Most people with glioblastoma live less than 15 months. Surgery, radiation and chemotherapy are the standard tools, and the tumor often returns anyway.
A pilot study in the journal Oncoscience tested a different idea: borrow vitamin B12 as a delivery vehicle. The compound, nitrosylcobalamin or NO-Cbl, is a B12 molecule modified to release nitric oxide, a gas with a documented ability to kill cancer cells. Dr. Joseph A. Bauer of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation Taussig Cancer Center and Nitric Oxide Services, LLC led the work.
The blood-brain barrier keeps most drugs away from brain tumors, and that is the obstacle here. Rapidly dividing tumor cells take up more B12 than their neighbors, which is why the researchers chose it as a carrier.
In animal models, NO-Cbl crossed the barrier after systemic administration and collected preferentially in glioblastoma tissue. Nitrate levels inside tumors stayed elevated for at least 24 hours. In normal tissue they fell faster.
The combination experiments used human glioblastoma cells. NO-Cbl paired with the chemotherapy drug temozolomide, or with the experimental therapy TRAIL, curbed tumor cell growth much more than either treatment did alone. The effects were synergistic across several dose ranges.
The authors also say the compound may help with treatment resistance, one reason glioblastoma is so hard to beat. They point to earlier research showing it can promote cell death and strengthen the action of existing therapies.
“By combining blood-brain barrier penetration, selective tumor targeting, and enhanced activity alongside existing therapies, NO-Cbl may offer a new way to improve drug delivery and combat treatment resistance,” the team wrote.
The work is preclinical, done in animals and cell lines. Human trials will have to establish safety, the right dose and whether survival improves. Ordinary B12 supplements are a different thing and are not a treatment for brain cancer, and patients should not try to self-medicate with them. Anyone with concerns should consult a doctor.
Sources
- Vitamin B12-Based Treatment May Help Fight Deadly Brain Cancer, Researchers Report
- Scientists Used Vitamin B12 to Sneak a Cancer-Killer into the Brain, and It Worked on Tumors in Animal Studies
- This new vitamin B12 therapy shows promise against deadly brain cancer: Study
