anti-Cough Medicine fights cancer cells very effectively
Question:
This is in a test tube. How about in humans? All the best, Jeff
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Couldn’t find any published reports of human trials, but here is one test in cultured human tumor cells: J Biol Chem 2002 Oct 18;277(42):39777-85 Here’s an earlier free full text article: Ye K, Ke Y, Keshava N, Shanks J, Kapp JA, Tekmal RR, Petros J, Joshi HC. Opium alkaloid noscapine is an antitumor agent that arrests metaphase and induces apoptosis in dividing cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1998 Feb 17;95(4):1601-6. PMID: 9465062 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/95/4/1601 — Matti Narkia
Response:
Couldn’t find any published reports of human trials, but here is one test in cultured human tumor cells: J Biol Chem 2002 Oct 18;277(42):39777-85
Here’s an earlier free full text article: Ye K, Ke Y, Keshava N, Shanks J, Kapp JA, Tekmal RR, Petros J, Joshi HC. Opium alkaloid noscapine is an antitumor agent that arrests metaphase and induces apoptosis in dividing cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1998 Feb 17;95(4):1601-6. PMID: 9465062 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/95/4/1601 — Matti Narkia
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – | This sounds really encouraging! At the same time, looking at the literature | about how noscapine affects mitosis and the MAP kinase pathway, it occurs to | me that it is just as well it is not sold in the USA as a simple cough | remedy! It is also excreted at a low level in breast milk ( Eur J Clin | Pharmacol 1986;30(2):213-5), which certainly makes it inadvisable to use | this product for a cough syrup in nursing mothers, since disrupting cell | division in a growing baby would be a bad thing. Hopefully this drug will | prove to be an effective antitumor agent and its use will be reserved to | serious conditions like cancer and it will not be used any more OTC for | common coughs! (Once again, thank goodness for the FDA—they may be | overcautious and cumbersome, but at least, powerful drugs like this are not | made available without prescription until it’s clear that they are safe!) |
The safety issues are widely discussed in some of the published articles on Noscapine. Noscapine is in fact available in the USA as an ati-cough medicine but only in combination with Codeine. So to get the therapeutic dose of noscapine you would be overdosing on the codeine. Considering toxicity of other chemotherapies, this is probably the least toxic, safest potential chemotherapeutic agent currently being tested. And for those who don’t undesratnd the DEA issue – noscapine is an opium alkaloid, just like papaverine is. But since both of these are non-addictive alkaloids of opium, they are not controlled drugs. There is a trial underway, making good progress at USC – Los Angeles and the Haravard results are due to be published soon. Ted Scharf BSc Phm
Response:
Couldn’t find any published reports of human trials, but here is one test in cultured human tumor cells: J Biol Chem 2002 Oct 18;277(42):39777-85 Paclitaxel-resistant human ovarian cancer cells undergo c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase-mediated apoptosis in response to noscapine. Zhou J, Gupta K, Yao J, Ye K, Panda D, Giannakakou P, Joshi HC. Graduate Program in Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology, Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA. We have previously discovered the opium alkaloid noscapine as a microtubule interacting agent that binds to tubulin, alters the dynamics of microtubule assembly, and arrests mammalian cells at mitosis (Ye, K., Ke, Y., Keshava, N., Shanks, J., Kapp, J. A., Tekmal, R. R., Petros, J., and Joshi, H. C. (1998) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 95, 1601-1606; Ye, K., Zhou, J., Landen, J. W., Bradbury, E. M., and Joshi, H. C. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 46697-46700; Zhou, J., Panda, D., Landen, J. W., Wilson, L., and Joshi, H. C. (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277, 17200-17208). Here we show that noscapine does not compete with paclitaxel for tubulin binding and can efficiently inhibit the proliferation of both paclitaxel-sensitive and paclitaxel-resistant human ovarian carcinoma cells (i.e. the parental cell line 1A9 and two derivative cell lines, 1A9PTX10 and 1A9PTX22, which harbor beta-tubulin mutations that impair paclitaxel-tubulin interaction (Giannakakou, P., Sackett, D. L., Kang, Y. K., Zhan, Z., Buters, J. T., Fojo, T., and Poruchynsky, M. S. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 17118-17125). Strikingly, these cells undergo apoptotic death upon noscapine treatment, accompanied by activation of the c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinases (JNK). Furthermore, inhibition of JNK activity by treatment with antisense oligonucleotide or transfection with dominant-negative JNK blocks noscapine-induced apoptosis. These findings thus indicate a great potential for noscapine in the treatment of paclitaxel-resistant human cancers. In addition, our results suggest that the JNK pathway plays an essential role in microtubule inhibitor-induced apoptosis. It sounds like human trials are in progress at UCLA and maybe Emory. Hope they get some results published soon! It sounds like a promising drug, which might work well in combination with other agents as well as by itself as a spindle poison.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Sounds great. Is there any evidence that it actually works in people? All the best, Jeff
