The Molecular Perspective: Cyclooxygenase‐2

Imagine preventing cancer before it even starts. Of course, cancer prevention starts at home. We can stay away from smoke, solvents, and sunlight, avoiding unnecessary risks to our cells. We can also eat healthy foods like fruits and vegetables that are filled with protective antioxidants and cleansing fiber. But researchers are now looking to chemistry to provide new compounds to reduce the risk of cancer. The goal is to create a long-term preventive therapy that blocks the early steps of cancer formation and progression, providing extra protection for susceptible individuals. Surprisingly, a drug that is probably already in your medicine cabinet may be a candidate. Evidence is mounting that regular doses of aspirin, or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, can decrease the risk of cancer, in particular, of colon cancer. Aspirin is a true wonder drug: an effective painkiller, a tool in the fight against heart disease and stroke, and now, a potential new weapon in the arsenal against cancer. As one might expect from a drug with such profound and manifold effects, aspirin acts at a central point of communication in the body, attacking the messages that are delivered by prostaglandins. Smooth muscle contraction, pain signaling, and inflammation are all modulated by prostaglandin molecules. Aspirin attacks the first step in the synthesis of these important messengers. Arachidonic acid