Tumor Acidity May Severely Reduce Cancer Drug Efficacy, Study Finds - World news

Researchers from the University of Lisbon have discovered that the acidic environment of certain tumors can reduce the ability of chemotherapy drugs to enter cancer cells by nearly ten times, potentially explaining resistance mechanisms without genetic mutations.

A team of researchers has identified that the acidity present in some tumors can significantly hinder the action of anti-cancer medications, a finding that could help resolve issues related to chemotherapy resistance. The University of Lisbon announced this discovery on Monday, highlighting work conducted by scientists at BioISI – the Institute for Biosystems and Integrative Sciences within the Faculty of Sciences.

Through computational models, the team observed that a drop in pH levels reduced the capacity of certain studied drugs to enter cells by almost tenfold. Miguel Machuqueiro, a professor at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and lead investigator at BioISI, noted that it is surprising how a seemingly small chemical alteration surrounding cells can so drastically impede drug entry. This mechanism allows tumor cells to reduce treatment efficacy without needing to develop new genetic resistance mechanisms, simply by exploiting the acidity of their environment.

While blood pH typically hovers around 7.4, the environment of some aggressive solid tumors can approach 6.0. The computational models demonstrated that this difference is sufficient to make it nearly ten times harder for specific drugs to penetrate tumor cells compared to healthy ones. Consequently, medications may enter healthy cells more easily than the cancerous cells they are intended to combat. However, the university clarified that increased acidity does not occur in all types of cancer, nor do all medications exhibit the same behavior.

The researchers describe this discovery as a decisive first step toward overcoming chemotherapy resistance. The next phase involves confirming these results experimentally and exploring the possibility of using this tumor characteristic to benefit treatment. The goal is to modify drug behavior so they can function effectively in more acidic environments, potentially turning the tumor's own mechanism against itself.

To continue this investigation, the team has already secured scientific partners and is currently seeking the necessary funding to conduct further tests.

Sources: Observador.