Sodium dichloroacetate selectively targets cells with defects in the mitochondrial ETC.

The "Warburg effect," also termed aerobic glycolysis, describes the increased reliance of cancer cells on glycolysis for ATP production, even in the presence of oxygen. Consequently, there is continued interest in inhibitors of glycolysis as cancer therapeutics. One example is dichloroacetate (DCA), a pyruvate mimetic that stimulates oxidative phosphorylation through inhibition of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase. In this study, the mechanistic basis for DCA anti-cancer activity was re-evaluated in vitro using biochemical, cellular and proteomic approaches. Results demonstrated that DCA is relatively inactive (IC(50) ≥ 17 mM, 48 hr), induces apoptosis only at high concentrations (≥ 25 mM, 48 hr) and is not cancer cell selective. Subsequent 2D-PAGE proteomic analysis confirmed DCA-induced growth suppression without apoptosis induction. Furthermore, DCA depolarizes mitochondria and promotes reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in all cell types. However, DCA was found to have selective activity against rho(0) cells [mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deficient] and to synergize with 2-deoxyglucose in complex IV deficient HCT116 p53(-/-) cells. DCA also synergized in vitro with cisplatin and topotecan, two antineoplastic agents known to damage mitochondrial DNA. These data suggest that in cells "hardwired" to selectively utilize glycolysis for ATP generation (e.g., through mtDNA mutations), the ability of DCA to force oxidative phosphorylation confers selective toxicity. In conclusion, although we provide a mechanism distinct from that reported previously, the ability of DCA to target cell lines with defects in the electron transport chain and to synergize with existing chemotherapeutics supports further preclinical development.

Identification of the major metabolite of 2,5-bis(5-hydroxymethyl-2-thienyl)furan (NSC 652287), an antitumor agent, in the S9 subcellular fraction of dog liver cells.

Alpha-Terthienyl (1) is a trithiophene found widely distributed in plants. Other naturally occurring trithiophenes are less widely distributed, but nonetheless exhibit potent antiviral and cytotoxic activities. A synthetic analog of 1, 2,5-bis(5-hydroxymethyl-2-thienyl)furan (2; NSC 652287) has recently been shown to possess exceptional activity and selectivity against several cell lines of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) anticancer drug screen. When incubated with the S9 subcellular fraction of dog liver cells, the concentration of 2 was observed to decline as a function of time, with a concomitant increase in a significant, time-dependent concentration of an unknown entity. The results of electron-ionization mass spectrometric analysis of the metabolite indicate an increase in 14 amu over that of 2, leading to suspicions that either an oxidation or a methylation had occurred. Results of differential derivatization and accurate mass analysis allow us to propose that metabolism of 2 involves the biotransformation of one of the two hydroxymethyl groups of 2 into a carboxylic acid functionality. This is further supported by separate experiments involving chemical oxidation and S9 incubation of 5-[5-[5-hydroxymethyl-2-thienyl]-2-furanyl]-2-thiophenecarboxaldehyde: comparing the mass spectra and gas chromatographic retention times of the resulting products to those of the identified metabolite of 2 show all to be the same.