Compound Effective against Blood Cancer Reveals Its Secrets

Scientists have revealed the mechanisms by which a natural compound destroys blood cancer cells.

Cyanidin, a chemical widely available in fruits, vegetables, and red wine, is known for its anticancer properties, but the details of how it works at the cellular level have been unclear until now.

Xiao-Ming Yin and colleagues studied the effects of cyanidin on cultured cells from leukemia and lymphoma patients. They discovered that cyanidin increased the levels of molecules well-known for killing cells. These molecules, called reactive oxygen species, destroyed the cancer cells while sparing the surrounding healthy blood cells. These results could be used to develop new anticancer drugs, the scientists concluded.

Article: Cyanidin-3-Rutinoside, a Natural Polyphenol Antioxidant, Selectively Kills Leukemic Cells by Induction of Oxidative Stress by Rentian Feng, Hong-Min Ni, Shiow Y. Wang, Irina L. Tourkova, Michael R. Shulin, Hisashi Harada, and Xiao-Ming Yin

MEDIA CONTACT: Xiao-Ming Yin, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Penn.; tel: 412-648-8436; e-mail: xmyin@pitt.edu

Fighting Bacteria by Preventing Them from Talking to Each Other

Researchers report the detailed structure of a key protein that helps bacteria talk to each other. The new finding could help devise new drugs targeting this protein.

Many bacteria communicate by sending molecules to each other. Such communication, called quorum sensing, helps them grow within a host without harming it, until they reach a certain concentration and become more aggressive. Of the many bacteria known to communicate by quorum sensing, Pseudomonas aeroginosa is the most studied because it causes death in the majority of
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American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
26-Apr-2007