The War on Cancer

Energy flow in biological systems involves intricate cycles with cofactors and by-products that are useful for multiple metabolic processes. In fact, a trigger will often be set so that the cascade of energy descends into barren molecules awaiting their lunch, which sets those molecules back into primed position, for when the body requires them. Food storage generally takes place by building up carbohydrates, with lipids providing secondary energy, while proteins and enzymes being generally non-metabolic. As the interior cell conditions change in osmotic pressure, or pH or some other parameter, tertiary structure changes in the molecules send most into dormancy until the flush of energy obtained from the trigger comes back into play. This happens billions of times each day in our individual bodies, so the collective energy of metabolism is quite huge - especially when you consider that it is cyclic.

This morning, Sardi discusses dichloroacetate a 'relatively non-toxic' small molecule than can replace the highly toxic tamoxifen in the fight against cancer. Anything with chlorine not in the chloride form is really, really toxic to biological systems, because the chlorine has to scavenge electrons that remain out of the flux. Depending on how high the initial oxidation state of chlorine is - this may be more than a pair. Of course it scavenges from the immediate location of where the chlorine atom is and it is up to the electron supply chain to replace those electrons, or do without them. Do without them usually occurs by creating a new bond in the carbon scaffolding, which would not have existed otherwise. Since this is an irreversible reaction - the cyclic system are impaired and cannot be efficient until the broken molecule is removed and replaced. All the cofactors and other molecules in the area have to make their shift to another system, or sit back and rest unemployed until somebody else comes and sets up the works again.

So it really pays to not introduce chlorine laden molecules that are going to lose their chlorine. Halogens are noted as grand leaving groups in organic chemistry - they are used for creating new carbon-carbon bonds in organic synthesis. Biology is a chemistry numbers game - the flux occurs in the tertiary region where carbon structures build through hetero-atom bonds - oxygen and nitrogen have more capacity for shuttling electrons through their roller coasters. The scaffolding structure of carbon-carbon bonds, and their arrangement in chains is a primary structure feature - when it is messed with, systems do not operate.

So natural products are much more healthful than synthetic products - especially if they already have a reactivity base in the quarternary and more advanced cell systems. Science is a measure of scale. And the battle against cancer is a rigged chase for profit.