Cancer-prevention by aspirin and the mechanism, from the viewpoint of inflammation-related DNA damage and cancer stem cell

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K09168
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Hygiene and public health
• Research Institution: Suzuka University of Medical Science
• Principal Investigator: Ohnishi Shiho 鈴鹿医療科学大学, 薬学部, 助教 (80511914)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 有馬 寧 鈴鹿医療科学大学, 医療科学研究科, 教授 (30263015)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: がん化学予防 / 炎症 / アスピリン / DNA損傷 / 8-ニトログアニン / がん幹細胞

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Inflammation is an important risk of cancer. It has been recognized to be causative and promotive of cancer. Epidemiological studies showed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin decreases cancer incidence. Aspirin is expected to have chemopreventive effects on cancer. However, animal studies to confirm the efficacy of aspirin are still not enough. We have reported that 8-nitroguanine, a nitrative DNA damage, is hopeful marker for risk assessment of inflammation-related carcinogenesis. In this study, we revealed that cyclooxygenase (COX), 8-nitroguanine, and cancer-stem cells had important roles on inflammation-related carcinogenesis, by histochemical analyses using clinical cancer specimens infected both with Schistosoma haematobium (SH) and without SH. Furthermore, we successed to confirm the suppressive effect of aspirin on colorectal tumorigenesis in mice model.

Free Research Field

医歯薬学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

アスピリンは、疫学調査研究で大腸がんや乳がんなど種々のがんを抑制することが示され、がん予防効果が期待されている。しかし、アスピリンによる有効性が、統計学的に証明できないケースも多く報告されており、動物実験での有効性の証明が重要な課題であった。本研究で、マウスにおいてアスピリン投与による大腸がん抑制効果を確認できたこと、その分子機序の一端が明らかとなったことは、アスピリンによるがん化学予防薬としての可能性を検証するうえで有用な知見となることが期待される。