The cough medicine 'Noscapine' is sold in Sweden, South Africa and Japan
for coughing problems but it is not available in the U.S. Alan, did you
already post this? I know you read the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences religiously <g>.
Title Opium alkaloid noscapine is an antitumor agent that arrests
metaphase and induces apoptosis in dividing cells.
Author Ye K; Ke Y; Keshava N; Shanks J; Kapp JA; Tekmal RR; Petros J;
Joshi HC
Address Graduate Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Emory
University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
Source Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 95(4):1601-6 1998 Feb 17
Abstract
An alkaloid from opium, noscapine, is used as an antitussive drug
and has low toxicity in humans and mice. We show that noscapine binds
stoichiometrically to tubulin, alters its conformation, affects
microtubule assembly, and arrests mammalian cells in mitosis.
Furthermore, noscapine causes apoptosis in many cell types and has
potent antitumor activity against solid murine lymphoid tumors(even when
the drug was administered orally) and against human breast and bladder
tumors implanted in nude mice. Because noscapine is water-soluble and
absorbed after oral administration, its chemotherapeutic potential in
human cancer merits thorough evaluation.
timo, looking for Hurthle cell carcinoma of the thyroid gland cures
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