Cervical cancer remains one of the most common and deadly cancers affecting women around the world.
While early detection through screening has helped many, treatment options for advanced or recurring cases are still limited. Once the cancer spreads, the chances of surviving more than five years drop to below 20%.
This highlights a serious need for new and better treatments.
Most cervical cancers are linked to infection with high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV), but other factors also play a role, such as problems with the immune system, abnormal cell growth, and the development of new blood vessels that feed the tumor.
Current treatments like surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy can be effective in early stages, but are less successful when the cancer becomes more aggressive.
Now, scientists from Jiangxi Provincial Cancer Hospital and Case Western Reserve University have discovered that a natural plant compound called andrographolide may help slow down the growth of cervical cancer.
Andrographolide is found in a medicinal plant called Andrographis paniculata and has long been used in traditional medicine for its anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects.
In this study, published in the journal Biomolecules and Biomedicine, researchers tested the compound using a special preclinical model known as CAM-PDX.
This model combines human tumor tissue taken directly from a patient with a chicken egg membrane that supports tumor growth in a cost-effective and biologically realistic way.
The results were encouraging. Tumors treated with andrographolide shrank in size and developed fewer blood vessels, which are essential for feeding cancer cells.
When combined with cisplatin, a common chemotherapy drug, the results were even more powerful.
Microscopic analysis showed that the treated tumors had fewer signs of active cell growth and a disrupted structure, which may indicate the tumor was weakening.
The treatment also lowered levels of key proteins that help cancer cells survive and grow, such as Ki67, BCL-2, and ERG. This suggests that andrographolide not only stops cancer cells from multiplying but also cuts off the blood supply that tumors need to thrive.
This study not only highlights the potential of andrographolide as a future cancer treatment but also shows how the CAM-PDX model can be a valuable tool for quickly testing new drugs.
More research is needed to explore how this plant compound interacts with the immune system and whether it could support new types of cancer treatment, such as immunotherapy. Still, this is a hopeful step toward better options for women facing advanced cervical cancer.
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Source: KSR.
