Combination ketogenic diet, ketone supplementation, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy inhibits metastatic spread, slows tumor growth, and increases survival time in mice with metastatic cancer (123.7)

Abstract

Cancers express an energy metabolism characterized by fermentation in the presence of oxygen (Warburg Effect). Mitochondrial dysfunction forces most cancers to require excess glucose for energy and prevents effective ketone metabolism. Abnormal vasculature creates hypoxia which promotes growth and metastasis by activating HIF‐1, further stimulating glycolysis and enhancing the Warburg Effect. The ketogenic diet (KD) is a high fat, low carbohydrate diet that lowers glucose and elevates ketones and slows cancer progression in vivo. Ketones possess inherent anti‐cancer properties, inhibiting cancer cell proliferation and viability in vitro and prolonging survival in vivo. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) increases oxygenation of the tumor, reversing the cancer promoting effects of hypoxia. We have previously shown that KD + HBOT and ketone supplementation slows cancer progression as stand‐alone therapies. We hypothesized that combining these therapies would be a more effective treatment regimen. We tested this combination therapy in the VM‐M3 mouse model of metastatic cancer. Treated mice exhibited decreased tumor growth and metastatic spread to the lungs, kidneys, spleen, adipose, and liver (p<0.05). Treated mice lived 103% longer than controls (p<001). This study suggests that this combination therapy should be further investigated for potential clinical use.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Apr 01, 2014
Source ID
10.1096/fasebj.28.1_supplement.123.7

Entities

People

  • Angela Poff
  • Dominic P D'Agostino
  • Nathan Ward
  • Thomas Seyfried

Organizations

  • Boston College
  • Office of Naval Research
  • University of South Florida

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Cardiovascular Physiology
  • Oncology (Cancer Research).