The goal of our research was to find a cancer treatment that was both effective and cancer specific, sparing immune and normal tissues. We evaluated the efficacy of a combinatorial treatment using the glycolytic inhibitor 3-bromopyruvate and the fatty acid metabolism inhibitor fenofibrate in cancer, immune and normal tissue cells lines. Treatment of the human breast cancer MCF-7 with 3-bromopyruvate and fenofibrate resulted in increased cell death and decreased colony formation. In the immune cells known as peripheral blood mononuclear cells our combinatorial treatment displayed less toxicity than the traditional chemotherapy doxorubicin. Our combinatorial treatment displayed greater toxicity than doxorubicin towards an established breast cell line MCF- 10A, described in the literature as representing normal breast cells. We have shown for the first time a synergistic relationship between 3-bromopyruvate and fenofibrate. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Liver mitochondria play a crucial role in intermediary metabolism and main metabolic pathways. We evaluated the pharmacological effect on liver mitochondria in vitro using two novel anticancer drugs: 3-bromopyruvate and α-tocopheryl succinate. Metabolic influence on liver mitochondria was performed in vivo by high fat and high cholesterol diet. Toxicity of both drugs was evaluated in cell cultures of hepatocytes isolated from rat and mouse liver. The effect of anticancer drugs on liver mitochondrial functions in vitro was studied on suspensions of isolated liver mitochondria, tissue homogenate and permeabilized hepatocytes. Mitochondrial respiration was measured using high-resolution respirometry. 3-bromopyruvate caused morphological and functional damage of primary rat and mouse hepatocytes in cell cultures; this toxic effect was accompanied by an increase of reactive oxygen species production and mitochondrial dysfunction. 3-bromopyruvate decreased the oxygen consumption of mitochondria energized by substrates for complex I and complex II. α-Tocopheryl succinate caused a decrease of succinate-dependent respiration in all experimental models both in coupled and in uncoupled states. The most pronounced effect of α-tocopheryl succinate was apparent in isolated mitochondria and the least pronounced...