Recently some reports were indicating the paracetamol as anticancer agent and also suggested the mechanism via the same route as the aspirin do. Any suggestion?
The beneficial effect of low daily dose of aspirin in reducing the risk of some cancers (gastrointestinal, esophagus, stomach, colon, and rectum) is pretty much established. This effect is strongly believed to be linked to the inhibitory impact of aspirin on platelets function, leading to an inhibition of the cancer-platelet "amplification loop". There is indeed increasing evidence that platelets, when activated, may promote tumor growth and metastasis. Therefore inhibition of platelet activation by aspirin may mediate some cancer-preventive effects. The potential beneficial effect of paracetamol in cancer is not established (some studies even suggested detrimental effects in some cancers), to my knowledge, although a few experimental works have found some inhibitory effects, at high doses, on platelet functions. More in vitro studies may be needed.
Agree with Thierry. Curiously though, paracetamol has also been investigated as a prodrug for cancer gene therapy. It can be converted by some cytochrome P450 enzymes to toxic N-acetyl-para-benzoquinone imine, leading to the idea that these enzymes could be delivered to cancerous cells by tumour-tropic vectors (e.g. genetically labelled viruses). The range of paracetamol activating P450 enzymes includes human CYP1A2, expression of which is up-regulated by alcohol. So, take aspirin or ibuprofen for your hangovers, not paracetamol!
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