A new study has found that Istradefylline, a drug already approved to treat Parkinson's disease, not only reduces the toxicity associated with the chemotherapy drug cisplatin, but also enhances its cancer-fighting power, promising a potential treatment to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy.
Cisplatin is a chemotherapy drug that can be used to treat a wide range of cancers and can fight many types of cancer, particularly lung, ovarian and testicular cancers. Although its efficacy against cancer has been well established, it can also cause significant side effects, including painful peripheral neuropathy and kidney damage. There is no good solution to this problem.
A study carried out by scientists from the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the University of Lille, the University Hospital of Lille, the Pasteur Institute of Lille and researchers from Michigan State University in the USA found that Istradefylline, a drug used to treat Parkinson's disease, not only reduces the toxic side effects of cisplatin but also enhances its ability to fight cancer.
The study was published in a recent issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
How did the researchers find out?
The Parkinson's disease drug Istradefylline is an orally administered selective adenosine A2A receptor antagonist that has been approved in the US and Japan for the treatment of Parkinson's disease [1]. Biologically, the (drug) compound blocks adenosine receptors on the cell surface.
Adenosine is a widely distributed neuromodulator in the human body and the adenosine A2A receptor is a G protein-coupled receptor. In the human brain, adenosine A2A receptors are found in the basal ganglia. The basal ganglia play an important role in motor control, and in Parkinson's disease patients have degenerative or abnormal basal ganglia.
Researchers studying neurodegenerative diseases have observed an increase in adenosine receptor density in the brains of Parkinson's disease patients, linked to disease progression. Coincidentally, another group of researchers found that adenosine receptors were similarly increased in the kidneys of patients treated with cisplatin.
Based on this finding, the researchers then decided to collaborate on a trial to test whether Istradefylline could play a role in reducing cisplatin toxicity.
Trial details
The researchers carried out the trial in animal and cellular models. The results of the trial proved that Istradefylline could indeed have a beneficial effect. In mice receiving cisplatin, Istradefylline not only reduced kidney damage in the mice, but also prevented neuropathic pain.
In addition, the trial further demonstrated that the ability of cisplatin to inhibit tumour growth was also enhanced in mice after the administration of Istradefylline.
The researchers said that more rigorous trials will follow to further consolidate this finding before considering applying this treatment to clinical trials in cancer patients.
Istradefylline is already being used to treat Parkinson's disease, so trials may soon be conducted to test its efficacy in reducing the side effects of chemotherapy, promising a potential new treatment to improve care for cancer patients.
