Biophysical Insights into Cancer Transformation and Treatment

Figure 1

Biophysical mechanisms of biological activity of living cells depend on cooperation of mitochondria and microtubules. Mitochondrial function in healthy cells depends on transfer of protons from the matrix space into intermembrane space and to cytosol. Proton transfer is connected with formation of a strong static electric field and high level of water ordering in the mitochondrial neighborhood. Consequently, microtubule oscillations are strongly nonlinear and their damping is low. Microtubule oscillations are excited by supply of energy produced by mitochondria. Microtubules are electrically polar structures whose oscillations generate electrodynamic field which may participate in organization, transport of molecules and particles, interactions, and information transfer. Mitochondria function is disturbed in cancers. Inhibition of the pyruvate pathway in mitochondrion [54] results in partial suppression of proton transfer from the matrix space (nevertheless, diminished proton transfer may be caused also by other disturbances, for instance, in the citric acid cycle). Mitochondrial dysfunction causes lowering of static electric field and water ordering. Cancer cells with blocked pyruvate pathway (i.e., glycolytic phenotype cells) form a large group of cancers. The other large group of cancers has dysfunctional mitochondria in fibroblasts associated with cancer cells.