A team of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Scientists has discovered that a common high blood pressure medication may be useful in treating a certain brain tumor. The tumor, a craniopharyngioma, is a non-cancerous growth that usually develops near the hypothalamus and pituitary gland.
There are two sub-types of craniopharyngioma; papillary and adamantinomatous, with papillary craniopharyngiomas being more likely to develop in grownups. Despite being benign, it may cause complications as it grows, resulting in hormone dysfunction and metabolic disorders like hypothyroidism and diabetes.
Other symptoms include headaches, mood swings, issues with balance, nausea and vomiting, vision problems, and increased urination as well as thirst. Currently, surgery is the primary treatment option for this tumor. The procedure carries a great deal of risk, including the tumor’s recurrence, which emphasizes the need for alternative options.
For their study, the researchers used mice models to replicate craniopharyngioma, focusing on the growth’s pathological progression. This allowed them to examine the connection between the tumor’s cells and the hypothalamus’ nerve cells.
The researchers discovered that decreasing the activity of nerve cells inhibited the growth of the tumor while activating certain neurons sped up growth.
They also screened thousands of compounds for possible anti-tumor effects and narrowed their results down to seventy-four that held potential. Following further analysis, the researchers determined that a medication commonly prescribed for high blood pressure, amlodipine besylate, had a strong effect on tumor growth.
They explained that the drug, which acts as a calcium channel blocker, was already used extensively and had an established safety profile.
In their report, they posited that the medication acted by blocking calcium signals that are needed for communication between the tumor’s cells and the hypothalamus’s nerve cells. They also noted that this discovery provided promising avenues for clinical exploration of effective chemotherapies and furthered their understanding of suprasellar tumor biology.
In addition to this, the researchers highlighted the need for further study on the medication’s effects on the human brain, including an evaluation of possible side effects like palpitations and headaches.
During an interview with the South China Morning Post, Wu Qingfeng revealed that they were now focused on advancing the clinical transformation of the medication to meet patient needs, through close collaborations with oncologists, neurologists, endocrinologists, and neurosurgeons.
Qingfeng, the study’s lead, currently works at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology’s State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology. The researchers’ findings were published in Science Translational Medicine journal.
As the body of literature on alternative ways to treat brain cancers and benign tumors grows, biotechs like CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSP) could have more treatment mechanisms to consider during their drug development processes.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSP) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/CNSP
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