Response:
credit where credit is due…it has been the British who have been more cautious in taking drugs off the market recently…and my very thorough and careful dr. took note of their actions and took me off two drugs before they were removed from sale in the USA…
| This sounds really encouraging! At the same time, looking at the literature | about how noscapine affects mitosis and the MAP kinase pathway, it occurs to | me that it is just as well it is not sold in the USA as a simple cough | remedy! It is also excreted at a low level in breast milk ( Eur J Clin | Pharmacol 1986;30(2):213-5), which certainly makes it inadvisable to use | this product for a cough syrup in nursing mothers, since disrupting cell | division in a growing baby would be a bad thing. Hopefully this drug will | prove to be an effective antitumor agent and its use will be reserved to | serious conditions like cancer and it will not be used any more OTC for | common coughs! (Once again, thank goodness for the FDA—they may be | overcautious and cumbersome, but at least, powerful drugs like this are not | made available without prescription until it’s clear that they are safe!) | | | Noscapine is used as a cough medicine in Europe and many countries | worldwide. It is an opium derivative – a non-addictive one and not | controlled by the DEA. | | A few years ago it was discovered at Emory University that noscapine | induces apoptosis in cancer cells i.e. kills cancer cells with little | or no toxicity to normal cells. | | Since noscapine has been on the market for 50 years, it is difficult | to patent it. However, there is a process of patenting a drug for a | new indication, and finally a few of months ago, Emory Univeristy | was granted the patent. Until a patent is granted, human studies | cannot be published as that will invalidate the patent. | | The following comes from the Walter Payton Cancer Research Fund which | is sponsoring a trial at USC in Los Angeles. | Phase I/II Study of Noscarpine for Patients with Low Grade | Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma or Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Refractory to | Chemotherapy | University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA | | Noscapine is a cough suppressant used widely throughout Europe. At | higher doses, it has been shown to have anti-cancer activity in | laboratory animals. Mice who were injected with human tumors had a | significant shrinkage of their cancer after treatment with noscapine. | Several anecdotal cases already exist of patients who have failed | multiple standard chemotherapy agents and have responded to noscapine. | At least one of the patients remains free of disease several years | after taking noscapine. | | Potential Patient Impact: Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma remains a difficult | disease to cure; current treatments are highly toxic. Noscapine is a | well-tolerated drug that may offer great potential for cure in | patients who would otherwise die. | | The following trials were carried at at Harvard Medical School | | Ghosh K., Wild R., Carson L.F., Twiggs L.B., and Ramakrishnan S. | Noscapine, a novel agent that induces cytotoxicity and apoptosis in | cervical cancer cells. (Manuscript in Preparation) | | | Ghosh K., Wild R., Carson L.F., Twiggs L.B., and Ramakrishnan S. | Noscapine: a new drug with antitumor activity in ovarian cancer. | (Manuscript in Preparation) | | | The following published studies on animals are on medline. It seems to | work in all the cancers in which it was tested – which are many. | | | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&… | ds=9465062&dopt=Abstract | | | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&… | ds=10941904&dopt=Abstract | | | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&… | ds=12124349&dopt=Abstract | | | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&… | ds=12183452&dopt=Abstract | | | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&… | ds=11679575&dopt=Abstract | | | The dose being used in US human trials at present is 2 grams daily. In | other countried people are using 1 gram – 2 grams daily according to | their physician’s instructions. Side effects being seen are usually | nausea in few cases. | | Noscapine can be purchased OTC in most European countries. Some don’t | sell it alone, only in combination with other cough medications, but | most countries i.e Holland, Belgiu, Italy, Sweden, Spain etc have it | on its own. It comes in syrups, or tablets containing 15mg or 25mg. | | There is a compounding pharmacy in Tel Aviv making it up in 200mg | sizes. They ship internationally. | | Also, in Holland it can be purchased as a powder. However, it must be | encapsulated as otherwise it tastes very bitter. | | For details of where to get it, let me know the country you are in and | I will try and provide you with details of a pharmacy in that country. | | Ted Scharf BSc Phm | |
Response:
