KarlT
#3
That’s my bottom line takeaway.
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The preclinical research shows that scientists are a step closer to finding new ways to target leukemia, which is one of the most aggressive blood cancers. The Wilmot Cancer Institute investigators at the University of Rochester were able to block the growth of leukemia in mouse models and in human leukemia cell samples by using genetic tools to prevent taurine from entering cancer cells.
So that was a study on mice and human cell lines.
A Japanese study of actual leukemia patients from 1983
says the following in the abstract.
Intracellular levels of the free amino acid taurine were measured in circulating granulocytes and
mononuclear cells from 12 normal subjects and 27 patients with various types of leukemia, and in bone marrow cells from seven acute leukemias in blastic phase and 4 in remission. leukemic cells have consistently lower taurine levels compared to normal lymphocytes and granulocytes. Although taurine levels in the circulating granulocytes from patients with acute and chronic leukemias were normal, they were significantly lower in the group of patients with atypical AML. The lowest taurine levels were observed in ihe mononuclear cells from patients with AMl and All followed by those from patients with CMl and Cll, and then those from patients with atypical AML .ln AMl patients the levels increased to normal values during clinical remission. The bone marrow mononuclear cells of AMl in the blastic phase also had lower taurine levels compared to these in remission just same as peripheral blood cells do. These observations on the alteration in taurine content of both mononuclear cells in peripheral blood and bone marrow may be useful as a biochemical marker in diagnosis as well as for prediction of relapse and effectiveness of chemotherapy on patients with various types of leukemia.
Abbreviations:
Atypical leukemia All, acute lymphocytic leukemia; AMl, acute myelogenous leukemia; CMl,
chronic myelogenous leukemia; Cll, chronic lymphocytic leukemia; AMol,
acute monocytic leukemia;
PATIENTS AND METHODS
Subjects: Peripheral blood of 12 normal subjects and 27 patients with some form of leukemia
who were either previously untreated or had not received any form of chemotherapy within
two weeks of the taurine assay was studied. The leukemic patients included four with CM L,
eight with CLL, three with AML in blastic phase and three during remission, two with ALL in
blastic phase and three during remission and four patients with atypical AM L. Atypical AM L
was defined as AM L which had an earlier dysmyelopoietic phase for more than one year.
Bone marrow samples were studied in seven patients with AM L in the blastic phase, four of
these patients were restudied after they entered a clinical remission phase. The patients’ ages ranged from nine to 68 years.
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This is interesting and indeterminate with respect to the role of taurine. I have a 65 year old cousin whose mild case of CLL seems to have disappeared, as it were. The anomaly here is that his lymphocytes and related metrics moved into the normal range several months ago around the time he started supplementing with taurine. Whether immediately before or after, I do not know. His CLL initially appeared a few years ago during a very high stress period in his life, which he is now past. This all raises many questions including whether to share a summary of this isolated study with him.
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Jonas
#6
Abbreviations:
Atypical leukemia All, acute lymphocytic leukemia; AMl, acute myelogenous leukemia; CMl,
chronic myelogenous leukemia; Cll, chronic lymphocytic leukemia; AMol,
acute monocytic leukemia;
One of the leukemias has a 90% cure rate with a Vitamin A derivative.
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