain?

    ByAlex Strauss

    A new study says there is not enough evidence to support the use of radiotherapy for the treatment of pain associated with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland reviewed a range of past studies on mesothelioma pain and radiotherapy by searching databases that date back as far as 1974. To be eligible to be included in their review, the study had to focus on malignant pleural mesothelioma and radiotherapy given “with the intent of improving pain”. The study also had to report doses and fractionation of the radiotherapy and how the pain responded. In all, the researchers found eight studies on mesothelioma pain and radiotherapy that met the criteria. Two of the studies were prospective…

  • |

    Ape Virus Shrinks Mesothelioma Tumors in Lab

    ByAlex Strauss

    A virus that causes leukemia in gibbon apes may have the power to help fight malignant mesothelioma in people. Gibbon ape leukemia virus (GALV) has been tested for years as a viral vector, a carrier of therapeutic genetic information, in the treatment of various human illnesses, including cancer. A new study in Japan compared GALV with a leukemia virus derived from mice to see which carrier communicated most efficiently with mesothelioma cells. While both types of viruses replicated in most of the mesothelioma cell lines tested, the mouse-derived virus was not effective in a mesothelioma cell line called ACC-MESO-1. In this cell line, only the GALV spread efficiently both in culture and in mice that had been given human mesothelioma…

  • | |

    Radiotherapy for Mesothelioma: Better But Still Limited

    ByAlex Strauss

    A form of highly-targeted radiation therapy for mesothelioma is better than it used to be, but is still risky. That is the message of a recent article on intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. Author Kenneth E. Rosenzweig, MD, a Radiation Oncologist with Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, reviewed recent studies on IMRT and mesothelioma. He concludes that, while the “troubling toxicity” associated with IMRT when it was first introduced has not been entirely eliminated, the fact that clinicians now have more experience with it is making a positive difference for mesothelioma patients. Before targeted therapies like IMRT were available, high-dose radiation was not usually a feasible option for mesothelioma since the irregular shape…

  • | |

    A Second-Line Option for Mesothelioma?

    ByAlex Strauss

    Although survival was not significantly extended, the chemotherapy drug vinorelbine might be a treatment option for mesothelioma patients whose cancer has returned after first-line chemotherapy with pemetrexed. A new study on vinorelbine as a second-line treatment finds that the drug is “moderately active” in mesothelioma patients who were initially treated with pemetrexed-based chemotherapy. Pemetrexed (Alimta), along with a platinum-based drug like cisplatin, is the primary first-line drug therapy for mesothelioma. But vinorelbine is gaining attention as a possible option for mesothelioma, in part because it is available in a less expensive generic form. In “Vinorelbine in pemetrexed-pretreated patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma”, the Italian authors detail the results of their study on 59 patients with unresectable pleural mesothelioma.  These patients…

  • |

    Chemical in Wine May Improve Mesothelioma Treatment

    ByAlex Strauss

    There’s new evidence that a compound found in red wine may help improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy treatment for malignant pleural mesothelioma. Last year, a team of Korean researchers released the world’s first study on the mesothelioma-fighting power of resveratrol, a natural phenol derived from the skin of red grapes and found in red wine and grape juice. Now, the same team says resveratrol also appears to enhance the chemosensitivity of malignant mesothelioma cells. Study author Yoon-Jin Lee and colleagues discovered  a synergistic cancer-fighting effect in mesothelioma cells treated with both resveratrol and clofarabine, a prescription drug often used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Together, resveratrol and clofarabine “induced a strong cytotoxic effect” by influencing levels of the tumor suppressor,…