Nanotechnology in Melanoma Treatment

Reactivating suppressed metabolic pathways in cancer cells is a novel way to treat cancer, according to research conducted by an international team led by distinguished professor Dayong Jin of the University of Technology Sydney and professor Wenbo Bu of Fudan University. The findings were published in the esteemed journal Nature Nanotechnology.

Tyrosine, a common amino acid, was used by researchers as a nanomedicine to change the metabolism of melanoma, a deadly skin cancer, and stop the disease from spreading.

The world’s highest rate of skin cancer is found in Australia. This new method may be used in conjunction with current treatments to enhance melanoma care. It’s possible that different types of cancer could be treated with this strategy.

In living things, tyrosine’s bioavailability is limited. Still, the scientists packaged it into tiny particles called nano micelles using a revolutionary technique in nanotechnology. The cancer cell membranes attract these particles, which degrade quickly and increase absorption.

The innovative medication was subsequently evaluated in mice and human-derived melanoma cells in the laboratory. It was found that the tyrosine nano micelles triggered the synthesis of melanin, awoke metabolic pathways that had been inactive, and reduced the growth of tumors.

Uncontrolled rapid growth is a key feature that distinguishes cancer cells from normal cells. In cancer cells, some metabolic pathways are over-activated, and others are suppressed, to create the environment necessary for rapid spread. – Dayong Jin, Distinguished Professor, University of Technology Sydney

He added, “While a few metabolism-based drugs for cancer have been developed previously, such as aromatase inhibitors impeding estrogen synthesis in breast cancer and HK2 inhibitors targeting glycolysis in various cancers, these work by suppressing over-activate metabolic pathways.”

Professor Bu noted, “Our research shows for the first time that cancer can be stopped by reactivating metabolic pathways that are dormant. And this can be done using simple nutrients, such as amino acids, sugars, and vitamins, which are safe, readily available, and well tolerated.”

The way that different foods affect cancer will vary. Melanocytes, or skin cells that produce melanin, are the source of melanoma cells. Tyrosine is beneficial against melanoma because it can increase the production of melanin, which is necessary to produce melanin.

It is thought that the reactivation of melanin synthesis has anti-cancer properties because it induces the melanoma cell to reduce glycolysis, which is the process of converting sugar into energy.

Heat stress can also affect melanoma cells. The researchers found that melanoma in mice may be removed in six days by combining tyrosine nano micelle therapy with near-infrared laser treatment, and the tumor did not recur during the study period.

The results suggest a potential new direction in the treatment of cancer with nanomedicine.

For more information: Nutrient-delivery and metabolism reactivation therapy for melanoma, Nature Nanotechnology, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-024-01690-6