How does Taxol, Lapachone "fix" bad checkpoints?

From: CYMM (cymm@trinidad.net)
Date: Sun Jul 16 2000 - 04:02:54 MDT


Hi extropians,

Some time back, I read a report in the lay press quoting a report in
Proceedings of The National Academy of Science that a Taxol beta-lapachone
combo "fixed" errant checkpints in the cell cyle - thus allowing errant
cells in the cancerous state to commit apoptosis (as they normally do when
checkpoints are intact.).

A dr Chiang Li was the lead authour.

I know that beta-lapachone is a topoisomerase inhibitor; as is curcumin
(from turmeric) which also displays similar antitumour activity. And Curcuma
plants & Lapacho (pau d'arco) trees are a dime a dozen where I live.

Could anyone explain why this should effectively "fix" checkpoints?

Remember if you lick atherosclerosis and cancer - you add years to your
life. If you fix checkpoints a lot of senecent cells also get zapped and are
weeded out from your body.

cymm



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