A new study from the University of Notre Dame in Paris shows that drugs used to treat high cholesterol may interfere with the way breast cancer cells adapt to the brain microenvironment, thereby preventing the spread of cancer to the brain. Statins are a group of drugs commonly used by patients with high cholesterol. Current research shows that these drugs can interfere with the activity of regenerating cell surface proteins of cancer cells, thereby inhibiting the survival of cancer cells in the brain.
Researchers have discovered that statins inhibit the survival of breast cancer in the brain by inhibiting Rab11b’s ability to restore surface proteins. As the frequency of recycling decreases, the surface viscosity of metastatic tumor cells decreases. This limits the survival of cancer cells and ultimately slows down the rate of tumor colonization in the brain microenvironment. To complete this study, the researchers conducted genetic analysis to screen for genes with important functions that prevent tumor cells from adapting to the brain. Next, we used the Drosophila tumor model to screen for the growth of genetic tumors, allowing the research team to quickly narrow the range of genes that may be essential for tumor development in the brain.
"It is well known that Rab11b is located downstream of an important enzyme in cholesterol synthesis. Therefore, understanding the role of Rab11b can allow statins to reduce Rab11b and other proteins on the surface of metastatic breast cancer cells."