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A substance from crocuses could prove to be a universal weapon against cancer
Last reviewed: 30.06.2025
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A toxic alkaloid from crocuses called colchicine may be a universal weapon against cancer. Researchers have found a way to target it at cancerous tumors without killing healthy tissue along the way.
British scientists are keeping up with their Arab colleagues: while the latter are studying the anti-cancer properties of crocus, researchers from the University of Bradford report a universal anti-tumor drug that they have managed to create using autumn crocus. The flower, which is, by the way, the closest relative of crocus, contains the alkaloid colchicine. The substance, long known for its anti-inflammatory and other healing properties, strongly suppresses cell division. However, once it gets into the body, it can destroy not only cancer cells, but also healthy cells.
The essence of the scientists' work was, of course, not to obtain colchicine from perhaps the most widespread plant in the British Isles, but to find a way to deliver the alkaloid to the tumor. Fortunately, the researchers managed to make the cancer poison itself.
The tumor spreads due to matrix metalloproteinase. These enzymes literally clear a free space for the growing tumor, destroying the interaction between healthy cells and proteins of the intercellular matrix; the growth of blood vessels directly depends on them - and therefore the full supply of nutrients and oxygen to the tumor.
The researchers attached a protein appendage to colchicine, which suppressed its toxic properties. In this form, colchicine was absolutely harmless. But, having arrived at the cancer zone, the tumor metalloproteinase cut the hybrid molecule, colchicine broke free and stopped the growth of blood vessels and tumors. As experiments showed, the drug effectively suppressed the growth of tumors of several types of cancer (breast, lung, prostate, etc.) without any side effects. In some experiments, mice showed complete tumor remission after just one dose of the drug.
The researchers presented the results of their many years of work at the British Science Festival.
All this cannot but inspire optimism: such a drug, if it were created, would become a universal answer against the lion's share of cancer tumors, regardless of their origin. Scientists plan to begin clinical trials within a year.
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