Chemo can be a lifesaver for patients with cancer, but it can also damage the heart. Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital developed a probe that can detect an indicator of heart damage from chemotherapy.
Experiments with the probe showed that in mice with cancer, intermittent fasts before treatment can prevent the heart damage indicator from showing up.
autophagy is a process that cells use to remove unneeded or malfunctioning components There is a delicate balance between the protective and deleterious effects of this process, which has been implicated in cardiovascular disease and other conditions.
David E. Sosnovik is the director of the Program in Cardiovascular Imaging at MGH.
When the scientists injected the nanoparticles into mice with cancer, they were able to measure changes in heart tissue. The reduced activity of autophagy in heart cells can be caused by the drug doxorubicin. The animals' heart cells were able to maintain normal activity when they were treated with vastatin or fast food.
The senior author of the study says that intermittent fasting, drinking water but no food for 24 hours before the chemotherapy is given, restores autophagy and even improves overall survival.
Since the effects of fasting on autophagy in a tumor are not known, there is need for research in humans. Patients don't need to fast before their treatment. He says that it will need to be studied further in clinical trials. Our paper gives important insights that may affect clinical care in the future.
A better understanding of the role of autophagy in a broad range of diseases could be gained by using the team's nanoparticles.
More information: Howard H. Chen et al, A nanoparticle probe for the imaging of autophagic flux in live mice via magnetic resonance and near-infrared fluorescence, Nature Biomedical Engineering (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41551-022-00904-3 Journal information: Nature Biomedical Engineering
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