A medicine used to treat tapeworm infections is being tested in a very different role: as a targeted treatment for endometriosis. A study published in Advanced Healthcare Materials reports that researchers attached niclosamide to a tiny carrier designed to reach a type of immune cell found in endometriosis lesions. In a mouse model, the treatment reduced lesion burden and improved pain-related responses measured by the researchers.
The finding is interesting because endometriosis is often managed with hormonal medicines or surgery, and both approaches can leave people searching for additional options. But the new result remains in animals. It does not show that the drug is safe or effective for people with endometriosis, and readers should not take or seek out niclosamide for this purpose.
Why target an immune cell?
Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the uterine lining grows elsewhere in the body, often causing inflammation, pelvic pain and sometimes infertility. The researchers focused on macrophages that carry folate receptor beta, a marker that may help distinguish certain lesion-associated immune cells. Their carrier combined folic acid and a dendrimer structure with 2-deoxyglucose, then attached niclosamide so the drug could be delivered more selectively.
The authors report that the carrier improved the drug’s water solubility and directed it toward the target cells in the mouse model. After a single injection, the treated animals had fewer or smaller lesions and lower measures of pain hypersensitivity two weeks later. The study also examined human samples to learn about target cells, but the therapeutic effect itself was tested in mice.
What must happen before a clinical trial
A mouse model cannot answer the questions patients need answered. Researchers must establish how the treatment behaves in a human body, which dose would be safe, how long the effect lasts, and whether it affects fertility or other organs. Manufacturing a consistent nanoparticle medicine and monitoring possible side effects are also substantial steps.
The authors and news coverage describe work toward future clinical development, but there is no approved niclosamide treatment for endometriosis. Existing niclosamide products are intended for parasitic infections and should only be used as prescribed for their approved purpose. Experimental formulations can behave differently from the familiar medicine.
For people living with endometriosis, the research offers a reason to follow the science without turning it into a promise. A targeted, nonhormonal approach would be valuable if it proved safe and effective in people. The present study has identified a possible route to test. It has not yet shown that route leads to a treatment patients can use.
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Cover image: Grace Cary via Getty Images, as published by Live Science. In-article image: Grace Cary via Getty Images, illustrative image published by Live Science.
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