SHANGHAI, CHINA- China's scientists have demonstrated how arsenic is able to destroy the blood cancer (leukemia), which shut down by looking for specific protein target and kill cancer cells that are still alive. Arsenic itself is dyang favorite murder weapon used in medieval times. This poison is also used intelligence to murder Munir, the Indonesian human rights activist on a Garuda flight to the Hague, the Netherlands some time ago.
"Our study shows how the arsenic directly target the protein and kill them (cancer cells, red)," said Zhang Xiaowei, a researcher Laboratory of Medical Genomics in Shanghai, China, told Reuters.
Interestingly, the use of arsenic-cancer therapy is very different from chemotherapy. Therefore, very low side effects on patients in treating acute promyelocytic leukemia. Arsenic also does not cause hair loss or suppress the bone marrow function. "We are also interested to know how arsenic can be used on other cancers," added Zhang.
Arsenic is widely known for its toxicity effects, even in the past, regarded as the king Arsenic poisoning because it can be used for the murder weapon because the symptoms are often not detected. In arsenic-affected victims, usually only felt nausea, vomiting or esophageal like cholera. In China, arsenic is used for various purposes, such as generally to deliberately kill or commit suicide, but traditional medicine has been acquainted with arsenic during 2000 years ago with a variety of healing diseases.
The study of arsenic on blood cancer (leukemia) was actually started in 1992. In that year, a group of physician researchers in China reported how they use arsenic for Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL), cancer of the blood, and bone marrow cancer. In the study mentioned that arsenic is able to give healing as much as 90 percent of patients.
Only, the research of that era have yet to find actual workings of arsenic and how the interaction of the deadly poison against cancer cells, to Zhang et al - as a new generation of modern technology to find new ways to discover more effective.
In a paper published in the journal Science, Dr. Zhang and his team, which includes the Minister of Health Chen Zhu, describing how they use modern equipment and see how to attack certain proteins that arsenic should be able to keep cancer alive and well.
"It shows how Western technology can be used to find out about the mysteries of Chinese medicine." Although many countries now using arsenic to treat APL, some countries are resistant to the idea. It depends a lot on whether doctors recommend it and whether patients receive, "said Zhang again.
In the case of APL, there is a decrease in normal production of red blood cells and platelets, so that anemia and thrombocytopenia. Bone marrow unable to produce healthy red blood cells. Until 1970, the APL is a disease that snagat fatal and there is no effective cure. APL patients worldwide, including nearly 100 percent Indoensia died. I was so tragic, the stories of literature such as novels, short stories or cerbung in numerous magazines and books, literature, often telling stories of APL patients are not able to resist the fierce attack of cancer, all of which ended in death. The new findings from this China menjadid scientists new hope for patients with APL or leukemia in the world, including Indonesia.
"Clinical Results of arsenic in treating APL is very powerful. More than 90 percent of patients with APL in China (at least) in the last five years has been disease-free life," said Zhang.
In a separate commentary in Science, Scott Kogan at the University of California, San Francisco Cancer Center wrote that appropriate case selection and combination therapy with arsenic can lead to better results for treating not only promyelocytic leukemia, but other diseases as well.
"If so, ancient medicine, is brought back through clinical studies and biological cautious in modern times, will have greater impact on human health," writes Kogan, who is not related to this China study. (Fuz / jpnn)
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