New Vitamin B12-Based Therapy Shows Promise Against Aggressive Brain Cancer: Study
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
A modified vitamin B12-based compound could offer a new way to treat glioblastoma, one of the deadliest forms of brain cancer, according to a new study. Researchers found that the compound was able to cross the blood-brain barrier, a major obstacle that often prevents medicines from reaching brain tumours.
Study Focuses On Vitamin B12 Compound
The study, 'Selective blood–brain barrier penetration and tumor targeting of nitrosylcobalamin in glioblastoma: Pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution, and synergistic activity with trail and temozolomide', published in the journal Oncoscience, examined a compound called nitrosylcobalamin (NO-Cbl), a modified form of vitamin B12 that slowly releases nitric oxide.
Researchers wanted to find out whether the compound could reach glioblastoma tumours by crossing the blood-brain barrier, which normally blocks many cancer drugs from entering the brain.
Encouraging Results
The study found that NO-Cbl showed anti-cancer effects against several types of cancer cells. In animal studies involving rats with glioblastoma, the compound successfully crossed the blood-brain barrier and collected inside the tumours.
Researchers also found that it remained active in the tumour tissue for at least 24 hours, delivering nitric oxide directly to cancer cells while causing little effect on healthy tissue.
Better Results With Existing Treatments
Scientists also tested the compound along with Temozolomide, the standard chemotherapy drug used to treat glioblastoma, and TRAIL, an experimental cancer therapy.
In laboratory-grown glioblastoma cells, the combination treatments slowed cancer cell growth more effectively than when each treatment was used on its own.
About Glioblastoma
Glioblastoma is a fast-growing type of brain tumour that develops from glial cells, which support and protect nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Although it can occur at any age, it is more commonly diagnosed in older adults, with the average age at diagnosis being 64.
According to the study, around 12,000 to 13,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with glioblastoma every year. It accounts for nearly half of all cancerous brain tumours and remains one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer.
