British cancer researchers are reporting that silver compounds show tremendous promise in the treatment of certain cancers, as the precious metal is just as effective at killing cancer cells as a leading chemotherapy drug, while demonstrating far fewer side-effects.
As anybody who has had a loved one stricken with cancer knows, chemotherapy can be a very grueling experience for the patients, as they often suffer from nausea, vomiting and even kidney damage.
According to Daily Mail, a research team from the University of Leeds conducted lab tests that exposed breast and colon cancer cells to various silver-based chemicals over a six-day period. Their findings revealed that these silver-compounds were "as effective as Cisplatin," a frequently used platinum-based drug, at killing cancer with potentially fewer side effects and at a much lower cost. Crucially, silver is less toxic to normal cells than platinum.
The team believes that silver's success in battling cancer may lie in the structure surrounding silver atoms, known as its ligand. They think this may help release the silver ion into cells when it enters the body, killing any cancer. The study's author, Dr. Charlotte Willans, says this new research is an important step in the quest for effective, non-toxic cancer treatments.
"It’s certainly an exciting discovery, although I think we have a lot of work to do in the future," said Willans. "It opens the doors in terms of what we can do and investigate."
Willans plans to spend the next year looking closely at what effect silver has on both cancerous and healthy cells, and whether it could be a safe and effective new anti-cancer drug.
It shouldn't be surprising that silver may take a new role in cancer treatment. The precious metal, which has been used historically for jewelry, currency and utensils, already has a wide range of medicinal uses and is a common antiseptic, antibiotic and means of purifying water in the third world.
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