This sounds really encouraging! At the same time, looking at the literature about how noscapine affects mitosis and the MAP kinase pathway, it occurs to me that it is just as well it is not sold in the USA as a simple cough remedy! It is also excreted at a low level in breast milk ( Eur J Clin Pharmacol 1986;30(2):213-5), which certainly makes it inadvisable to use this product for a cough syrup in nursing mothers, since disrupting cell division in a growing baby would be a bad thing. Hopefully this drug will prove to be an effective antitumor agent and its use will be reserved to serious conditions like cancer and it will not be used any more OTC for common coughs! (Once again, thank goodness for the FDA—they may be overcautious and cumbersome, but at least, powerful drugs like this are not made available without prescription until it’s clear that they are safe!) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Noscapine is used as a cough medicine in Europe and many countries worldwide. It is an opium derivative – a non-addictive one and not controlled by the DEA. A few years ago it was discovered at Emory University that noscapine induces apoptosis in cancer cells i.e. kills cancer cells with little or no toxicity to normal cells. Since noscapine has been on the market for 50 years, it is difficult to patent it. However, there is a process of patenting a drug for a new indication, and finally a few of months ago, Emory Univeristy was granted the patent. Until a patent is granted, human studies cannot be published as that will invalidate the patent. The following comes from the Walter Payton Cancer Research Fund which is sponsoring a trial at USC in Los Angeles. Phase I/II Study of Noscarpine for Patients with Low Grade Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma or Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Refractory to Chemotherapy University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA Noscapine is a cough suppressant used widely throughout Europe. At higher doses, it has been shown to have anti-cancer activity in laboratory animals. Mice who were injected with human tumors had a significant shrinkage of their cancer after treatment with noscapine. Several anecdotal cases already exist of patients who have failed multiple standard chemotherapy agents and have responded to noscapine. At least one of the patients remains free of disease several years after taking noscapine. Potential Patient Impact: Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma remains a difficult disease to cure; current treatments are highly toxic. Noscapine is a well-tolerated drug that may offer great potential for cure in patients who would otherwise die. The following trials were carried at at Harvard Medical School Ghosh K., Wild R., Carson L.F., Twiggs L.B., and Ramakrishnan S. Noscapine, a novel agent that induces cytotoxicity and apoptosis in cervical cancer cells. (Manuscript in Preparation) Ghosh K., Wild R., Carson L.F., Twiggs L.B., and Ramakrishnan S. Noscapine: a new drug with antitumor activity in ovarian cancer. (Manuscript in Preparation) The following published studies on animals are on medline. It seems to work in all the cancers in which it was tested – which are many.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&… ds=9465062&dopt=Abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&… ds=10941904&dopt=Abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&… ds=12124349&dopt=Abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&… ds=12183452&dopt=Abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&… ds=11679575&dopt=Abstract – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The dose being used in US human trials at present is 2 grams daily. In other countried people are using 1 gram – 2 grams daily according to their physician’s instructions. Side effects being seen are usually nausea in few cases. Noscapine can be purchased OTC in most European countries. Some don’t sell it alone, only in combination with other cough medications, but most countries i.e Holland, Belgiu, Italy, Sweden, Spain etc have it on its own. It comes in syrups, or tablets containing 15mg or 25mg. There is a compounding pharmacy in Tel Aviv making it up in 200mg sizes. They ship internationally. Also, in Holland it can be purchased as a powder. However, it must be encapsulated as otherwise it tastes very bitter. For details of where to get it, let me know the country you are in and I will try and provide you with details of a pharmacy in that country. Ted Scharf BSc Phm
Response:
Noscapine is used as a cough medicine in Europe and many countries worldwide. It is an opium derivative – a non-addictive one and not controlled by the DEA. A few years ago it was discovered at Emory University that noscapine induces apoptosis in cancer cells i.e. kills cancer cells with little or no toxicity to normal cells. Since noscapine has been on the market for 50 years, it is difficult to patent it. However, there is a process of patenting a drug for a new indication, and finally a few of months ago, Emory Univeristy was granted the patent. Until a patent is granted, human studies cannot be published as that will invalidate the patent. The following comes from the Walter Payton Cancer Research Fund which is sponsoring a trial at USC in Los Angeles. Phase I/II Study of Noscarpine for Patients with Low Grade Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma or Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Refractory to Chemotherapy University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA Noscapine is a cough suppressant used widely throughout Europe. At higher doses, it has been shown to have anti-cancer activity in laboratory animals. Mice who were injected with human tumors had a significant shrinkage of their cancer after treatment with noscapine. Several anecdotal cases already exist of patients who have failed multiple standard chemotherapy agents and have responded to noscapine. At least one of the patients remains free of disease several years after taking noscapine. Potential Patient Impact: Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma remains a difficult disease to cure; current treatments are highly toxic. Noscapine is a well-tolerated drug that may offer great potential for cure in patients who would otherwise die. The following trials were carried at at Harvard Medical School Ghosh K., Wild R., Carson L.F., Twiggs L.B., and Ramakrishnan S. Noscapine, a novel agent that induces cytotoxicity and apoptosis in cervical cancer cells. (Manuscript in Preparation) Ghosh K., Wild R., Carson L.F., Twiggs L.B., and Ramakrishnan S. Noscapine: a new drug with antitumor activity in ovarian cancer. (Manuscript in Preparation) The following published studies on animals are on medline. It seems to work in all the cancers in which it was tested – which are many. