Salt kills cancer cells Bashny.Net

Scientists from Southampton University have created a molecule that can kill cancer, leaving the ions of sodium and chlorine in cells.

Study co-author Philip Gale commented: "This work shows how chloride transporters can work with sodium channels in cell membranes to cause an influx of salt into the cell. We found that they can trigger cell death with salt. Thus cells in the human body work to maintain a stable concentration of ions inside cell membranes".





Violation of the salt balance causes programmed cell death, the mechanism used by the body to get rid of damaged and dangerous cells. When a cell becomes cancerous, it changes the way transporturi ions through their membranes, thus inhibiting the mechanism of apoptosis.





Scientists were able to solve the problem by developing the synthetic way for transporting the ions, though this also destroys healthy cells that need to be overcome in the process. Professor Jonathan Sessler: "Thus, we closed the loop and shown that this mechanism of chloride influx into the cell by a synthetic Transporter triggers apoptosis. It's interesting, because the results point the way to the creation of new anti-cancer drugs".

Source: nauka24news.ru/