There was a time in rural America when horse-drawn wagons brought all kinds of traveling salesmen to small towns. Their wares included practical household items such as tinware dishes or cooking pans. However, there were also peddlers who brought potions and elixirs promoted as cure-alls. Countless naïve and sometimes desperately ill folks were suckered in by these quacks, but by the time they discovered how useless the concoctions were, the peddler’s wagon was long gone. Lesson learned: let the buyer beware.

Cancer is a slippery enemy that can elude efforts to vanquish it. There is understandable hope for a “silver bullet” cure that will permanently put cancer out of our misery. Nicole Kornspan, a consumer safety officer with the U.S. FDA, acknowledges, “There can be a great temptation to jump at anything that appears to offer a chance for a cure,” but warns about false product claims on websites or social media platforms. Of course, the buyer should be wary of sweeping commercial claims, but be assured that clinical cancer treatments used by medical professionals are protected against quackery by the work of diligent scientists and researchers, and by watchdog groups like the FDA.

A new molecule offers hope against prostate cancer

A very recent example of trustworthy research efforts to conquer cancer comes from a research team at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) and collaborating British medical centers. The team members tested the effects of a molecule called carnosine on prostate cancer (PCa) cells. They are not the first to observe potential anti-cancer effects of this naturally occurring substance, but they are the first to specifically test it against PCa.^[i]

Carnosine is a type of protein building block “found in high concentrations in the brain, muscle, and gastrointestinal tissues of humans and is present in all vertebrates.”^[ii] Amino acids found in carnosine give it antioxidant power. It has properties shown to relieve nerve pain in diabetics, and athletes have used it as a dietary supplement to improve the effectiveness of exercise.^[iii] In fact, reports of its benefits and general lack of side effects have made it so attractive that “…People use carnosine for aging, diabetes, autism, heart failure, depression, and many other conditions…” says a WebMD article. However, there is insufficient evidence to support self-prescribing of oral capsules, etc., so the wide manufacture and sale of carnosine supplements begins to resemble the quackery of old.

However, NTU’s research is authoritative and based on published scientific evidence of carnosine’s therapeutic impact against cancer cells. For instance, a 2021 Australian research team tested carnosine against several types of cancer cells. They report the following results: “Carnosine (1) inhibits breast, ovarian, colon, and leukemic cancer cell proliferation; (2) upregulates expression of pro-inflammatory molecules; (3) modulates cytokine secretion; and (4) alters U937 differentiation and phenotype.

Conclusion: These effects may have implications for a role for carnosine in anti-cancer therapy.”^[iv] Based on their work and that of others, carnosine has been observed to inhibit the growth of the cancer cells, encourage cellular die-off, and deter the tumor’s ability to build its own blood supply—all while having no apparent negative effect on healthy cells.^[v]

Therefore, the NTU group chose PCa cells for their study, noting in their 2023 publication that they “investigated the effect of carnosine on cell proliferation and metabolism” in both cultured hormone resistant human PCa cells as well as mice implanted with PCa cells. Their work demonstrated the same encouraging results as studies with other types of cancer cells. Their conclusions therefore support “… the need for further human in vivo work [that is, studies with human PCa patients] to determine the potential use of carnosine, either alone or, most likely, as an adjunct therapy to surgical or other conventional treatments.”^[vi]

Their promising work, which made medical news, offers new hope for PCa patients. A British news story explains how carnosine could potentially be an “effective first line of treatment” against PCa:

At higher doses it killed cancer from both primary and metastatic cancer cells while remaining safe to the healthy cells … [A]lthough carnosine is rapidly degraded by enzymes in the body, it could potentially be an initial treatment [for PCa] if a constant slow release mechanism is used. This could include injecting the molecule inside the tumour and releasing it in sufficient quantity before it begins to degrade and lose its impact. Another approach could be using carnosine-like molecules which are resistant to being broken down by enzymes. The scientists say the hope would then be for the tumour growth to be monitored by the level of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in the blood, and if it continued to grow then the patient would have the option for surgery.^[vii]

At the Sperling Prostate Center, we find news of a possible oral or injectable carnosine-based drug exciting. At the same time, we strongly caution our readers, “Let the buyer beware.” Don’t experiment with your own body by taking carnosine supplements for any reason or condition without physician supervision. Don’t be fooled by over-the-counter “peddlers” who make carnosine claims that are not backed up by sound research. While the laudable work of NTU is a pointer, it is not yet proof. We will continue to report ongoing research, and if carnosine ultimately turns out to be prostate cancer’s “silver bullet”, we’ll join all doctors and patients in rejoicing.

NOTE: This content is solely for purposes of information and does not substitute for diagnostic or medical advice. Talk to your doctor if you are experiencing pelvic pain, or have any other health concerns or questions of a personal medical nature.

References

[i] Habra K, Pearson JRD, Le Vu P, Puig-Saenz C et al. Anticancer actions of carnosine in cellular models of prostate cancer. J Cell Mol Med. 2023 Nov 29.
[ii] Juki? I, Kolobari? N, Stupin A, Mati? A et al. Carnosine, Small but Mighty-Prospect of Use as Functional Ingredient for Functional Food Formulation. Antioxidants (Basel). 2021 Jun 28;10(7):1037.
[iii] Ibid.
[iv] Prakash MD, Fraser S, Boer JC, Plebanski M et al. Anti-Cancer Effects of Carnosine-A Dipeptide Molecule. Molecules. 2021 Mar 16;26(6):1644.
[v] Hsieh SL, Li JH, Dong CD, Chen CW, Wu CC. Carnosine suppresses human colorectal cancer cell proliferation by inducing necroptosis and autophagy and reducing angiogenesis. Oncol Lett. 2022 Feb;23(2):44.
[vi] Habra et al., ibid.
[vii] “Molecule ‘shows promise’ as effective first line of prostate cancer treatment.” Independent, Jan. 1, 2024. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/nottingham-trent-university-prostate-cancer-psa-manchester-metropolitan-university-transform-b2471746.html