New Delhi: New research from researchers in Taiwan indicates that a peptide fragment derived from cow’s milk, known as lactoferricin B25 (LFcinB25), exhibited powerful anticancer capability against human stomach cancer cell cultures. The findings provide support for future use of LfcinB25 as a potential therapeutic agent for gastric cancer. “Gastric cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide, especially in Asiancountries,” said Wei-Jung Chen, of the Department of Biotechnology and Animal Science of National Ilan University, Taiwan.
Investigators evaluated the effects of three peptide fragments derived from lactoferricin B, a peptide in milk that has antimicrobial properties. Only one of the fragments, LFcinB25 reduced the survival of human Gastric Aden carcinoma (AGS) cells in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. Under a microscope the investigators could see that after an hour of exposure to the gastric cancer cells, LfcinB25 migrated to the cell membrane of the AGS cells, and within 24 hours the cancer cells had shrunken in size and lost their ability to adhere to surfaces. In the early stages of exposure, LFcinB25 reduced cell viability through both apoptosis (programmed cell death) and autophagy (degradation and recycling of obsolete or damaged cell parts).
At later stages, apoptosis appeared to dominate, possibly through caspase-dependent mechanisms, and autophagy waned. “This is the first report describing interplay between apoptosis and autophagy in LFcinB-induced cell death of cancer cells,” said Chen. The research also suggested a target, Beclin-1, which may enhance LFcinB25’s cytotoxic action. Beclin-1 is a protein in humans that plays a central role in autophagy, tumour growth, and degeneration of neurons. The investigators found that cleaved beclin-1 increased in a time-dependent manner after LFcinB25-exposure, suggesting to the authors a new approach in drug development that may boost the anticancer effects of LFcinB25.
Bureau Report
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