Looks like it has another trick up its sleeve. Not bad for the by-product of a bacteria found near a golf course in Kawana, about 80 miles southwest of Tokyo (and no where else in the world so far). It won its discoverers the 2015 Nobel Prize for Medicine. From the US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health (January 2021):
Ivermectin, a potential anticancer drug derived from an antiparasitic drug
Ivermectin has powerful antitumor effects, including the inhibition of proliferation, metastasis, and angiogenic activity, in a variety of cancer cells. This may be related to the regulation of multiple signaling pathways by ivermectin through PAK1 kinase. On the other hand, ivermectin promotes programmed cancer cell death, including apoptosis, autophagy and pyroptosis. Ivermectin induces apoptosis and autophagy is mutually regulated. Interestingly, ivermectin can also inhibit tumor stem cells and reverse multidrug resistance and exerts the optimal effect when used in combination with other chemotherapy drugs.
So we know it does parasites both internal and external. We know that it is relativly harmless to mamals (side effects are more irritative - itching skin, red eyes, etc...). Here is a bit about it's anti-virus properties:
IVM not only has strong effects on parasites but also has potential antiviral effects. IVM can inhibit the replication of flavivirus by targeting the NS3 helicase; it also blocks the nuclear transport of viral proteins by acting on α/β-mediated nuclear transport and exerts antiviral activity against the HIV-1 and dengue viruses. Recent studies have also pointed out that it has a promising inhibitory effect on the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which has caused a global outbreak in 2020. In addition, IVM shows potential for clinical application in asthma and neurological diseases. Recently scientists have discovered that IVM has a strong anticancer effect.
Emphasis mine. Now we find out that it has anti-cancer properties. Is there anything that it can not do?
A gift from God? I would not be surprised.
Tip of the hat to Ann Barnhardt for the link.
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