Red wine with aspirin can kill cancerous cells

A new research has found that a red wine ingredient and aspirin could deliver a double knock-out blow to the abnormal cells that can lead to cancer.

Both help destroy the "tetraploid" cells that contain multiple copies of chromosomes, News.com.au reported.

Chromosomes carry DNA, which is the organism's genetic code.

Tetraploid cells cause genetic instability and have been linked to the development of cancer.

In tests, laboratory mice genetically engineered to have bowel cancer accumulated fewer of the rogue cells in their gut when fed the wine compound and painkiller.

Exposure to the two agents also reduced the survival of tetraploid cells in human bowel cancer tumour cultures.

The wine extract, resveratrol, is derived from red grapes and said to have antioxidant and anti-cancer properties.

Aspirin, though primarily a painkiller, has been shown to protect against some cancers, especially those affecting the intestines and stomach.

The research is led by Dr Guido Kroemer, of the Gustave Roussy Institute in Villejuif, France.

The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.