Dietary supplement helps combat resistance in breast cancer, finds study (Alpelisib with NAC)

Medical Xpress / University of Basel / Cell Reports Medicine ^ | April 11, 2023 | Rogier W Bentires-Alj

[ConservativeMind]

Many cancer therapies do not produce the hoped-for results. A common reason for this is that the tumors develop resistance to the medications. This is the case with alpelisib, a treatment for advanced breast cancer.

A research group has now discovered that the loss of the neurofibromin 1 (NF1) gene leads to a reduced response to alpelisib. The researchers also found that the dietary supplement N-acetylcysteine restores the sensitivity of cancer cells to this treatment.

At the moment, patients with advanced and metastatic breast cancer lack effective treatment options. The PI3K signaling pathway is often overactive in breast cancer due to mutations promoting tumor development. The approval of PI3K inhibitor Alpelisib was therefore keenly anticipated.

"Unfortunately, it turned out that the success of the medication is severely limited by resistance," says Professor Mohamed Bentires-Alj.

So his team went looking for the genetic basis of the resistance. They found that mutations that switched off production of the NF1 protein made the tumors resistant to treatment with alpelisib.

An analysis shows that the loss of NF1 affects the cell's energy reserves.

Given these changes, the researchers conducted experiments with the known antioxidant N-acetylcysteine, which has a similar effect on energy metabolism and therefore was expected to emulate the effects of NF1 loss. This substance is a well-known dietary supplement, as well as an ingredient in many cough medicines.

Surprisingly, N-acetylcysteine had the opposite effect: it restored the effectiveness of alpelisib in resistant cancer cells. In fact, it increased it. This occurs via an additional intervention in another signaling pathway that also plays an important role in tumor growth, as the researchers discovered through further analysis. Interestingly, the loss of NF1 also plays a role in resistance to other medications. A combination therapy with N-acetylcysteine could also be a possibility in these cases.

[ConservativeMind]

NAC worked in the opposite way as expected, which helped this therapy in the lab.

Do note NAC can block some antioxidant and medicine functionality. I personally take it with glycine, which should provide glutathione, but I take it separate from any antioxidants.

Your doctor could find this study useful, if you meet the criteria for this cancer therapy.

[ConservativeMind]

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[SubMareener]

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is good for a lot of things.

[chud]

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is good for a lot of things.

Take a look at this: GlyNAC - glycine and N-acetylcysteine.