Newswise, February 10, 2016– An
experimental nanoparticle therapy that combines low-density lipoproteins (LDL)
and fish oil preferentially kills primary liver cancer cells without harming
healthy cells, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report.
“This approach offers a potentially new and
safe way of treating liver cancer, and possibly other cancers,” said study
senior author Dr. Ian Corbin, Assistant Professor in the Advanced
Imaging Research Center (AIRC) and of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern.
“The method utilizes the cholesterol carrier LDL, combined with fish oil to produce
a unique nanoparticle that is selectively toxic to cancer cells.”
The study was published in the February
issue of the journal Gastroenterology.
Primary liver cancer, or hepatocellular
carcinoma, is the sixth most prevalent type of cancer and third-leading cause
of cancer-related deaths worldwide, according to the National Cancer Institute
(NCI). Incidence of the disease is rising in the U.S., principally in relation
to the spread of hepatitis C virus infection.
An editorial in the same issue of the
journal notes that drug-based treatments for liver cancer are limited and that
the UT Southwestern study showed “truly remarkable results that should prompt
further research under preclinical settings, given its potential to lead to a
paradigm shift in treatment.” More common treatments include surgical
resection, liver transplantation, and ablation.
Fish oils are particularly rich in
omega-3 fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid, also known as DHA. A 2012
study in Gastroenterology found that consumption of fish rich
in omega-3 fatty acids was associated with protection against the development
of liver cancer in patients with hepatitis B or hepatitis C infections.
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