In a new study from the University of Copenhagen, researchers have cracked the code for controlling a group of enzymes that affect our metabolism.
They have found a way to control a special protein called POR which helps regulate our hormones and makes it possible to break down medicinal products in the liver.
The findings could help avoid diseases ranging from high cholesterol to infertility to certain types of cancer, which are all due, among other things, to hormonal imbalances.
The human body consists of many different proteins. One important group, often involved in several types of disease, is called P450. These proteins are managed by the heavy hand of the POR conductor.
If P450 proteins don’t function as they ought to, they can create an imbalance in the sex hormones, which can then lead to prostate cancer or other diseases.
In the study, the team found three molecules that can bind to and influence the POR conductor.
Two of these are already being used in pharmaceuticals, while the third is a natural product derived from the sorghum plant.
The hope is that these three molecules will pave the way for the design of a greater number of even more effective molecules to prevent or treat diseases.
The researchers’ quest for just the right molecules to bind to the POR conductor is not over yet.
They would like to explore whether there are other molecules that are even more effective at influencing the conductor’s behavior.
For now, they have taken the first step and demonstrated that they can influence the POR conductor. In doing so, they’ve paved the way for future treatment methods of various types of disease.
If you care about prostate cancer, please read studies about a new ultrasound therapy that can destroy prostate cancer and findings of new non-invasive treatment for men with enlarged prostate.
For more information about prostate cancer treatment and prevention, please see recent studies about a new way to detect prostate cancer with near-perfect accuracy and results showing that this stuff can cause spread of prostate cancer.
The study is published in Nature Communications. One author of the study is Simon Bo Jensen.
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