Carbon monoxide may have cancer-therapeutic potential

(boston.com, November 27, 2013)

It’s common knowledge that carbon monoxide can be lethal—the colorless, odorless gas is such a hazard that people guard against its toxic effects by installing detectors in their homes. But Leo Otterbein, researcher at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, received a federal grant to probe a surprising idea—that small amounts of carbon monoxide might have healthful benefits. In a study published in the December issue of Cancer Research, Otterbein and colleagues found that administering carbon monoxide to cancer cells in a dish could increase the cells’ susceptibility to chemotherapy 1,000-fold, while protecting normal cells. In mice with prostate and lung cancer, carbon monoxide inhibited tumor growth.