According to a study led by a team from the University of Surrey in Britain, forskolin, a compound extracted from Coleus forskohlii, which has been traditionally used in ancient Indian medicine, could play an important role in improving treatment outcomes for patients with acute myeloid leukemia with KMT2A gene rearrangement, one of the most challenging types of this disease.
The results, published in the British Journal of Pharmacology, showed that forskolin directly slows the growth of leukemia cells and also enhances the effectiveness of chemotherapy.
The team discovered that this compound activates a specific enzyme called Protein Phosphatase 2A, or PP2A for short, and reduces the activity of several genes known to support cancer development.
The research revealed an unexpected additional benefit: forskolin made leukemia cells more responsive to the common chemotherapy drug daunorubicin. This enhancement did not require the usual enzyme activation; instead, the compound worked by blocking P-glycoprotein 1, a protein that cancer cells use to expel chemotherapy drugs and develop resistance.
Dr. Maria Teresa Esposito, the lead researcher in the study, commented: "Our research has revealed an exciting dual mechanism of action forskolin; it not only has direct anti-leukemic effects, but also acts as a powerful enhancer of conventional chemotherapy."
Dr. Simon Ridley of Leukaemia UK added: "This type of research is essential if we are to achieve our goal of doubling the survival rate for leukemia patients over the next decade."
This study is the result of collaboration between researchers from several prestigious scientific institutions in Britain and Spain, with support from Leukemia UK, which opens the door to the possibility of developing more effective and gentler treatments for patients with this aggressive type of cancer.
