HAMLET kills tumor cells by apoptosis: Structure, cellular mechanisms, and therapy
Författare
Summary, in English
New cancer treatments should aim to destroy tumor cells without disturbing normal tissue. HAMLET (human a-lactalbumin made lethal to tumor cells) offers a new molecular approach to solving this problem, because it induces apoptosis in tumor cells but leaves normal differentiated cells unaffected. After partial unfolding and binding to oleic acid, α-lactalbumin forms the HAMLET complex, which enters tumor cells and freezes their metabolic machinery. The cells proceed to fragment their DNA, and they disintegrate with apoptosis-like characteristics. HAMLET kills a wide range of malignant cells in vitro and maintains this activity in vivo in patients with skin papillomas. In addition, HAMLET has striking effects on human glioblastomas in a rat xenograft model. After convection-enhanced delivery, HAMLET diffuses throughout the brain, selectively killing tumor cells and controlling tumor progression without apparent tissue toxicity. HAMLET thus shows great promise as a new therapeutic with the advantage of selectivity for tumor cells and lack of toxicity.
Avdelning/ar
Publiceringsår
2005
Språk
Engelska
Sidor
1299-1303
Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie
Journal of Nutrition
Volym
135
Issue
5
Länkar
Dokumenttyp
Artikel i tidskrift
Förlag
Oxford University Press
Ämne
- Nutrition and Dietetics
Nyckelord
- lactalbumin
- human milk
- tumor
- apoptosis
- protein folding
Status
Published
Projekt
- HAMLET- In vivo effects and mechanisms of tumor cells death
ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt
- ISSN: 1541-6100