Dichloroacetate (DCA) has hit the headlines with a splash recently being held as a cheap cure for cancer. The recent article in Cancer Cell is very intriguing in that it presents DCA as promoting apoptosis and inhibiting growth selectively in cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone. The article also presents data showing it is not toxic to the liver.

However, there are a few perspectives of this compound that should be included in the public’s mind.

Researchers at The University of Alberta in Edmonton (Canada) have recently found that Dichloroacetate (DCA) which had previously been used to treat metabolic disorders like lactic acidosis (high levels of lactic acid in the blood) can be employed effevtively against cancer. DCA activates oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria and inhibits the usage of pyruvate by glycolysis. One of the important features of many types of cancer is its preference in using the process of glycolysis for its energy needs. Cancer cells prefer glycolysis and do not 'like' mitochondrial activity because of the role of mitochondria in a process called apoptosis (programmed cell death). Also when cancers grow rapidly in conditions lacking adequate oxygen, glycolysis will still work well. The strategy that allows DCA to kill cancer cells without affecting healthy cells exploits this affinity of most types of cancers for glycolysis. For more information read the following article and follow the links.