Categories: Health

Statin therapy, hope of preventing cancer by blocking inflammatory protein

A new study by Mass Cancer Center researchers shows that statins, cholesterol-lowering drugs commonly used, may block a specific path involved in cancer development which is the result of chronic inflammation.

Author of the study Sean Demeryresearcher at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor at Harvard, explains that Chronic inflammation is one of the leading causes of cancer worldwide and states, “We investigated the mechanism by which environmental toxins trigger the occurrence of cancer-prone chronic inflammation in the skin and pancreas,” and added, “In addition, we investigated treatments, “ safe and effective.” measures to block this pathway in order to suppress chronic inflammation and its cancerous consequences.”

A study by Demery and colleagues published in Natural communications, was based on cell lines, animal models, human tissue samples and epidemiological data. The team’s cell experiments demonstrated that environmental toxins, such as exposure to allergens and chemical irritants, activate two related signaling pathways called the TLR3/4 and TBK1-IRF3 pathways. This activation leads to the production of the protein interleukin-33 (IL-33), which stimulates inflammation in the skin and pancreas, which can contribute to the development of cancer.

By examining a library of FDA-approved drugs, the researchers found that one statin, pitavastatin, effectively suppressed IL-33 expression by blocking activation of the TBK1-IRF3 signaling pathway.

In mice, pitavastatin suppressed environmentally induced inflammation in the skin and pancreas and prevented the development of inflammation-related pancreatic cancer.

In human pancreatic tissue samples, IL-33 was overexpressed in samples from patients with chronic pancreatitis (inflammation) and pancreas cancer compared to normal pancreatic tissue. Additionally, an analysis of electronic health record data from more than 200 million people in North America and Europe found that pitavastatin use was associated with a significant reduction in disease incidence. risk of chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.

The results suggest that blocking IL-33 production with pitavastatin may be a safe and effective preventive strategy for suppressing chronic inflammation and the subsequent development of certain types of cancer.

“Next, we aim to further explore the effects of statins in preventing cancer development in chronic liver and gastrointestinal inflammation and identify other novel therapeutic approaches to suppress cancer-prone chronic inflammation,” Demery said.

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