Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a crucial role in tumor angiogenesis and represents an attractive anticancer target.
Raleigh, NC (PRWEB) July 10, 2014
Scientists in Japan say mesothelioma cells respond to an altered form of α-tocotrienol (Vitamin E) by producing less of a protein that helps grow new blood vessels. Surviving Mesothelioma has just posted an article on the new research. Click here to read it now.
Researchers at Toyo University’s Graduate School of Life Sciences exposed oxygen-deprived mesothelioma cells to 6-O-carboxypropyl-α-tocotrienol (a form of Vitamin E also known as ‘T3E’) and found that it blocked their production of VEGF, a vital protein for tumor growth.
“Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a crucial role in tumor angiogenesis and represents an attractive anticancer target,” explained lead investigator Ayami Sato. Dr. Sato says the team’s data suggests that VEGF “could be a promising therapeutic target of T3E in malignant mesotheliom a cells.”
The article, published in Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin, may move T3E a step closer to development as a tumor-shrinking treatment for mesothelioma and other cancers.
“Attacking mesothelioma by manipulating cellular processes is a major research focus and probably represents the future of cancer treatment,” says Alex Strauss, Managing Editor of Surviving Mesothelioma. “Although it is complex, we believe that patients and families have a right to understand the science and how it may impact them.”
For details on how the study was performed and how T3E is thought to work, see Vitamin E Analog Inhibits Blood Vessel Growth in Mesothelioma Cells, now available on the Surviving Mesothelioma website.
Sato, A, et al, “A redox-silent analogue of tocotrienol inhibits cobalt(II) chloride-induced VEGF expression via Yes signaling in mesothelioma cells”, Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin. 2014, pp. 865-70. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24790010
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