Ecstasy can block cancer growth

mellow_yellow18

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Ecstasy and anti-depressant drugs such as Prozac have the potential to stop cancer cell growth, research has found. A University of Birmingham, England, team tested the impact of amphetamine derivatives such as Ecstasy and weight-loss pills, and antidepressants including Prozac.

They found the drugs were effective at blocking cancer growth in more than half of lymphoma (white blood cell cancer) samples tested. It is hoped the FASEBJ Journal study will will lead to new cancer therapies.

The study focused on 17 samples of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and multiple myeloma.

Cancer growth was slowed down in nine out of the 17 samples when they were exposed to antidepressants, and in 11 out of 17 when exposed to one or both of the amphetamine derivatives.

Researcher Professor John Gordon said: "We think that a range of psychotropic agents that are being used, or sometimes abused, for other reasons will now help us in our fight against all different types of cancer.

"We are excited that drugs like Prozac are effective in killing these types of cancer cells, as these antidepressants are in such wide circulation and have an impressive safety record."

However, the researchers stressed that the use of ecstasy was not so straightforward - the dose required to block cancer growth was so high it would kill the patient.

Dr Nick Barnes, who also worked on the study, said he was still hopeful the drug could be one day be used to combat cancer.

"Perhaps by breaking down the actions of this designer drug we can extract its cancer killing properties from more general toxic effects associated with its use.

The research was supported by the Leukaemia Research Fund. Spokesman Dr David Grant welcomed the findings.

He said: "Around 10,000 people are diagnosed with a lymphoma in the UK each year and so the possibility that some of these patients can be treated with antidepressants that have cancer-killing properties is truly remarkable.

"Clearly there is a lot more work to do before this became a reality but it is very exciting that there may be other, much less aggressive ways, of treating this particular cancer."
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10th May 2005 from BBC news website.

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4532569.stm
 
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"However, the researchers stressed that the use of ecstasy was not so straightforward - the dose required to block cancer growth was so high it would kill the patient."

So how is that helpful. "Well, we stopped the cancer....but we also boiled the patient's brain."
 
Well I'd be interested to know the specific dose they're talking about. Unfortunately to find this out, one would have subscribe to the journal to access the paper.

This is the abstract:

http://www.fasebj.org/cgi/content/abstract/04-3477fjev1

The serotonin transporter (SLC6A4) is present in B-cell clones of diverse malignant origin: probing a potential antitumor target for psychotropics

Elizabeth J. Meredith, Michelle J. Holder, Anita Chamba, Anita Challa, Adrian Drake Lee, Christopher M. Bunce, Mark T. Drayson, Geoffrey Pilkington, Randy D. Blakely, Martin J. S. Dyer, Nicholas M. Barnes, and John Gordon

E-mail contact: [email protected]

Following our previous description of the serotonin transporter (SERT) acting as a conduit to 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)-mediated apoptosis, specifically in Burkitt's lymphoma, we now detail its expression among a broad spectrum of B cell malignancy, while exploring additional SERT substrates for potential therapeutic activity. SERT was readily detected in derived B cell lines with origins as diverse as B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia, mantle cell lymphoma, diffuse large B cell lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. Concentration and timecourse kinetics for the antiproliferative and proapoptotic activities of the amphetamine derivatives fenfluramine (an appetite suppressant) and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; "Ecstasy") revealed them as being similar to the endogenous indoleamine. A tricyclic antidepressant, clomipramine, instead mirrored the behavior of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine, both being effective in the low micromolar range.

A majority of neoplastic clones were sensitive to one or more of the serotonergic compounds. Dysregulated bcl-2 expression, either by t(14;18)(q32;q21) translocation or its introduction as a constitutively active transgene, provided protection from proapoptotic but not antiproliferative outcomes. These data indicate a potential for SERT as a novel anti-tumor target for amphetamine analogs, while evidence is presented that the seemingly more promising antidepressants are likely impacting malignant B cells independently of the transporter itself.
 
Sounds great, but how do they come up with these ideas for research? "Lets see now, whats to be next project? I got it, can Ecstacy cure cancer?"
 
This really doesn't surprise me. I hope that they keep finding the positive effects of MDMA, as well as marijuana medicinal uses. ;)
 
zekethemusicman said:
"However, the researchers stressed that the use of ecstasy was not so straightforward - the dose required to block cancer growth was so high it would kill the patient."

So how is that helpful. "Well, we stopped the cancer....but we also boiled the patient's brain."

I'm not sure, but i think they directly applied MDMA to some blood cells and watched the cancer grow instead of feeding the patients MDMA.
 
"Ok. Mr Smith? The bad news is that you have to do another round of chemotherapy - the good news is that you'll also be doing Ecstasy therapy. You'll be puking your guts out from the other chemotherapy drugs, but with the ecstasy, you'll feel GREAT doing the puking!"
 
^thats when you add the marinol. E and THC! then you get them LSD since it helps them cope with their death. candyflipping terminal patients

@redeemer, he posted a hypothetical situation. he didnt imply they fed mdma to patients and watched their brains melt
 
Ok, what the FUCK?!?!! There are people out there dieing of cancer every fucking day, I personally know someone close who has DIED of cancer. :( An alternative treatment would be some good fucking PILLS??? They need to start distributing this shit, I would MUCH fucking rather be an etard then dead! They are already pumping them so full of fucking opiates anyways (and for prolonged periods of time, which is shown to cause mental problems!) so why not give them a pill! These people need *every* fucking option they can get their hands on, they need to make this treatment available IMMEDIATLY. Imagine, taking an X ~ feeling pure euphoria and stopping you cancer all at one time! IMAGINE THAT, your life would be forever changed. I mean shit, I have my life changed just dancing and talking with the people I care about.

There is so much research out there that people are simply too AFRAID to touch because of the potential 'backlash' of society, that is fucking BULLSHIT.

Arrrrgh!!!
 
My thought is that the cure is in what chemicals these drugs cause the brain to release, not the chemicals in the drugs themselves.
 
^^^ Very possible, I would tend to agree actually as I do know somebody who put their cancer into remission using methods that were by no means mainstream. No surgery.
 
Its a damn good thing the general public believes that this drug eats holes in your brain and makes your spine bleed!
 
zekethemusicman said:
"However, the researchers stressed that the use of ecstasy was not so straightforward - the dose required to block cancer growth was so high it would kill the patient."

So how is that helpful. "Well, we stopped the cancer....but we also boiled the patient's brain."

its pretty obvious how it might be helpful. if you know the mechanism by which the cancer growth is stopped, then you can try and replicate it using other methods. you might be able to use something chemically similar to mdma that doesnt kill the patient or get them high.
 
^^^ Thanks for putting it up. Not meaning to be pedantic though, but did you read the paper (or the title of this thread)? It's not talking about killing cancer cells, it's to do with the serotonergic properties of the substances like MDMA having an anti-proliferation effect on certain types of cancer cells. Also it didn't effect the viability of normal control cells, which one would presume it would if it was relying on "toxic" effects.
 
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