Drug Digitalis has the ability to fight prostate cancer

According to a recent study, Digitalis (which belongs to the group of glucoside-supporting heart) has long been considered effective in treating heart failure, but now it can be considered as A new utility in the treatment of prostate cancer.

Digitalis, also known as digoxin, is derived from plants, extracted from cymbidium and has been known to be effective in treating heart failure since 1785. In recent years, Digitalis's role in the treatment of heart failure and arrhythmia, has gradually been replaced by newer drugs, but it is still an option for patients.

Digitalis's potential for prostate cancer has been discovered after screening more than 3,100 compounds, of more than half of the available drugs, in the researchers' attempt to find an effect. treatment on prostate cancer cells. Digitalis excelled by its ability to inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells in vitro.

The results of the study, published in the April 4 issue of Cancer Discovery, have led researchers to test the effectiveness of Digitalis' drug treatment on 47,000 men participating in a medical study. sacrifices between 1986 and 2006.

Research results show that people who have never used Digitalis will be able to develop prostate cancer from 6% to 28% more than men who have ever used drugs. this. And men who have been taking this medicine for at least 10 years, will reduce their risk of developing prostate cancer by 37% to 79%.

Digitalis works by attaching an enzyme to the membrane of the heart muscle cells, initiating a chain reaction that increases the ability of the heart muscle cells to contract. This works to slow your heart rate, while improving your heart's pumping action.

Researchers plan to study the effect of Digitalis on prostate cancer, according to Elizabeth Platz, an Epidemiologist, who works at Johns Hopkins Medical Research Institute, in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. " If we can imagine the mechanism, perhaps the new drug could be developed specifically for the mechanism ," said Elizabeth Platz. "Or Digitalis may change itself to affect the prostate."

Drug Digitalis has side effects, so it is unlikely that doctors will use it to treat men who have prostate cancer at an early stage. But Digitalis will be used to treat men with more severe cancer, when they have no better choice, Platz said. " But we still need to know the mechanism of operation. "

New research " exciting strategy illustrates the trend of integrating the massive parallel protection (of compounds) with the massive data set of large numbers of patients to understand the relationship between, In this case, the use of drugs and the risk of developing the disease, "said Louis Weiner, cancer specialist and director of Lombardi General Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC , USA

" This is a retrospective analysis of the past that creates a hypothetical hypothesis, which now needs to be validated in a future study ."

Cancer Discovery is a new scientific journal designed to provide such research. Cancer Discovery magazine's articles, including the article about the results of this research, were published April 3, 2011, at the American Cancer Society's Annual Meeting. in Orlando, Florida, USA.