Anesthetic Lidocaine Activates Bitter Taste Receptor to Kill Cancer Cells
Lidocaine, a commonly used local anesthetic, has been found to have anticancer properties by activating the T2R14 taste receptor, which is highly expressed in various cancer cells. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania discovered that lidocaine triggers a cascade of cellular signals that lead to controlled cell death. This finding offers hope for improving treatment options for head and neck cancer, which has a high mortality rate. Lidocaine could potentially be injected near accessible oral tumors and may also benefit patients with other forms of cancer. The study opens the possibility of repurposing other drugs that activate the T2R14 receptor for cancer treatment. Clinical trials are hoped to be conducted to explore the addition of lidocaine to standard care therapy for head and neck cancer patients.