|
Researchers have revealed a connection between an ingredient in aspirin and a protein that helps to regulate cell growth and metabolism that could lead to new treatments for cancer and type 2 diabetes.They found that salicylate can improve the working of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which is usually activated through physical exercise and metformin. It was shown that salicylate could also have possibilities as an anti-cancer medication. Co-lead author on the study, Greg Steinberg, said, "We show that salicylate increases fat burning and reduces liver fat in obese mice and that this does not occur in genetically modified mice lacking the beta1 subunit of AMPK." The findings follow recent research that showed that daily aspirin consumption could substantially lower the risk of many cancers and also stop tumors from spreading. This study helped to explain why this was the case, although more research is needed to pinpoint the best concentrations of salicylate to use.journal Science, April 2012 |
