Therapeutic Use of Vitamin C in Cancer: Physiological Considerations
Since the early studies of William J. McCormick in the 1950s, vitamin C has been proposed as a candidate for the treatment of cancer. A number of reports have shown that pharmacological concentrations of vitamin C selectively kill cancer cells in vitro and decrease the growth rates of a number of hu...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Pharmacology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphar.2020.00211/full |
| _version_ | 1828486636343656448 |
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| author | Francisco J. Roa Eduardo Peña Marcell Gatica Kathleen Escobar-Acuña Paulina Saavedra Mafalda Maldonado Magdalena E. Cuevas Gustavo Moraga-Cid Coralia I. Rivas Carola Muñoz-Montesino |
| author_facet | Francisco J. Roa Eduardo Peña Marcell Gatica Kathleen Escobar-Acuña Paulina Saavedra Mafalda Maldonado Magdalena E. Cuevas Gustavo Moraga-Cid Coralia I. Rivas Carola Muñoz-Montesino |
| author_sort | Francisco J. Roa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Since the early studies of William J. McCormick in the 1950s, vitamin C has been proposed as a candidate for the treatment of cancer. A number of reports have shown that pharmacological concentrations of vitamin C selectively kill cancer cells in vitro and decrease the growth rates of a number of human tumor xenografts in immunodeficient mice. However, up to the date there is still doubt regarding this possible therapeutic role of vitamin C in cancer, mainly because high dose administration in cancer patients has not showed a clear antitumor activity. These apparent controversial findings highlight the fact that we lack information on the interactions that occurs between cancer cells and vitamin C, and if these transformed cells can uptake, metabolize and compartmentalize vitamin C like normal human cells do. The role of SVCTs and GLUTs transporters, which uptake the reduced form and the oxidized form of vitamin C, respectively, has been recently highlighted in the context of cancer showing that the relationship between vitamin C and cancer might be more complex than previously thought. In this review, we analyze the state of art of the effect of vitamin C on cancer cells in vitro and in vivo, and relate it to the capacity of cancer cells in acquiring, metabolize and compartmentalize this nutrient, with its implications on the potential therapeutic role of vitamin C in cancer. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T09:36:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-751ff5148c7d430198e5413304ada3c8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1663-9812 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T09:36:23Z |
| publishDate | 2020-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Pharmacology |
| spelling | doaj.art-751ff5148c7d430198e5413304ada3c82022-12-22T01:12:50ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Pharmacology1663-98122020-03-011110.3389/fphar.2020.00211516113Therapeutic Use of Vitamin C in Cancer: Physiological ConsiderationsFrancisco J. Roa0Eduardo Peña1Marcell Gatica2Kathleen Escobar-Acuña3Paulina Saavedra4Mafalda Maldonado5Magdalena E. Cuevas6Gustavo Moraga-Cid7Coralia I. Rivas8Carola Muñoz-Montesino9Departamento de Fisiopatología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, ChileDepartamento de Fisiopatología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, ChileDepartamento de Fisiopatología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, ChileDepartamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, ChileDepartamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, ChileDepartamento de Fisiopatología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, ChileDepartamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, ChileDepartamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, ChileDepartamento de Fisiopatología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, ChileDepartamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, ChileSince the early studies of William J. McCormick in the 1950s, vitamin C has been proposed as a candidate for the treatment of cancer. A number of reports have shown that pharmacological concentrations of vitamin C selectively kill cancer cells in vitro and decrease the growth rates of a number of human tumor xenografts in immunodeficient mice. However, up to the date there is still doubt regarding this possible therapeutic role of vitamin C in cancer, mainly because high dose administration in cancer patients has not showed a clear antitumor activity. These apparent controversial findings highlight the fact that we lack information on the interactions that occurs between cancer cells and vitamin C, and if these transformed cells can uptake, metabolize and compartmentalize vitamin C like normal human cells do. The role of SVCTs and GLUTs transporters, which uptake the reduced form and the oxidized form of vitamin C, respectively, has been recently highlighted in the context of cancer showing that the relationship between vitamin C and cancer might be more complex than previously thought. In this review, we analyze the state of art of the effect of vitamin C on cancer cells in vitro and in vivo, and relate it to the capacity of cancer cells in acquiring, metabolize and compartmentalize this nutrient, with its implications on the potential therapeutic role of vitamin C in cancer.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphar.2020.00211/fullvitamin Ccancer therapycancerSVCT2GLUTvitamin C transporters |
| spellingShingle | Francisco J. Roa Eduardo Peña Marcell Gatica Kathleen Escobar-Acuña Paulina Saavedra Mafalda Maldonado Magdalena E. Cuevas Gustavo Moraga-Cid Coralia I. Rivas Carola Muñoz-Montesino Therapeutic Use of Vitamin C in Cancer: Physiological Considerations Frontiers in Pharmacology vitamin C cancer therapy cancer SVCT2 GLUT vitamin C transporters |
| title | Therapeutic Use of Vitamin C in Cancer: Physiological Considerations |
| title_full | Therapeutic Use of Vitamin C in Cancer: Physiological Considerations |
| title_fullStr | Therapeutic Use of Vitamin C in Cancer: Physiological Considerations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Therapeutic Use of Vitamin C in Cancer: Physiological Considerations |
| title_short | Therapeutic Use of Vitamin C in Cancer: Physiological Considerations |
| title_sort | therapeutic use of vitamin c in cancer physiological considerations |
| topic | vitamin C cancer therapy cancer SVCT2 GLUT vitamin C transporters |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphar.2020.00211/full |
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