Team discovers that a derivative of vitamin B3 prevents liver cancer in mice

MedicalXpress.com ^ | November 20, 2014 | Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncologicas (CNIO)

[ConservativeMind]

Liver cancer is one of the most frequent cancers in the world, and with the worst prognosis...The most aggressive and frequent form of liver cancer is hepato-cellular carcinoma (HCC); little is known about it and there are relatively few treatment options.

Researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), have produced the first mouse model that faithfully reproduces the steps of human HCC development, from the appearance of the first lesions in the liver to the development of metastasis. The results, published in the prestigious journal Cancer Cell, indicate that diets rich in nicotinamide riboside, a derivative of vitamin B3, protect these mice from developing HCC in its most initial stage, when genotoxic stress is damaging cellular DNA. They also show a curative effect of the diet in those mice that had previously developed the disease.

The inverse relationship between NAD+ and cancer awakened the curiosity of the researchers: could an increase in NAD+ have beneficial effects on the disease? When the scientists supplemented the diet in genetically modified mice with nicotinamide riboside, a derivative of vitamin B3 that increases intracellular levels of NAD+, they did not observe tumour development. Surprisingly, when they gave this diet to mice that had already developed the disease, the size of the tumours was reduced and they eventually disappeared.

The results have been reproduced in other types of cancer such as pancreatic cancer.

[YogicCowboy]

Just saw this. Nevermind question.

[ConservativeMind]

Yup. Post #8.

[Lawgvr1955]

Save for later. Thank you.

[Victor]

ping

[GOPJ]

Of course... in my prayers...

[Irish Eyes]

Bookmark

[sneakers]

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[grey_whiskers]

Will investigate this weekend, thanks.

[azishot]

SAVE

[matthew fuller]

For future reference.