 There is a type of sugar which is lethal to honeybees. That same sugar could one day help treat cancer in people. Mannose, a sugar that is crucial to many functions in the human body, cannot be broken down by the insects, leading to 'honeybee syndrome'. It had also been shown in laboratory tests to inhibit the growth of several types of cancer cells, but scientists didn't know why. By studying honeybee syndrome, they have discovered how it functions – and what hope it may offer for future treatments. Mannose is involved in the process of glycosylation, in which the body adds sugar to proteins to stabilise their structure and help them interact with other molecules. Malfunctions in glycosylation can cause life-threatening diseases. 'Until now, the most promising therapeutic use for mannose was to treat congenital disorders of glycosylation, diseases that can cause a wide range of severe symptoms throughout the body,' said co-author Dr Hudson Freeze, from Sanford Burnham Prebys. 'But we believe that there may be ways to leverage mannose against cancer and other diseases as well. By replicating 'honeybee syndrome' scientists may have discovered a new way to treat cancer (Picture: Getty/500px) 'It's been known for more than a century that mannose is lethal to honeybees because they can't process it like humans do. We wanted to see if there is any relationship between honeybee syndrome and the anti-cancer properties of mannose, which could lead to an entirely new approach to combat cancer.' To investigate, the team used genetically engineered human fibrosarcoma cancer cells – a rare cancer that affects connective tissue – to recreate honeybee syndrome. They discovered that without the enzyme needed to process mannose, cells replicate slowly and are significantly more vulnerable to chemotherapy. 'We found that triggering honeybee syndrome in these cancer cells made them unable to synthesise the){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
There is a type of sugar which is lethal to honeybees. That same sugar could one day help treat cancer in people.
Mannose, a sugar that is crucial to many functions in the human body, cannot be broken down by the insects, leading to ‘honeybee syndrome’.
It had also been shown in laboratory tests to inhibit the growth of several types of cancer cells, but scientists didn’t know why. By studying honeybee syndrome, they have discovered how it functions – and what hope it may offer for future treatments.
Mannose is involved in the process of glycosylation, in which the body adds sugar to proteins to stabilise their structure and help them interact with other molecules. Malfunctions in glycosylation can cause life-threatening diseases.