In June 2007, a 48-year-old male patient, diagnosed with Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin's Follicular Lymphoma (NHL), was treated for 3 months with conventional chemotherapy resulting in a complete remission. Almost one year later tumors returned in the nasopharynx and neck lymph glands. Refusing all suggested chemotherapies, the patient began self-administering dichloroacetate (DCA) 900 mg daily with a PE...

Although insulin has been in our therapeutic armamentarium for a long time, we are still unable to deliver it physiologically and achieve a precise metabolic control. Recently a large number of drugs have been introduced in the market or are likely to be available soon. These are Insulin analogues (Lispro, Aspart, HOE 901, Arginine insulin), insulin sensitizers (Thiazolidinediones) and insulin ...

Solid tumors, including the aggressive primary brain cancer glioblastoma multiforme, develop resistance to cell death, in part as a result of a switch from mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation to cytoplasmic glycolysis. This metabolic remodeling is accompanied by mitochondrial hyperpolarization. We tested whether the small-molecule and orphan drug dichloroacetate (DCA) can reverse this cance...

The total activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex in rat hind-limb muscle mitochondria was 76.4 units/g of mitochondrial protein. The proportion of complex in the active form was 34% (as isolated), 8-14% (incubation with respiratory substrates) and greater than 98% (incubation without respiratory substrates). Complex was also inactivated by ATP in the presence of oligomycin B and carbo...

Although melatonin oncostatic and cytotoxic effects have been described in different types of cancer cells, the specific mechanisms leading to its antitumoral effects and their metabolic context specificity are still not completely understood. Here, we evaluated the effects of melatonin in P19 embryonal carcinoma stem cells (CSCs) and in their differentiated counterparts, cultured in either hig...

INTRODUCTION: Dichloroacetate (DCA) is a pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK) inhibitor and is found to be an anti-cancer agent [1]. PDK is a negative regulator of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH). PDH is the key mitochondrial enzyme that determines whether pyruvate formed during glycolysis from glucose will be metabolised to lactate or oxidised in the TCA cycle. Treatment with DCA decreases prolife...

A 5-year-old boy had recurrent vomiting and lethargy with lacticacidemia and ketoacidemia since birth. Lipoamide dehydrogenase deficiency was found in muscle and fibroblasts. Therapy with sodium dichloroacetate, thiamine, and carnitine was associated with reduction of the severity and frequency of the decompensation episodes and near normal plasma lactate levels. At 5 years of age, the patient ...