Enhancement of chemotherapy by manipulation of tumour pH
1999
Improving Chemotherapy with Tumor pH Manipulation
publication
Evidence: moderate
Author Information
Author(s): Raghunand N, He X, Sluis R van, Mahoney B, Baggett B, Taylor C W, Paine-Murrieta G, Roe D, Bhujwalla Z M, Gillies R J
Primary Institution: Arizona Cancer Center
Hypothesis
Can manipulating the pH of tumors enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs like doxorubicin?
Conclusion
Raising the pH of tumors with sodium bicarbonate significantly improves the effectiveness of doxorubicin in treating breast cancer.
Supporting Evidence
- MCF-7 human breast cancer cells are more susceptible to doxorubicin at pH 7.4 than at pH 6.8.
- Sodium bicarbonate can effectively raise the pH of MCF-7 human breast cancer xenografts.
- Bicarbonate-induced alkalinization significantly improves doxorubicin's therapeutic effectiveness.
Takeaway
Making the environment around tumors less acidic helps chemotherapy work better.
Methodology
In vitro studies on MCF-7 breast cancer cells and in vivo experiments with xenografts were conducted to assess the effects of pH on doxorubicin toxicity.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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