Cancer treatment with immunomodulator “Liposomal lectin”

History of research on the anti-cancer properties of lectins

The constant increase in the incidence of cancer in the population and the lack of effectiveness of standard treatment regimens have become the impetus for conducting research on improving the effectiveness of anticancer therapy.

The aggressive influence of modern means of chemotherapy and radiation therapy on the body of patients leads to the development of immunosuppression (suppression of the immune system). It becomes unable to provide protection against the development of recurrence of the disease or the occurrence of metastases.

Maintaining the functional activity of immune system effectors at the proper level contributes to the formation of a full-fledged immune response in the patient to residual tumor cells and improves treatment outcomes. For this purpose, along with the use of chemotherapy drugs, immunotherapeutic agents are often used, in particular, cytokines, synthetic interferon inducers, and various types of antitumor vaccines.

Recently, the attention of researchers has been drawn to lectins, proteins of a non-immune nature. They are present in any living system, play a leading role in the recognition of proteins and carbohydrates, and have polyfunctional properties: mitogenic (stimulating cell division), immunomodulatory, and antitumor.

Extracellular lectins, which are produced by saprophytic bacteria of the Bacillus family (hay bacillus), turned out to be the most promising as antitumor agents.

Liposomal lectin is an anti-cancer drug developed by Ukrainian scientists

Liposomal lectin is a drug intended for the treatment of cancer patients, which is used as part of adjuvant therapy to stabilize the tumor process. It contains the cytotoxic protein b. subtilis B-7724, which is enclosed in a lipid capsule. This shell allows targeted delivery of a cytotoxic substance to the tumor, preventing hemolysis (destruction) of erythrocytes, which makes the drug adapted for intramuscular and intravenous administration.

The danger of malignant cells lies in the fact that they develop mechanisms that make them “invisible” to the immune system. This phenomenon is called immune tolerance.

Upon entering the tumor, the liposome releases cytotoxic fluid, which leads to the biotransformation of membrane proteins of cancer cells. Altered tumor proteins again become targets for immune cells, which initiates the process of overcoming immune tolerance to their own tumor antigens.

The antitumor effect of cytotoxic lectin has been experimentally proven and protected by a patent (Patent of Ukraine u201901279 Method for increasing the antitumor efficacy of a substance with a cytotoxic effect by creating a liposomal form / O. Dvorshchenko, G. Didenko, O. Kruts, V. Bazas, N. Cheremshenko, I. Voeikova , V. Chekhun 08.02.2019).