Abstract
During cancer treatment drug-induced oxidative stress can limit the effectiveness of therapy and cause a number of side effects such as fatigue, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, as well as more serious adverse effects including cardiomyopathy, peripheral neuropathy, hepatotoxicity and pulmonary fibrosis. Many of these adverse effects are due to oxidative stress-mediated damage to normal tissues. Antioxidant administration and molecular replacement can mitigate the damage to normal tissues and reduce the adverse effects of cancer therapy without loss of therapeutic potential. For example, loss of efficiency in the electron transport chain caused by membrane peroxidation and reduction in coenzyme Q10 can occur during cytotoxic therapy. Molecular replacement of membrane lipids and enzymatic cofactors administered as nutritional supplements with antioxidants can prevent oxidative membrane damage and reduction of cofactors in normal tissues, restore mitochondrial and other cellular functions and reduce the adverse effects of cancer therapy. Recent clinical trials using cancer and non-cancer patients with chronic fatigue have shown the benefit of Molecular Replacement Therapy plus antioxidants in restoring mitochondrial electron transport function, reducing moderate to severe chronic fatigue and protecting mitochondrial and other cellular structures and enzymes from oxidative or other damage due to cytotoxic therapy.
- Oxidative stress
- mitochondria
- coenzyme Q10
- lipid peroxidation
- electron transport chain
- chemotherapy
- antioxidants
- lipid replacement
Footnotes
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↵* The authors have no financial interest in any products discussed in this contribution.
- Received June 22, 2006.
- Accepted July 3, 2006.
- Copyright© 2006 International Institute of Anticaner Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved