Researchers out of UCLA have found a Chinese herbal regimen that they believe could treat blood cell deficiency and cancer. The substance, known as TSY-1 (Tianshengyuan-1), increased telomerase activity in normal blood cells but decreased it in cancer cells. Telomerase is an enzyme responsible for the production of telomeres, which aid in the regulation of normal cell division.
More than 80 per cent of cancers have increased telomerase activity. Many other medical conditions are also associated with decreased or abnormal telomerase function. The ability to alter telomerase activity has important implications for treating cancers in which low numbers of blood cells are produced. When a person’s bone marrow is unable to keep up with the need for healthy blood cells, bone marrow failure is triggered.
TSY-1 has been used in China for many years to treat aplastic anemia, a condition in which the body stops producing enough new blood cells.
The five-year study, led by UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center member Dr. Jianyu Rao, measured the ability of TSY-1 to affect telomerase activity in cancer cells lines. The results showed that the target of TSY-1 activity is the TERT gene. TERT is the major regulatory component of telomerase activity.
