A groundbreaking study by researchers from RMIT University in Australia and Indian institutions has unveiled a novel gold-based drug that shows significant promise in the fight against cancer.
The drug has demonstrated an impressive ability to slow tumor growth in animals by 82% while selectively targeting cancer cells far more effectively than traditional chemotherapy agents.
Published in the European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, the study highlights a new gold compound 27 times more potent against cervical cancer cells than the widely used chemotherapy drug cisplatin.
In laboratory settings, it has also proven to be 3.5 times more effective against prostate cancer and 7.5 times more effective against fibrosarcoma.
Gold-based drug
In mouse studies, the gold compound not only outperformed cisplatin but did so dramatically, reducing cervical cancer tumor growth by 82% compared to the 29% reduction seen with cisplatin.
This research marks a key advancement in developing alternatives to conventional platinum-based cancer therapies.
Distinguished Professor Suresh Bhargava AM, who led the project at RMIT, emphasized that this breakthrough may lead to safer and more effective cancer treatments.
Gold’s unique properties make it ideal for medical applications. Unlike many other substances, gold is highly stable and unreactive, a trait that explains its widespread use in jewelry and coins.
However, the compound used in this study is a specially engineered version known as Gold(Gold designed to be reactive and biologically active).
This reactive gold compound is tailored to interact with thioredoxin reductase, an abundant enzyme in cancer cells.
The gold compound effectively stops cancer cells from multiplying and developing drug resistance by inhibiting this enzyme’s function.
Bhargava pointed out that this targeted approach significantly reduces the toxic side effects commonly associated with platinum-based drugs like cisplatin, which indiscriminately damages both cancerous and healthy cells.
“The selectivity of this new treatment, along with its reduced systemic toxicity, suggests a future of cancer therapies that are not only more effective but also far less harmful,” Bhargava stated. Additionally, the stability of this specific gold form allows it to reach tumor sites intact, increasing its efficacy.
Slows tumor growth
The project co-lead, Distinguished Professor Magdalena Plebanski, also noted another critical aspect of the compound: its ability to inhibit the formation of new blood vessels, a process known as anti-angiogenesis, which tumors need to grow.
This dual action was tested in zebrafish and is effective against various cancer cell types, including ovarian cancer cells, which often present significant treatment challenges and can develop resistance to cisplatin.
“Drug resistance poses a significant hurdle in cancer therapy,” said Plebanski, who heads RMIT’s Cancer, Ageing, and Vaccines Laboratory.
“The strong efficacy of our gold compound against difficult ovarian cancer cells is a crucial step in combating recurrent cancers and metastases.”
Gold’s therapeutic potential is not new; it has been utilized for centuries in Indian Ayurvedic practices for its healing properties.
Today, with growing research supporting its use, gold-based cancer treatments are gaining attention worldwide.
Advancements include repurposing the anti-arthritic drug auranofin, which is currently being explored in clinical trials for cancer therapy.
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