Fish oil compound stops leukemia in mice
A compound produced from fish oil that appears to target leukemia stem cells could lead to a cure for the disease, researchers say.
The compound—delta-12-protaglandin J3, or D12-PGJ3—targeted and killed the stem cells of chronic myelogenous leukemia, or CML, in mice, says Sandeep Prabhu, associate professor of immunology and molecular toxicology at Penn State.
The compound is produced from EPA—Eicosapentaenoic Acid—an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish and in fish oil.
The findings show the compound kills cancer-causing stem cells in the mice’s spleen and bone marrow. Specifically, it activates a gene—p53—in the leukemia stem cell that programs the cell’s own death.
Full story at Futurity.
Photo credit: Sandeep Prabhu
