About Phenoxodiol
Frequently asked questions
Clinical Trials
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Molecular targets of Phenoxodiol
Phenoxodiol regulates a number of different molecular targets within the cancer cell. Some of these targets are inhibited by phenoxodiol while others are activated. The link between all of these different targets is their vital control over the balance between survival and death of the cancer cell.
A major target is the protein, sphingosine kinase. This protein is vital to the survival and growth of all of the body's cells. Sphingosine kinase is associated with many of the growth receptors on the cell membrane. Activation of those growth receptors causes co-activation of sphingosine kinase that then leads directly to a range of pro-survival and pro-growth activities. One of those activities is the production of proteins known as anti-apoptotic proteins whose role it is to block the death of the cell. Two such proteins are FLIP and XIAP.
Sphingosine kinase is over-active in many different forms of human cancer. That over-activity is a key factor in promoting the cancer cell's ability to multiply and in allowing it to avoid being killed by the body's immune system by making large amounts of FLIP and XIAP.
Phenoxodiol inhibits sphingosine kinase activity in cancer cells. The result is that production of the anti-apoptotic proteins, FLIP and XIAP, is inhibited. This effect is limited to cancer cells and phenoxodiol has no effect on sphingosine kinase activity in non-cancer cells.
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