News

15th June 2005

Cancer drug may prevent early labour

A drug which is currently used to treat several forms of cancer could help stop premature labour, according to scientists from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.

The team, lead by researcher Dr Nick Europe-Finner, found that the drug Trichostatin A (TSA) has the potential to control early labour contractions and it is hoped that the research, which is still in very early stages, will eventually help to reduce the 70,000 premature births in the UK each year.

The news came at the same time as scientists from an Action Medical Research team announced that some women may go into premature labour because their bodies over-react to a simple infection.

Professor Phil Bennett and colleagues at London's Hammersmith Hospital believe in some cases of premature labour, there is an over-reaction of certain receptors, known as TLRs, to trivial infections.

TLRs are responsible for sending out messages to the immune system, instructing it when to attack.

It is hoped that Prof Bennett's findings will lead the way to clinical trials and further research.

Dr Europe-Finner said, "Premature birth is a huge problem, not just in the UK but across the globe, and currently there is no effective treatment.

"Babies born too early can go on to suffer problems throughout their lives, and prematurity costs the NHS millions of pounds each year."

He added that drugs currently used to stop premature labour can have severe side effects for both mother and baby, including long-term heart problems.

"We have shown that we can regulate the receptors that send messages to the muscles to make them relax during pregnancy.

"If we can keep those muscles relaxed, then we can prevent early labour."

A hormone called hCG is released by the placenta during pregnancy. It triggers muscle cells in the uterus to produce a natural relaxant.

But in some women the number of receptors on the surface of the muscle cells drops, reducing their ability to produce the relaxant. This can lead to the uterine contractions and early labour.

In laboratory tests, the Newcastle team has shown that TSA can keep the number of cell receptors high.

Mr Liu, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at City Hospital, Nottingham, urged caution. He told the BBC News website the relationship between hCG and production of the muscle relaxant was still not completely clear, and the causes of prematurity were complex.

He also stressed that much more work would be needed before an anti-cancer drug could be used to treat pregnant women.

"At this stage I would be circumspect about its utility, even if there is a proven physiological or pharmacological effect," he said.

Professor David James, an expert in fetomaternal medicine at Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, said the drug seemed to have potential.

But he added, "A number of drugs and preparations have been put forward as the solution to preterm labour over the years but have failed to deliver.

"We should reserve judgement on this latest candidate."

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