A new study reveals copper's role in cancer cell growth and potential treatments through copper chelation, highlighting the metal's importance in cancer research.
- Lung cancers need elevated copper levels for growth, emphasizing the need to monitor copper in cancer research
- High copper levels activate NRF2, which helps protect cells from oxidative stress
- Copper chelation therapy could be an effective treatment for lung cancers with high NRF2 levels
Princeton Chemists Create Copper-Detection Tool to Identify Potential Chelation Targets for Lung Cancer
Go to source). The research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has introduced a new tool for detecting copper in human cells. This breakthrough is helping scientists understand how copper can influence lung cancer growth and develop new treatment approaches.
What is Copper’s Role in Cancer?
Copper is an essential metal for our body involved in many biological functions. However, more than or less than the optimal level of copper can increase the risk of developing diseases like cancer.The Chang Lab developed a special probe that helps detect copper levels in cancer cells, allowing them to study how copper affects cancer growth. The researchers found that certain lung cancers need more copper to grow. This process is known as cuproplasia.
The study finding highlights the importance of tracking copper levels in cancer research, as imbalances in copper can affect how cancer cells survive and multiply.
How Copper and Oxidative Stress Are Linked
The study also showed a connection between copper and a protein called NRF2, which helps protect cells from free radicals. When the oxidative stress is high (damage from free radicals), NRF2 gets activated and helps the body fight back.In lung cancer, the researchers found that cancer cells with high NRF2 levels had lower copper available. This makes the cells more vulnerable to a treatment called copper chelation, which removes copper from the cells. When treated with copper chelation, cancer cells with high NRF2 levels died more easily. This shows the potential to treat cancers with low copper levels.
Copper Chelation: The Future of Cancer Treatment?
Copper chelation therapy removes copper from cancer cells, which is needed for their growth. The research suggests that this therapy could be a promising treatment for certain lung cancers, especially those with high NRF2 levels. However, the findings are still in the early stages, and further tests on human tissue are needed.While the research focuses on lung cancer, the methods developed could be useful for studying other cancers and diseases linked to abnormal cell growth. The researchers aim to explore in the future how copper and other metals affect health and disease, and how diet and lifestyle impact copper levels in the body.
Understanding how metal imbalances affect our cells could lead to better treatments for cancer and other health conditions.
Reference:
- Princeton Chemists Create Copper-Detection Tool to Identify Potential Chelation Targets for Lung Cancer - (https://bioengineer.org/princeton-chemists-create-copper-detection-tool-to-identify-potential-chelation-targets-for-lung-cancer/)
Source-Medindia