Dimethyl sulfoxide activates tumor necrosis factorα-p53 mediated apoptosis and down regulates D-fructose-6-phosphate-2-kinase and lactate dehydrogenase-5 in Dalton's lymphoma in vivo.

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is evident to induce apoptosis in certain tumor cells in vitro. However, its apoptotic mechanism remains unexplored in in vivo tumors. This article describes that DMSO, being non-toxic to the normal lymphocytes, up regulated TNFα and p53, declined Bcl-2/Bax ratio, activated caspase 9 and PARP-1 cleavage and produced apoptotic pattern of DNA ladder in Dalton's lymphoma (DL) in vivo. This was consistent with the declined expressions of tumor growth supportive glycolytic enzymes; inducible D-fructose-6-phosphate-2-kinase and lactate dehydrogenase-5 in the DL cells. The findings suggest induction of TNFα-p53-mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis by DMSO in a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and support evolving concept of glycolytic inhibition led apoptosis in a tumor cell in vivo.