Formerly linked to a curse, an old threat resurfaces as hope in the fight against cancer.
Long relegated to the rank of suspect in Pharaonic curse stories, Aspergillus flavus resurfaces in a completely different day. It was he that was accused, in the 1920s, of having caused the death of several archaeologists after the opening of the tomb of Touânkhamon. Fifty years later, same scenario: ten scientists died shortly after penetrating the burial of the Polish king Casimir IV. In question, again, This mushroom and its spores Potentially deadly, capable of causing serious infections once inhaled.
But this mushroom formerly feared
today interests researchers For very different reasons. After Iflscience,
Aspergillus flavus
could contain compounds with promising anti -cancer properties, especially against certain leukemia. An unexpected reversal for this microorganism long confined to
haunted tombs.
An advance in the fight against cancer
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have isolated in Aspergillus flavus a New family of peptidesbaptized aspérigimycins. These compounds, with a particularly elaborate chemical profile, have demonstrated in laboratory a formidable effectiveness against leukemic cells. Two of them destroyed them in a test -and -legged, while a third, associated with a lipid from royal jelly, obtained results comparable to those of anticancer treatments already validated by the FDA.
The complexity of their structure, far from being an obstacle, seems on the contrary to be the key to their therapeutic power. « The synthesis of these compounds is complicated, but it is also what gives them this remarkable bioactivity », Explains the researcher Qiuyue Nie, the first author of the study published in Nature Chemical Biology. What to reposition this
Long feared mushroom as a potential actor in the fight against certain cancers.
A targeted mechanism in the cancer treatment service
ASPERIGIMYCINES have a rare capacity: to penetrate directly inside cells Thanks to the diversion of the SLC46A3 gene, which allows them to act with great efficiency where many treatments fail. Once inside, they block a key process of cell proliferation. “” These compounds block the formation of microtubules, which are essential for cell division “Explains researcher Sherry Gao. This targeted mode of action places these peptides among the most promising candidatess in an area where precision remains difficult to reach.
If they are ineffective
Against several other types of cancerthat does not question their therapeutic interest. On the contrary, according to many specialists, this specificity could constitute a real asset. A treatment capable of aiming at a precise form of cancer, without affecting healthy cells, has often more likely to succeed than a wider approach. The first results are encouraging, but will now have to be confirmed by preclinical trials on animal models.
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Asperigimycins precisely target certain cancer cells, opening the way to more specific and effective treatments
A mushroom formerly feared, today promising against cancer
Long left aside in favor of bacteria, peptides produced by fungi finally begin to arouse the interest of researchers. “” Nature gave us This incredible pharmacy “Recalls Sherry Gao, stressing how large this field of exploration remains. Until recently, the Ripps, these peptides made by ribosomes and then modified, were almost exclusively studied in bacteria. Those from mushrooms, poorly listed, have passed under radars. The structure of aspérigimycins, in particular their heptacyclic form, intrigues as long as it is now envisaged to extract them not via conventional processes but at the source, in wet places where these molds prosper naturally, including crypts.
It is a striking turnover for Aspergillus flavuslong considered as
An agent of cursenow carrying medical hope. “” As an engineers, we are enthusiastic about continuing to explore, learn from nature and use this knowledge to design better solutions “Concludes Sherry Gao. ASPérigimycins are still only at the start of their scientific journey, but their structural originality and their precision of action make them promising candidates. Researchers are already betting on the future of this New therapeutic class.
