ROCHESTER, N.Y., Feb. 2 U.S. researchers say they have found a group of compounds that might fight colorectal cancer and potentially cancers of the esophagus, liver and skin.Early work shows that a group of compounds called peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma, or PPARgamma, inhibitors may have an unexpected cancer-fighting effect, according to research published in the journal International Cancer Research.Furthermore, the new studies suggest that PPARgamma inhibitors act through some of the same mechanisms as the blockbuster chemotherapy Taxol, but with key differences, says first author Katherine L. Schaefer of the University of Rochester Medical Center.This is the first observation of a small molecule dramatically reducing levels of the proteins called tubulins, the building blocks of cancer cell skeletons, said Schaefer. Because cells that line the colon are similar to those in the liver, esophagus and skin, we see potential for a new way to treat those cancers as well.Copyright 2007 by UPI
