Taurolidine research

Taurolidine has certain anti-tumor properties, and positive results can be seen in early clinical studies using this drug to treat gastrointestinal malignancies and central nervous system tumors. Recently, it has been found to exert antitumor activity.

Taurolidine induces cancer cell death through a variety of mechanisms. Even now, all the anti-tumor pathways it uses are not fully elucidated. It has been shown to enhance apoptosis after surgical trauma, inhibit angiogenesis, reduce tumor adhesion, down-regulate proinflammatory cytokine release, and stimulate anti-cancer immune regulation. Apoptosis is activated by mitochondrial cytochrome c-dependent mechanisms and extrinsic direct pathways. Many in vitro and animal data support the tumoricidal effect of taurolidine.

Taurine has been used as an antimicrobial agent in clinical settings since the 1970s and appears to be non-toxic to date. The non-toxicity of taurine makes it an advantageous choice compared to current chemotherapeutic regimens. Few published clinical studies have evaluated the role of taurine as a chemotherapeutic drug. The literature lacks a gold-standard, grade 1 randomized clinical trial to assess the potential anti-tumor benefits of taurine. However, these tests are currently underway. These randomized controlled studies are critical to elucidating the role of taurine in the treatment of modern cancer.