Gut Instinct Against Cancer

A bile acid – a cholesterol-derived bioactive lipid, lithocholic acid has been recently suggested to cause considerable lifespan extension in yeast. Vladimir Titorenko, from Concordia University (Canada), and colleagues have revealed that when entering a cancer cell, lithocholic acid attacks the cells’ mitochondria to cause cell death.  Submitting that: “[lithocholic acid] exhibits a substantial cytotoxic effect in cultured cancer cells derived from different tissues and organisms,” the study authors posit that: “The molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the robust anti-aging and anti-tumor effects of lithocholic acid have emerged.”