Manipulating Cellular pH Suggests Novel Anticancer Therapy
2007
Manipulating Cellular pH as a New Anticancer Therapy
publication
Evidence: moderate
Author Information
Author(s): Rui Zhao, Denis Alexander
Hypothesis
Can manipulating the intracellular pH of tumor cells provide a new strategy for cancer treatment?
Conclusion
Increasing the intracellular pH can lead to Bcl-xL deamidation and promote apoptosis in cancer cells.
Supporting Evidence
- DNA damage triggers a 2- to 3-fold increase in NHE-1 production, raising intracellular pH.
- Increasing pH leads to Bcl-xL deamidation, which prevents it from sequestering pro-apoptotic proteins.
- Alkalinization can induce apoptosis in precancerous thymocytes.
- Human cancer cells also showed Bcl-xL deamidation and apoptosis when pH was raised.
Takeaway
This study shows that changing the acidity inside cancer cells can help them die, which might be a new way to treat cancer.
Methodology
The researchers investigated the biochemical pathway from DNA damage to Bcl-xL deamidation and its effects on apoptosis in mouse thymocytes and human cancer cells.
Participant Demographics
The study included mouse thymocytes and human cells from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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