Sulfasalazine is a drug made up of aspirin & a sulfa antibiotic. It is approved for the treatment of rhumatism.
In the reported cell experiment the reduction in glutathione (an antioxidant present in higher levels in cancer cells than in normal cells) helps improve the efficacy of Doxorubicin. This may be due to the diminished protection afforded by the antioxidant against the effects of Doxorubicin. The abstract of the article does not indicate what Sulfasalazine does to the levels of glutathione in normal cells.
Similar results may be achieved by non prescription whey protein (such as Immunocal) based on preclinical & limited clinical studies which appear to show that it up regulates glutathione levels in normal cells while down regulating them in cancer cells. If this is eventually confirmed in trial results expected this year, it might mean reduced toxicity in normal cells & improved antitumor treatment efficacy.
http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB...oduktNr=223834
Sulfasalazine-Induced Reduction of Glutathione Levels in Breast Cancer Cells: Enhancement of Growth-Inhibitory Activity of Doxorubicin