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&… http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&… http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&… http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&… http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&… The dose being used in US human trials at present is 2 grams daily. In other countried people are using 1 gram – 2 grams daily according to their physician’s instructions. Side effects being seen are usually nausea in few cases. Noscapine can be purchased OTC in most European countries. Some don’t sell it alone, only in combination with other cough medications, but most countries i.e Holland, Belgiu, Italy, Sweden, Spain etc have it on its own. It comes in syrups, or tablets containing 15mg or 25mg. There is a compounding pharmacy in Tel Aviv making it up in 200mg sizes. They ship internationally. Also, in Holland it can be purchased as a powder. However, it must be encapsulated as otherwise it tastes very bitter. For details of where to get it, let me know the country you are in and I will try and provide you with details of a pharmacy in that country. Ted Scharf BSc Phm
Response:
Sounds great. Is there any evidence that it actually works in people? All the best, Jeff
Response:
More snake oil with a few feathers for good measure. Ha Ha opium derivative. Hey folks it’s "not controlled by the DEA"……What does that tell you? Dale J. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Noscapine is used as a cough medicine in Europe and many countries worldwide. It is an opium derivative – a non-addictive one and not controlled by the DEA. A few years ago it was discovered at Emory University that noscapine induces apoptosis in cancer cells i.e. kills cancer cells with little or no toxicity to normal cells. Since noscapine has been on the market for 50 years, it is difficult to patent it. However, there is a process of patenting a drug for a new indication, and finally a few of months ago, Emory Univeristy was granted the patent. Until a patent is granted, human studies cannot be published as that will invalidate the patent. The following comes from the Walter Payton Cancer Research Fund which is sponsoring a trial at USC in Los Angeles. Phase I/II Study of Noscarpine for Patients with Low Grade Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma or Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Refractory to Chemotherapy University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA Noscapine is a cough suppressant used widely throughout Europe. At higher doses, it has been shown to have anti-cancer activity in laboratory animals. Mice who were injected with human tumors had a significant shrinkage of their cancer after treatment with noscapine. Several anecdotal cases already exist of patients who have failed multiple standard chemotherapy agents and have responded to noscapine. At least one of the patients remains free of disease several years after taking noscapine. Potential Patient Impact: Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma remains a difficult disease to cure; current treatments are highly toxic. Noscapine is a well-tolerated drug that may offer great potential for cure in patients who would otherwise die. The following trials were carried at at Harvard Medical School Ghosh K., Wild R., Carson L.F., Twiggs L.B., and Ramakrishnan S. Noscapine, a novel agent that induces cytotoxicity and apoptosis in cervical cancer cells. (Manuscript in Preparation) Ghosh K., Wild R., Carson L.F., Twiggs L.B., and Ramakrishnan S. Noscapine: a new drug with antitumor activity in ovarian cancer. (Manuscript in Preparation) The following published studies on animals are on medline. It seems to work in all the cancers in which it was tested – which are many. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&… =9465062&dopt=Abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&… =10941904&dopt=Abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&… =12124349&dopt=Abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&… =12183452&dopt=Abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&… =11679575&dopt=Abstract The dose being used in US human trials at present is 2 grams daily. In other countried people are using 1 gram – 2 grams daily according to their physician’s instructions. Side effects being seen are usually nausea in few cases. Noscapine can be purchased OTC in most European countries. Some don’t sell it alone, only in combination with other cough medications, but most countries i.e Holland, Belgiu, Italy, Sweden, Spain etc have it on its own. It comes in syrups, or tablets containing 15mg or 25mg. There is a compounding pharmacy in Tel Aviv making it up in 200mg sizes. They ship internationally. Also, in Holland it can be purchased as a powder. However, it must be encapsulated as otherwise it tastes very bitter. For details of where to get it, let me know the country you are in and I will try and provide you with details of a pharmacy in that country. Ted Scharf BSc Phm
