The fourth ranking list of winning applications for scientific activities in the MINIATURA 8 competition published this year included an application from the Medical University of Bialystok, submitted by Dr Anna Sadowska from the Department of Experimental Pharmacology.
The scientific action entitled ‘Effect of interaction of pine root extract and 5-fluorouracil on liver cell metabolism’, received funding of PLN 49,390.00.
Anticancer drugs used in the treatment of colorectal cancer have numerous side effects, indicating the need for new, less toxic formulations, such as those derived from medicinal mushrooms. Mushrooms have been recognised for centuries not only as a component of the human diet, but have also been used in traditional Chinese medicine, and the treatment of diseases with substances derived from mushrooms is called mycotherapy or fungotherapy. Nowadays, thanks to the development of modern research techniques, it is possible to subject the long-known polypoid or arboreal fungi to detailed studies. In recent years, there has been a huge increase in interest in fungi as reservoirs of natural active compounds due to their broad spectrum of biological activities. Among the polypoid fungi, there is a large group (e.g. Ganoderma lucidum, Laetiporus sulphureus, Trametes versicolor, Inonotus obliquus) with proven pharmacological properties used to support therapy, including anticancer, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-parasitic, antiatherosclerotic, antibacterial, antifungal, hepatoprotective and hypoglycaemic activities.
The aim of the project ‘Effect of interaction of pine rootwort extract and 5-fluorouracil on hepatic cell metabolism’ is to evaluate the effect of interaction of pine rootwort fungus extract (Heterobasidion annosum (Fr.) Bref.) with a reference drug, 5-fluorouracil, on hepatic metabolism with regard to the possibility of safe application of both formulations in anticancer therapy. The proposed study complements the investigated beneficial efficacy of pine root extract by assessing the safety of its application and potential interactions with the formulation used in the treatment of colorectal cancer on metabolic processes occurring in the liver. The investigation of metabolic parameters is crucial for the consideration and introduction of new substances into therapy, as many xenobiotics are potentially hepatotoxic, either directly or more often after bioactivation, leading to the formation of chemically reactive metabolites and/or the generation of reactive oxygen species and the adverse consequences of their administration.
The administrative management of the project is handled by the MUB Department of Development and Evaluation.
