- How phosphoethanolamine could cure cancer
- What is necessary for phosphoethanolamine to be approved by Anvisa
Phosphoethanolamine is a substance naturally produced in some tissues of the body, such as the liver and muscles, and which increases in cases of cancer, such as breast, prostate, leukemia and lymphoma. It started to be produced in the laboratory, in a synthetic way, with the aim of imitating natural phosphoethanolamine, and helping the immune system to identify tumor cells, making the body able to eliminate them, thus preventing the development of various types of cancer.
However, as scientific studies have not been able to prove its effectiveness, in humans, for the treatment of cancer, this substance cannot be commercialized for this purpose, being prohibited by Anvisa, which is the body responsible for approving the sale of new drugs in the country. Brazil.
Thus, synthetic phosphoethanolamine started to be produced only in the United States, being marketed as a food supplement, indicated by the manufacturers, to improve the immune system.
How phosphoethanolamine could cure cancer
Phosphoethanolamine is naturally produced by the liver and cells of some muscles in the body and serves to help the immune system to be efficient in eliminating malignant cells. However, it is produced in small quantities.
Thus, in theory, the ingestion of synthetic phosphoethanolamine, in greater quantities than those produced by the body, would make the immune system more easily able to identify and "kill" tumor cells, enhancing the cure of cancer.
The synthetic substance was first produced at the USP Chemistry Institute of São Carlos as part of a laboratory study created by a chemist, called Dr. Gilberto Chierice, to discover a substance that would help in the treatment of cancer.
Dr. Gilberto Chierice's team managed to reproduce this substance in the laboratory, adding monoethanolamine, which is common in some shampoos, with phosphoric acid, which is often used to preserve food, however, this substance has not been proven to have useful effects for the cancer treatment.
What is necessary for phosphoethanolamine to be approved by Anvisa
In order for Anvisa to approve and allow the registration of phosphoethanolamine as a medicine, as with any new drug that enters the market, it is necessary to carry out several tests and controlled scientific studies to identify whether the drug is really effective, to know its possible side effects and determine what types of cancer can be used successfully.
Mechanism of action of phosphoethanolamine
The mechanism of action of phosphoethanolamine is not yet fully understood, however, one of the main hypotheses is that the drug is able to activate the mitochondria of tumor cells, signaling them so that the immune system is able to eliminate them.
For this, phosphoethanolamine, after being absorbed in the stomach, passes into the bloodstream, being transported to the liver. Once in the liver, phosphoethanolamine binds to a fatty acid and is used in the process of gluconeogenesis that produces the glucose necessary for the multiplication of cancer cells.
As phosphoethanolamine is linked to glucose, the cell absorbs the substance, which then binds to the mitochondria and increases its degree of functioning. As the cell was previously not using the mitochondria to produce energy, there is a signal that warns the organism that the cell is functioning incorrectly. It is in this way, that the organism is able to know the exact place where it must send the defense cells that will eliminate the tumor cells.
Find out what conventional treatments are used for cancer, how they work and their side effects.
