Skip to main content
An official website of the United States government
Government Funding Lapse
Because of a lapse in government funding, the information on this website may not be up to date, transactions submitted via the website may not be processed, and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted.

The NIH Clinical Center (the research hospital of NIH) is open. For more details about its operating status, please visit cc.nih.gov.

Updates regarding government operating status and resumption of normal operations can be found at opm.gov.

arginine butyrate

A compound composed of the short chain fatty acid (SCFA) butyrate combined with the amino acid arginine, with potential Epstein-Barr virus thymidine kinase gene (EBV-TK)-inducing activity. Upon administration, arginine butyrate induces the expression of thymidine kinase (TK). This activates a co-administered antiviral, such as ganciclovir, and results in the destruction of EBV-infected cancer cells. In addition, butyrate inhibits histone deacetylase (HDAC), which results in hyperacetylation of histones H3 and H4. Acetylated histones have a reduced affinity for chromatin; this reduced histone-chromatin affinity may allow chromosomal unfolding, potentially enhancing the expression of genes related to tumor cell growth arrest and apoptosis.
Check for active clinical trials using this agentView this agent in the NCI Thesaurus
Synonym:L-arginine, butanoate (3:4)
short chain fatty acid HQK-1004
Abbreviation:SCFA HQK-1004
Code name:HQK-1004
VX-105
Search NCI's Drug Dictionary
Please enter up to 30 characters for your search