A group of researchers verified in the laboratory the ability of the inactivated Zika virus to decrease the proliferation rate of cancer cells responsible for prostate cancer, because the ability of the Zika virus to stop cell proliferation has already been verified and its potential has been suggested. "anti-cancer".
Despite the positive results, more studies are still needed to prove the effectiveness of the inactivated Zika virus in fighting prostate cancer, because the effect visualized in the laboratory, in which conditions are controlled, may not be the same in living beings.
What was done
Previous studies have been carried out with the objective of verifying the efficiency of the inactivated Zika virus in combating neural tumors, such as glioblastoma, since it is already well established that this virus has tropism by neuronal cells. It was also verified that there is a possibility of transmission of this virus through sex, suggesting that Zika may also have a predilection for cells in the reproductive system.
Because of this, it was suggested by the authors to verify the effectiveness of this virus in controlling and fighting prostate cancer, just as it was done for glioblastoma. For this, they obtained a viral lineage from an infected patient in 2015 and performed the viral inactivation process, which consists of heating the virus to high temperatures so that it is no longer infectious. These inactivated viruses were then placed in contact with a prostate cancer-related tumor cell culture for about 24 to 48 hours.
After the established period, the researchers compared the culture of tumor cells in contact with the inactivated virus with another culture of tumor cells that was not exposed to the virus and found that in the first there was a reduction in the rate of cell proliferation, demonstrating that the Zika virus has an effect on the cells involved in prostate cancer.
Next steps
Now that the potential of the Zika virus to decrease the replication rate of cells responsible for prostate cancer is already known, the next step to be followed by researchers is animal testing, because the behavior of this virus inactivated in a living being can be different from their behavior in a culture medium where conditions are controlled.
In case it is verified that the inactivated Zika virus is also effective in the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer in animals, it is proposed to carry out tests in humans. However, this phase of the experiment is not yet established and does not have a deadline to happen, since it depends on the success of the tests on animals.
