WASHINGTON — In an ironic twist, an artificial sweetener once considered to be a possible carcinogen, may hold a key to fighting especially aggressive cancers.
It turns out the sugar replacement saccharin binds onto, and deactivates a protein that helps cancer grow and spread without impacting the healthy tissue surrounding tumors.
“It never ceases to amaze me how a simple molecule, such as saccharin — something many people put in their coffee everyday — may have untapped uses, including as a possible lead compound to target aggressive cancers,” says University of Florida researcher Robert McKenna, Ph.D., in a news release.
The American Chemical Society says learning how to turn off the protein “carbonic anhydrase IX” may lead to ways to stop the spread of cancers in the breast, liver, kidney, pancreas, brain and lungs.
