In a recent study published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers investigated whether hemodialysis (HD) can maintain elevated blood ketone levels in rats on a ketogenic diet in an effort to enhance cancer treatment efficacy potentially.
Study: Experimental hemodialysis in diet-induced ketosis and the potential use of dialysis as an adjuvant cancer treatment. Image Credit: Inside Creative House / Shutterstock.com
Background
Cancer, a significant global health challenge characterized by limited therapy options and frequent treatment resistance, may benefit from HD as a supplementary treatment to enhance survival rates in aggressive cancers. Standard treatments for cancer, such as surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, may be enhanced by a ketogenic diet, which induces a metabolic state similar to prolonged fasting and could potentially overcome dietary challenges faced by cancer patients.
Glucose-free dialysis can replicate fasting effects by reducing insulin and glucose levels. Likewise, high-flux hemodialyzers may amplify ketosis when used with a ketogenic diet; however, this treatment may also reduce ketosis by removing ketone bodies.
Further research is needed to understand how hemodialysis can enhance ketosis and potentially improve cancer treatments, considering its metabolic effects and the need to balance ketone body removal.
About the study
In the present study, six male Sprague-Dawley rats, each weighing approximately 316 grams, were used to assess the impact of HD following a five-day ketogenic diet. Initially fed a standard diet, rats were then transitioned to the ketogenic diet, with their care and experimental procedures strictly adhering to ethical standards and receiving approval from the relevant ethical committee.
Critical medical procedures included cannulation of veins and arteries for blood sampling, continuous monitoring, and facilitating connection to the HD apparatus. The dialysis process involved a specially prepared blood circuit, which was primed with albumin and heparin.
An advanced HD system equipped with a high-flux membrane dialyzer was utilized for the experiments. During the three-hour…