The Testing Evidence for Using Ivermectin for Treating Mammary Tumors in Dogs
Executive Summary
- This article covers the evidence I could find for Ivermectin as a treatment for Mammary Tumors in Dogs.
Introduction
This article provides an overview covering the evidence for Ivermectin versus Mammary Tumors in Dogs.
In many articles on this site, such as the article How Ivermectin Is Useful for Treating Cancer we covered the evidence for the benefits of Ivermectin for cancer. However, the topic of which specific cancers Ivermectin has been proven effective is a constant source of questions.
There are a lot of quotes in this article, but I have a short one for each cancer type. The article uses the term “IVM” to mean Ivermectin.
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Cancer Type #1: Mammary Tumors in Dogs
Here are the findings of the study Ivermectin, a Potential Anticancer Drug Derived from an Antiparasitic Drug.
After treatment with IVM, the proliferation of multiple breast cancer cell lines including MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-10 was significantly reduced. The mechanism involved the inhibition by IVM of the Akt/mTOR pathway to induce autophagy and p-21-activated kinase 1(PAK1)was the target of IVM for breast cancer [32]. Furthermore, Diao’s study showed that IVM could inhibit the proliferation of the breast tumor cell lines CMT7364 and CIPp by blocking the cell cycle without increasing apoptosis, and the mechanism of IVM may be related to the inhibition of the Wnt pathway [33].
Recent studies have also found that IVM could promote the death of tumor cells by regulating the tumor microenvironment in breast cancer cells. Under the stimulation of a tumor microenvironment with a high level of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) outside tumor cells, IVM could enhance the P2 × 4/ P2 × 7/Pannexin-1 mediated release of high mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB1) [37]. However, the release of a large amount of HMGB1 into the extracellular environment will promote immune cell-mediated immunogenic death and inflammatory reactions, which will have an inhibitory effect on the growth of tumor cells. Therefore, we believe that the anticancer effect of IVM is not limited to cytotoxicity, but also involves the regulation of the tumor microenvironment. IVM regulates the tumor microenvironment and mediates immunogenic cell death, which may be a new direction for research exploring anticancer mechanisms in the future. – NIH
Regarding the dosage and sourcing of Ivermectin, see the article On the Topic of Ivermectin Dosage and Sourcing.
The Mechanisms by Which Ivermectin Works Against Cancer
Confidence in Ivermectin being effective for many cancer types also comes from understanding the specific mechanisms by which Ivermectin works against cancer. I cover this topic in detail in the article By How Many Different Mechanisms Does Ivermectin Fight Cancer?
The Impact of Ivermectin on Cancer
Here is a sampling of methods by which Ivermectin works against cancer.
Impact #1: Inhibiting Proliferation of Tumor Cells
Recently, ivermectin has been reported to inhibit the proliferation of several tumor cells by regulating multiple signaling pathways.
The Ivermectin blocking of PAK1 proteins, aka activated kinase, is a reason for this.
The instrumentality of PAK1 in cancer growth is explained in the following quotation from the article Ivermectin: enigmatic multifaceted ‘wonder’ drug continues to surprise and exceed expectations.
In human ovarian cancer and NF2 tumor cell lines, high-dose ivermectin inactivates protein kinase PAK1 and blocks PAK1-dependent growth.
PAK proteins are essential for cytoskeletal reorganization and nuclear signaling, PAK1 being implicated in tumor genesis while inhibiting PAK1 signals induces tumor cell apoptosis (cell death).
PAK1 is essential for the growth of more than 70% of all human cancers, including breast, prostate, pancreatic, colon, gastric, lung, cervical and thyroid cancers, as well as hepatoma, glioma, melanoma, multiple myeloma and for neurofibromatosis tumors.
PAK1 becomes hyperactive in cancer cells for reasons that are not yet understood.
Ivermectin can be viewed as a PAK1 restrictor or modulator (I say modulator as PAK1 is present in normal healthy cells, but an overage of PAK is a prime cause of cancer.)
This means that Ivermectin interferes with a precursor to cancer. This modulating influence on PAK is another reason Ivermectin is effective against many types of cancer.
PAK1 is implicated in multiple cancers if found in the quotation from the article Effect of P21-activated kinase 1 (PAK-1) inhibition on cancer cell growth, migration, and invasion.
Previous studies showed that PAK-1 mediated the growth of prostate PC-3 cell tumor xenografts in athymic nude mice as well as the transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ)-induced prostate cancer cell epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). These studies suggested that PAK-1 plays a major role in prostate cancer progression and is a potential target for prostate cancer therapy. PAK-1 has also been suggested to be involved in the early stages of breast cancer and may partially participate in the mechanisms mediating the transformation of mammary epithelial cells into mesenchymal malignant cells.
The Impact of Ivermectin on Cancer
The different way that Ivermectin impacts cancer is explained in the following items.
Impact #1: Inhibiting Proliferation of Tumor Cells
Recently, ivermectin has been reported to inhibit the proliferation of several tumor cells by regulating multiple signaling pathways.
The Ivermectin blocking of PAK1 proteins, aka activated kinase, is a reason for this.
The instrumentality of PAK1 in cancer growth is explained in the following quotation from the article Ivermectin: enigmatic multifaceted ‘wonder’ drug continues to surprise and exceed expectations.
In human ovarian cancer and NF2 tumor cell lines, high-dose ivermectin inactivates protein kinase PAK1 and blocks PAK1-dependent growth.
PAK proteins are essential for cytoskeletal reorganization and nuclear signaling, PAK1 being implicated in tumor genesis while inhibiting PAK1 signals induces tumor cell apoptosis (cell death).
PAK1 is essential for the growth of more than 70% of all human cancers, including breast, prostate, pancreatic, colon, gastric, lung, cervical and thyroid cancers, as well as hepatoma, glioma, melanoma, multiple myeloma and for neurofibromatosis tumors.
PAK1 becomes hyperactive in cancer cells for reasons that are not yet understood.
Ivermectin can be viewed as a PAK1 restrictor or modulator (I say modulator as PAK1 is present in normal healthy cells, but an overage of PAK is a prime cause of cancer.)
This means that Ivermectin interferes with a precursor to cancer. This modulating influence on PAK is another reason Ivermectin is effective against many types of cancer.
PAK1 is implicated in multiple cancers if found in the quotation from the article Effect of P21-activated kinase 1 (PAK-1) inhibition on cancer cell growth, migration, and invasion.
Previous studies showed that PAK-1 mediated the growth of prostate PC-3 cell tumor xenografts in athymic nude mice as well as the transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ)-induced prostate cancer cell epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). These studies suggested that PAK-1 plays a major role in prostate cancer progression and is a potential target for prostate cancer therapy. PAK-1 has also been suggested to be involved in the early stages of breast cancer and may partially participate in the mechanisms mediating the transformation of mammary epithelial cells into mesenchymal malignant cells.
Hyperactive PAK1 and Cancer
This is explained in the quotation from P21 Activated Kinase-1 (Pak1) Promotes Prostate Tumor Growth and Microinvasion via Inhibition of Transforming Growth Factor β Expression and Enhanced Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 Secretion.
Even though Pak1 has been identified in normal prostatic epithelial cells and cancer cells, its specific role in the development of prostate cancer remains unclear. We report here that highly invasive prostate cancer cells express significantly higher levels of Pak1 protein compared with non-invasive prostate cancer cells. Furthermore, prostate tumor tissues and prostate cancer metastasized to lungs showed a higher expression of Pak1 compared with normal tissues.
This appears to match the experience with other cancers, but they have not performed sufficient studies to say for sure.