Ekaterine Misabishvili

Cancer cells (unlike normal analogs) have a variable membrane potential on their surface, which depends on the intensity of metabolism of this type of cells and the environmental hydrogen index: in the case of low-pH (acid medium) they are known to have either a low negative or even positive charge, while in the case of high-pH (alkaline medium) - a relatively high negative charge. In this paper we suggest that the processes of metastasis, progression and invasion ongoing in a macro organism can be ascribed to the presence of exactly this variable electric charge in a cancer cell.

As a result of experimental and epidemiological research, the etiological role of some dietary fats in the development of tumors of different histogenesis and localization has been shown. It has also been shown that polyunsaturated fatty acids, unlike saturated ones, intensively contribute to the development of the carcinogenesis process. The mechanism of malignant tumor cell formation by some fatty acids is still unknown. The parallelism between the carcinogenic and fusogenic properties of the mentioned substances makes us think that this phenomenon can be explained from the standpoint of the theory of somatic hybridization. 

Malignant transformation might be ascribed to one of the rather widespread processes taking place in the organism daily and being genetically inherited in a normal somatic cell. In order that normal cells are transformed into malignant ones, they should undergo the following two stages: (1) initiation - the precancerous cell (first-stage synkarion) formation, and (2) promotion - the true tumor cell (second-stage synkaryon) formation. For promoting the tumor process, i.e. transformation into a true tumor synkaryon, first - stage synkaryon (precancerous cell) should go through the next stage/stages of development at the molecular and subcellular level. In a tumor synkaryon, in particular in its plasma membrane, most probably the antigenic mosaics of normal precursor cells is inherited and, therefore, such cells "escape" the effect of the immune forces of the body. In other words, antigenic determinants existing on the surface of normal initial (parent) precursor cells condition inaction of the so-called immune surveillance. The cancer prevention concept implies synchronous conversion of a tumor cell into the stage of nonviable polykaryocytes. In addition, for preventing this fatal disease the inhibition of the process of approaching and further adhesion of normal somatic cells would suffice. The expected outcome would be the creation in the body of the conditions when somatic cells are incapable of close contacts with each other (not injurious for organism). This will completely exclude the fusion of cells and then nuclei and reduce thus to a minimum the possibility of cancer cell development.