Dichloroacetic acid

Dichloroacetic acid (DCA) is a small molecule analogue of acetic acid in which two hydrogen atoms of the methyl group are replaced by chlorine atoms. It is used primarily as a chemical intermediate and has been employed medically as a topical cauterizing agent for warts and other skin lesions. Pharmacologically, DCA acts mainly by inhibiting pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase, thereby activating the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and shifting cellular metabolism from glycolysis to glucose oxidation. This mechanism has led to its investigation in metabolic disorders such as lactic acidosis, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, certain heart conditions (e.g., myocardial ischemia), and cancer. DCA also inhibits HMG CoA reductase noncompetitively. Although it was approved in Canada for topical use in 1989 (later withdrawn), it remains investigational elsewhere and is not an approved pharmaceutical product for systemic indications[2][3][5][6][8].

Brand names

SL1009SL-1009SL 1009

Other names

bichloroacetic aciddichloroacetate