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2007-9-3 13:48:54 |
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Looking for an effective yet cheap cancer drug? Look nowhere other than your local chemical store. University of Alberta researchers have found that a chemical commonly used to treat children with inborn errors of metabolism may be the one you want. Evangelos D. Michelakis and colleagues said the chemical known as dichloroacetate or DCA can potentially treat lung cancer, breast cancer, brain cancer and maybe many other cancers as well. The Canadian researchers discovered the molecule shrink lung, breast and brain tumors in both animal and human tissue experiments. They reported that DCA inhibits mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase, shifts metabolism from glycolysis to glucose oxidation, reduces the mitochondrial membrane potential, increases H2O2, and activates Kv channel in cancer cells, but not in normal cells. Through these mechanisms, "DCA induces apoptosis, decreases proliferation, and inhibits tumor growth, without apparent toxicity," the researchers write in their report published Tuesday in the January 2007 issue of the journal Cancer Cell. According to the researchers, cancer cells take advantage of a unique metabolic process known as aerobic glycolysis, which confers apoptosis resistance, making it hard for them to die. Also "cancers have high mitochondrial membrane potential and low expression of the K+ channel Kv1.5, both contributing to apoptosis resistance," the researchers write. DCA is unpatented, inexpensive, nontoxic, readily available, small and easy to be absorbed, all these making it an excellent anticancer drug candidate for many types of cancers. Human trials are needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of this chemical before it can be used to treat human cancer. |
