{"id":74144,"date":"2020-04-24T07:26:21","date_gmt":"2020-04-24T05:26:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/?p=74144"},"modified":"2020-04-21T12:19:26","modified_gmt":"2020-04-21T10:19:26","slug":"exciting-anti-cancer-compound-discovered-in-the-humble-willow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/exciting-anti-cancer-compound-discovered-in-the-humble-willow\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Exciting’ anti-cancer compound discovered in the humble willow"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u00a9 Rothamsted Research<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rothamsted\u00a0scientists, working with cancer biologists at the University of Kent have discovered a chemical in willow<\/a> which has been found to kill various cancer cells, including those resistant to other drugs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of particular excitement is its activity against neuroblastoma, a hard to treat and common childhood cancer where the overall survival rate is below 50%.<\/p>\n

In laboratory tests, the chemical, miyabeacin, was also found to be effective against several breast, throat and ovarian cancer cell lines.<\/p>\n

Rothamsted\u2019s Professor Mike Beale, a co-leader of the study said whilst the pharmaceutical activity of salicin, the active ingredient in aspirin, is well known, the pharmacological properties of miyabeacin are potentially even greater.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith resistance to treatment being a significant issue in cancers such as neuroblastoma, new drugs with novel modes of action are required and miyabeacin perhaps offers a new opportunity in this respect.<\/p>\n

\u201cStructurally, it contains two salicin groups that give it a potential \u2018double dose\u2019 of anti-inflammatory and anti-blood clotting ability that we associate with aspirin.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, our results reporting the activity of miyabeacin against a number of cancer cell lines, including cell lines with acquired drug resistance, adds further evidence for the multi-faceted pharmacology of willow.\u201d<\/p>\n

After brain cancers, neuroblastoma is the most frequent solid tumour seen in the under-fives.<\/p>\n

The team tested miyabeacin against a range of cancer cell lines. Initial cell viability assays were carried out on a neuroblastoma cell line established from a stage 4 neuroblastoma patient,and a drug resistant sub-line.<\/p>\n

Professor Beale says the next steps are to scale up production of miyabeacin from farmed willow and provide more material for further medical testing.<\/p>\n

The use of willow bark in medicine was recorded by ancient Greek, Assyrian and Egyptian civilisations, but the first scientifically reported investigation of willow as a remedy for fever was in 1763.<\/p>\n

In 1897 the Bayer Company produced the synthetic analogue, aspirin (acetylsalicylate), one of the earliest and most successful nature-inspired drugs.<\/p>\n

Rothamsted Research is home to the UK\u2019s National Willow Collection, and in conjunction with the Institute\u2019s established expertise in analytical chemistry, Dr Jane Ward , a co-leader of the study, puts the cancer breakthrough down to having 1500 willow species and hybrids available to screen with state of the art techniques.<\/p>\n

\u201cPossibly because of the success of aspirin, medicinal assessment of other salicinoids in willow has been mostly neglected by modern science, and the National Willow Collection has proven to be a gold-mine of exciting new chemistry, that perhaps underlies its position in ancient therapies,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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