Wasp venom can kill cancer
21 Oct 2015 by Evoluted New Media
Brazilian wasp venom can selectively kill cancer cells without harming normal cells.
Brazilian wasp venom can selectively kill cancer cells without harming normal cells.
An international research team led by the University of Leeds studied the venom of Polybia paulista wasps and discovered a venom toxin – Polybia-MP1 – that contains a powerful cancer-fighting ingredient.
“Cancer therapies that attack the lipid composition of the cell membrane would be an entirely new class of anticancer drugs,” said Dr Paul Beales, from the School of Chemistry at the University of Leeds.
In the study, published in Biophysical Journal, the team discovered that Polybia-MP1 interacts with lipids – fatty molecules – that are abnormally distributed on the surface of cancer cells and creates gaping holes that allow molecules crucial for cancer cell function to leak out.
“This could be useful in developing new combination therapies, where multiple drugs are used simultaneously to treat a cancer by attacking different parts of the cancer cells at the same time,” said Dr Beales.
Tests showed that the toxin inhibits the growth of prostate and bladder cancer cells, as well as drug resistant leukemic cells. The scientists believe that Polybia-MP1 selectively destroys cancer cells as a result of the unique properties of cancer cell membranes.
“Formed in only seconds, these large pores are big enough to allow critical molecules such as RNA and proteins to easily escape cells,” said research-associate Dr João Ruggiero Neto of São Paulo State University in Brazil.
Next, the researchers plan to alter MP1’s amino acid sequence to investigate how the structure relates to its function. They hope to further improve the toxin’s selectivity and potency for clinical purposes.
Dr Beales said: “Understanding the mechanism of action of this peptide will help in translational studies to further assess the potential for this peptide to be used in medicine. As it has been shown to be selective to cancer cells and non-toxic to normal cells in the lab, this peptide has the potential to be safe, but further work would be required to prove that.”
Paper: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006349515007687
