On the promine/retine theory of cell division: now and then.

Although the glyoxalase system was discovered in 1913, its function in the biological network is still a subject of debate. An attractive theory on its role was described by Albert Szent-Györgyi in the 1960s. From a bird's eye view, the promine/retine concept of Szent-Györgyi seems to give a plausible role for this ubiquitous enzyme system, but on going into detail, it obviously suffers from several uncertainties which have not been discussed until now. Here, a critical overview of the theory is presented by taking the pros and cons into account. It looks as though more data object to the theory than give support to it; and the search for anticancer medicines stimulated by the theory has not resulted in a new way of treatment of tumors, either. Hence, it is feared that the theory suggested for the biological role of glyoxalase pathway cannot be accepted, as it is.