by The researchers believe that a mushroom that is believed that he can be found in old graves can provide a valuable new tool in the fight against cancer.
The mushroom Aspergillus flavus, Sometimes referred to as the “mummy curse” because they were excavated with the death of archaeologists, the famous graves like those of King Tutankhamen in Egypt Naturopathic biology by a team of scientists under the direction of the University of Pennsylvania.
“Fungi gave us Penicillin,” said Sherry Gao, Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Bioengineering at Penn, a senior author of the study. “These results show that many other medicines can be found from natural products.”
In the course of their research, the scientists isolated a new class of molecules that come from the fungus, Asperigimycins, and tested them against frequent cancer in breast, liver and lung cells.
Even without modification, two of the four Asperigimycine had effects against leukemia cells in the experiment.
Another variation, to which scientists added a fatty lipid molecule as well as the long-standing leukemia medication cytarabine and daunorubicin with leukemia medication, added the university.
Researchers believe that these molecules that were created in the cellular machines of the mushroom were then modified by the authors of the study, block some of the mechanisms of cell division and set the non -controlled cell growth.
“Cancer cells share uncontrollably,” added Gao in the statement. “These connections block the formation of microtubules, which are essential for cell division.”
Aspergillus flavus, This can often occur in the ground, can lead to lung infections in humans, especially in people with compromised immune systems, and infects a variety of agricultural plants.
As a result, it is one of the most often isolated mold types in agriculture and medicine, as loud Popular science.
The Penn team, which also included researchers from Rice University, the University of Pittsburg, the University of Texas, the Washington University of St. Louis, the Baylor College of Medicine and University of Porto, said that it was unique because it was concentrated on a class of peptides that were more likely to be examined in bacteria.
The research that the scientists hope to continue to develop in animal models and potential human attempts was financed by the National Institutes of Health, the biomedical research center, from which the Trump government reduces the financing of $ 18 billion.
