A new nitro-substituted organoselenium compound developed by Indian scientists is very active against triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) which is one of the aggressive and most difficult to treat types of cancer.
Organoselenium Compounds What Are They?
Organoselenium compounds are molecules which have selenium attached to organic groups. They are known to exhibit biological activity and are promising as anticancer agents, but are not fully investigated as multitarget therapy.
The New Discovery
This compound, 4-nitro-substituted benzylic diselenide (diselenide 7) , was prepared by reaction of benzylic halides with selenium derivatives by controlled nucleophilic substitution.
How It Works
- Blocks growth pathways - Represses signalling of Akt/mTOR and ERK, which are essential to the survival of cancer cells.
- Produces ROS - Causes oxidative stress and thus destruction of cancer DNA and induction of apoptosis.
- Inflammatory agent - Decreases tumour invasiveness and dissemination.
- Cytotoxic - inhibits angiogenesis required to grow tumours.
In Vivo Results
The therapeutic potential of this was demonstrated when tests on Swiss albino mice with breast adenocarcinoma demonstrated a reduced tumour size, inhibited metastasis and extended the life of the treated mice.
Why It Matters
TNBC is hormone receptor negative, thus resistant to available specific therapy. The multitarget approach of this organoselenium compound can be a breakthrough in resistance overcoming and better treatment results.
Month: Current Affairs - September 04, 2025
Category: current affairs daily