Common Blood Pressure Drug Could Slow Growth Of Fast

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have discovered that hydralazine, a common blood pressure medication, may also slow cancer growth . Hydralazine, used since the 1950s, was found to block an enzyme called 2-aminoethanethiol dioxygenase (ADO), which is crucial for blood vessel constriction. By inhibiting ADO, hydralazine not only reduces blood pressure but also disrupts the growth of aggressive brain tumors, like glioblastoma, by stabilizing certain proteins that prevent tumor cells from thriving in low-oxygen environments.

The research team, led by Kyosuke Shishikura and Megan Matthews , published their findings in Science Advances. They discovered that hydralazine could trigger cellular senescence in cancer cells , effectively pausing their growth without causing infl