Can we finally bid the tumor growths a goodbye? Maybe, say the researchers, as they have discovered an inhibitor of tumor growth in the human body, it is a protein called decorin, which naturally circulates in the blood.
The study details
The researching experts from the Thomas Jefferson University`s Kimmel Cancer Center have found out that a naturally occurring protein by the name of decorin, circulates in the blood and has the capability of transforming the tumor micro environment. This protein is a potent inhibitor in the growth of the tumor, confirm the researchers.
The experts feel that decorin can be taken as an anti cancer agent and may help treat metastases and cancer when its power is harnessed carefully.
A few publications have talked about the capability of decorin to heal wounds, produce inflammatory responses and play a role in angiogenesis and other biological processes.
More about decorin
Renato Iozzo, M.D., Ph.D, the senior investigator of the study, and Professor of Pathology & Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Kimmel Cancer Center, writes about decorin in the new article and calls it a “soluble tumor repressor”.
The researchers confirm that decorin focuses on the new blood vessels that come up because of cancer. It targets this growth by forcing the cells of the blood vessels to “eat” their own inner works. This causes a hold-back in the progression of the tumor and reduces the chances of the cancer cells to grow further.
Dr. Iozzo, exclaims “The tumor suppressors we all know are genes inside tumors that a cancer deletes or silences in order to continue growing. I call decorin a tumor repressor because its anti-tumor activity comes from the body, outside the cancer.”
Tumor cells modify
He further states that “Decorin is a soluble compound that we found has a powerful, natural protective effect against cancer — an exciting finding that we believe will open up a new avenue for both basic research and clinical application.”
According to Dr. Iozzo “Acting from the outside of the cells, decorin is able to modify the behavior of the cancer cells and of the normal cells in order to slow down the progression of the tumor. For this reason, decorin acts as a guardian of the matrix, the complicated structure built around the cells in our body,” he stated.
This study on decorin was published online on June 24, in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This may be a boon for the researchers as they may be able to harness the power of decorin, the naturally found anti-cancer agent, to combat the cancer cells.
