Baku, March 14 (AZERTAC). A new hybrid of `superdrug` aspirin could shrink tumours and may tackle 11 different forms of cancer, according to new research. The `designer` aspirin is believed to be much safer than the version currently on chemist shelves, which can cause bleeding, ulcers and kidney failure in high doses. Scientists discovered the aspirin compound can curb the growth of 11 different types of human cancer cells - including colon, pancreatic, prostate, breast and leukemia - without harming normal cells. However, so far it has only been tested on animals. Mice carrying human colon cancer tumours were given the new aspirin, known as NOSH aspirin, It caused the cancer cells to shrink by 85 per cent and self-destruct - without any signs of toxicity in the mice.

Lead author Professor Khosrow Kashfi from The City College of New York, said: `If what we have seen in animals can be translated to humans, it could be used in conjunction with other drugs to shrink tumors before chemotherapy or surgery.`

The new compound is based on a hybrid of two previous formulations. One part of the hybrid aspirin releases nitric oxide (NO), which helps protect the stomach lining. The other releases hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which the researchers have previously shown enhances aspirin`s cancer-fighting ability. The researchers found the hybrid was far more effective than either of the two components alone to boost aspirin`s safety and power against cancer. This means a drug based on this hybrid would require lower doses to be effective, minimising or potentially eliminating its side effects. In the second study, when mice bearing human colon cancer tumors on their flanks were given oral NOSH-aspirin, the compound caused cancer cells to self-destruct, inhibited the proliferation of the cells and significantly reduced tumor growth without any signs of toxicity in the mice. The study funded by The National Cancer Institute was also conducted by Dr Ravinder Kodela and Dr Mitali Chattopadhyay.

Dr Kashfi and his colleagues will present these findings at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Chicago at the end of the month.