Anti-cancer drug may impact cardiovascular health and increase risk of heart disease
Doctors often give their patients a prescription to buy Plavix in order to help them reduce the risk of experiencing a heart attack or stroke.
Doctors often give their patients a prescription to buy Plavix in order to help them reduce the risk of experiencing a heart attack or stroke. Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading killers of Americans each year. According to scientists at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, an anti-cancer drug called celecoxib - which decreases the likelihood of developing colon polyps - may increase people's risk of heart disease.
Lead investigator Shi-Yong Sun and his team published a paper in the journal Cancer Research that revealed that celecoxib blocks the activity of the GSK3 enzyme in lung cancer cells. This lowers the levels of a protein called c-FLIP, which encourages tumor cells to self-destruct.
Researchers believe that the ability of celecoxib to inhibit GSK3 is why it has strong anti-inflammatory properties. However, this characteristic may also be the reason why it impacts cardiovascular disease.
These findings are surprising because previous studies suggested that inhibiting GSK3 could promote cancer, according to the team.
Although the results seem to suggest that the anti-cancer drug effects heart health, Sun cautioned that more research needs to be conducted before solid conclusions can be drawn.
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