Researchers have discovered that a naturally-occurring molecule could potentially be an effective first line of treatment against prostate cancer.

Nottingham Trent University (NTU) scientists investigated the anti-cancer properties of carnosine, which can be produced in the body and is also found in meat.

When testing the molecule against cells from both primary and metastatic prostate cancer – where the cancer began, and where it had spread to another part of the body – the researchers found it stopped the cells from multiplying.

At higher doses it killed cancer from both primary and metastatic cancer cells while remaining safe to the healthy cells, the laboratory experiments found.

The researchers said that although carnosine is rapidly degraded by enzymes in the body, it could potentially be an initial treatment for prostate cancer if a constant slow release mechanism is used.

This could include injecting the molecule inside the tumour and releasing it in sufficient quantity before it begins to degrade and lose its impact.

Another approach could be using carnosine-like molecules which are resistant to being broken down by enzymes.

The scientists say the hope would then be for the tumour growth to be monitored by the level of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in the blood, and if it continued to grow then the patient would have the option for surgery.

Lead researcher Dr Stephanie McArdle, a scientist in NTU’s John van Geest Cancer Research Centre, said: “Our results show that carnosine has a significant inhibitory effect in vitro on the proliferation of human prostate cancer cell lines.

“While carnosine has previously been shown to have an anti-tumour effect, its potential role in prostate cancer cells specifically was unknown.”

Dr McArdle said the results were encouraging and support the need for further human trials.

“It is possible that carnosine-based strategies could be used alone or as a supplementary therapy to surgical or other conventional treatments,” she added.

Surgery can lead to scarring as tissues fuse together, potentially complicating further operations.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with more than 52,000 cases diagnosed every year on average.

Current treatments include radiation, chemotherapy, hormone deprivation therapy or a prostatectomy – the partial or complete removal of the prostate through surgery – and side effects can include urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction.

The research, which also involved University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust and Manchester Metropolitan University, is published in the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine.