A recent study published in PLoS ONE shows that the naproxen analog ATB 346 has chemopreventative effects in a murine cancer model.
ATB 346 is a hydrogen sulfide (H2S) releasing analog of naproxen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). It acts by inhibiting cyclooxygenase, and decreasing endogenous PGE2. ATB 346 does not have the same GI damaging effect as naproxen, however. Previous studies have shown that in mice, treatment with ATB 346 reduced traumatic brain injury by reducing inflammation and suppressing neural cell death.
In a study by Paul-Clark et al., the effect of ATB 346 was measured in APCMin/+ mice, a model for gastro-intestinal cancer. Researchers found that treatment with ATB 346 reduced the size and formation of intestinal polyps, pre-malignant lesions that form in this model. ATB 346 decreased the formation in comparison to the parent compound naproxen as well. Continuous treatment with ATB 346 significantly reduced polyp formation. Fourteen days of treatment significantly decreased the polyp score for APCMin/+ mice. The effect of ATB 346 was seen starting treatment at both week 6 and week 12 of life for the mice. Additionally, ATB 346 reduced expression of cMYC and β-catenin, two major cancer biomarkers. In all, the study shows that ATB 346 works better than naproxen in this mouse model, and does not exhibit the same GI side effects that appear with naproxen treatment.
ATB 346, as well as naproxen, is available from LKT Labs.
Campolo M., Esposito E. et al. “Hydrogen sulfide-releasing cyclooxygenase inhibitor ATB-346 enhances motor function and reduces cortical lesion volume following traumatic brain injury in mice” Journal of Neuroinflammation. 2014, 11:196 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-014-0196-1
Paul-Clark, M., Elsheikh W. et al., “Profound Chemopreventative Effects of a Hydrogen Sulfide-Releasing NSAID in the APCMin/+ Mouse Model of Intestinal Tumorigenesis” PLoS ONE (2016), 11(2):e0147289. Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0147289