Kidney cancer Gene damage from aristolochic acids

Kidney cancer: Gene damage from aristolochic acids

12/11/2014

The aristolochic acid of Aristolochia clematitis (ordinary Easter bitch) may evidently cause kidney cancer. This is shown by a study from Romania. The subjects had many clear cell carcinomas characteristic of aristolochic acid.

Clear cell carcinoma is on the rise, especially in Central Europe, without the reasons being known. A possible trigger has now been encountered by researchers from the International Cancer Genome Consortium in Montreal.

They examined genomes in 94 clear cell carcinomas of patients from the Czech Republic, Romania, Russia and the United Kingdom. The researchers were looking for mutations that are typical of the cancer. They discovered a peculiarity in the Romanian patients: In twelve of fourteen patients, the genome had an unexpectedly high frequency of transitions of the nucleotide pairs from A-T to T-A, which is associated with exposure to aristolochic acid. The Osterluzei is widespread throughout the Balkans and can easily enter the food cycle. This contamination is already blamed for the so-called Balkan nephropathy. The researchers are now investigating more tumors to substantiate their suspicions. Read more here. (Pm)