Cancer cells generally exhibit increased glycolysis for
ATP generation (the Warburg effect). Compounds that inhibit glycolysis have potential applications in
cancer treatment. dl-
glyceraldehyde (DLG) and
2-Deoxyglucose (2-DG) have been proven effective in the inhibition of
glucose metabolism. Ehrlich
ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells were injected intraperitoneally (i.p) in 10-12 weeks old Swiss albino mice, weighing between 20 and 30 g. The anticancer activity of DLG and 2-DG were determined by
tumor volume,
tumor weight, viable and nonviable
tumor cell count, average survival time, percentage increase in life span and
tumor inhibition ratio. The blood samples were obtained for biochemical analysis after 9 days of treatment to study the effect on liver, kidney and haematological parameters. Histopathological examination of liver and kidney was also performed. One-way ANOVA test and Dunnett's test were used for comparisons of parameters in study groups. Both DLG and 2-DG individually decreased the
tumor weight,
tumor volume, viable
tumor cell count and significantly increased the life span of treated mice, however the combination was found to be better. The biochemical parameters of liver and kidney functions and haematological parameters were restored close to control group as compared with the EAC bearing mice. Histopathological examination of liver and kidney in EAC control group showed large areas of
necrosis, congestion and mononuclear cell infiltration but such changes were not observed in liver and kidney sections observed after i.p injection of DLG and 2-DG for 9 days. Improvement was much better in the group where combination of these two drugs were used.