The salt known as disodium chloroacetate, sometimes referred to as DCA, is produced as a consequence of the interaction between dichloroacetic acid and sodium. On a molecular level, this chemical may be represented by the symbol Cl2 CH COONa. At the molecular level, the chemical makeup is similar to that of both salt and vinegar.
The component often exists in the form of a powder that is white in color and can be dissolved in water when things are as they should be.
Since sodium dichloroacetate cannot be patented and is free to be sent to any country in the world, there are very few limitations placed on how it may be offered for sale in the marketplace.
The chemical may be produced in a laboratory, or it may be a by-product of a process that includes chlorination. Either way, it might be considered a by-product. DCA may be found in its natural state in a number of different species of red algae, one of which is called Asparagopsis taxiformis. Other red algae species also include DCA.
Because sodium dichloroacetate is known to have beneficial impacts on living things, there has been a recent uptick in research and development efforts focused on the compound. Since 1973, dichloroacetate has been administered to newborns who have been identified with a congenital mitochondrial disease in order to treat metabolic lactic acidosis. It is possible for a kid to have this syndrome if they are born with a congenital mitochondrial disorder. People who are born with a condition known as congenital lactic acidosis may reap benefits by taking DCA in order to live longer and healthier lives. In order for the treatment to be effective, it is essential that the medication be able to promote the activity of the Pyruvate Dehydrogenase complex. Because of this, the body is able to resume the process of metabolizing carbohydrates via aerobic glucose and lactic acid oxidation. This is because aerobic glucose is a more stable source of fuel than lactic acid. Both the metabolic acidosis and the blood serum lactate concentrations of children who have been administered DCA were shown to improve as a result of this treatment.
In order to find an adequate and efficient dose for DCA as a therapy for congenital lactic acidosis, it is imperative that clinical research incorporating DCA as a treatment option be carried out. Additionally, the research that validated the use of sodium dichloroacetate in the future was very thorough in its monitoring of potentially harmful side effects as well as the general safety of the medicine. This was one of the reasons why the research was able to establish that sodium dichloroacetate can be used in the future.
Since 1987, scientists have been investigating whether or not DCA might be successfully used as a therapy for the negative effects that are caused when the brain is deprived of oxygen. If dichloroacetate is utilized in the treatment process, there is a possibility that the risk of complications arising from post-hypoxic lactic acidosis as well as irregularities in brain metabolism will be reduced. Researchers have shown that sodium dichloroacetate has the power to combat cancer since the year 2007. The results of the first scientific study on DCA’s efficiency against cancer tumors in the brain, breast, and lung were all promising to say the least. The dichloroacetate treatment resulted in a significant reduction in the size of the tumors as well as a delay in the pace at which they developed in the animals used in the experiment. The dichloroacetate, on the other hand, had no negative effect whatsoever on the rats. (here’s the lowdown on everything that’s been going down in terms of the research being done by the DCA)
The same upbeat results were acquired from the most recent in vitro and in vivo studies, which prepared the way for clinical trials to commence in the year 2010. According to the results of dca information and research, DCA improves the prognosis of malignant disorders; the chemical has promise in the treatment of cancer; and it is advised that further clinical observations be carried out in order to further investigate this possible therapy.
The year 2009 saw the beginning of the use of DCA by the first DCA clinics as an alternate kind of therapy for the treatment of cancer patients.