Intermittent Fasting Could Reduce Chemotherapy Side Effects



A team of researchers led by Massachusetts General Hospital scientists have developed a nanoparticle sensor that can spot symptoms of chemotherapy-related heart damage.

Cancer patients may benefit greatly from chemotherapy, but some of the drugs might have negative effects on the heart. A team of researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has created a nanoparticle probe that can spot a sign of cardiac damage brought on by chemotherapy.

Intermittent fasting before treatment can prevent the formation of this heart damage indication in animals bearing cancer, preserving cardiac function and increasing lifespan, according to experiments utilizing the probe.

The study, which appeared in Nature Biomedical Engineering, concentrated on autophagy, a process through which cells get rid of unwanted or harmful elements. Cardiovascular disease and other disorders have been associated with reduced levels of autophagy, but autophagy can also be a major factor in cell death, creating a delicate balance between its advantageous and detrimental effects.

David E. Sosnovik, MD, and colleagues developed an autophagy-detecting nanoparticle that enables researchers to non-invasively assess autophagy activity within the body using either fluorescence or magnetic resonance imaging. At MGH's Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Dr. Sosnovik oversees the Program in Cardiovascular Imaging.

To test changes in autophagy in heart tissue under various circumstances, such as after chemotherapy, the researchers intravenously introduced the nanoparticles into cancer-ridden mice. For instance, the nanoparticles found decreased autophagy activity in heart cells exposed to the potentially harmful chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin. However, administration of statins or a fast before doxorubicin therapy permitted the cardiac cells of the mice to continue their typical autophagy activity.

According to Sosnovik, the study's senior author, intermittent fasting—drinking just water and abstaining from eating for 24 hours before chemotherapy is administered—restores autophagy, reverses cardiac muscle damage, and even increases overall lifespan.

Sosnovik emphasizes the need for additional human study, particularly given that it is unknown how fasting affects autophagy in tumors. "We are not advising people to fast today before receiving treatment. Controlled and rigorous clinical trials will be required to further investigate this, he believes. "However, our paper offers significant insights that might have an immediate impact on clinical care."

Additionally, the group's autophagy-detection nanoparticles could be utilized to better understand how autophagy functions in a variety of disorders.

By MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL  

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