UCP2 and cancer: Importantly, UCP2 overexpression prevented the death-inducing effect of chemotherapy in different cancer cell lines: indeed, treatment with gemcitabine stimulates UCP2 mRNA production, suggesting a role of mitochondrial uncoupling in the resistance to this chemotherapeutic agent, and pointed out the possible synergistic antiproliferative effect of coupling gemcitabine treatment and UCP2 inhibition (Derdak et al. 2008; Dalla Pozza et al. 2012; Yu et al. 2015a).