Alternative therapeutic approach to renal-cell carcinoma: induction of apoptosis with combination of vitamin K3 and D-fraction

Vitamin K: New insights related to senescence and cancer metastasis

Several clinical trials and experimental studies have recently shown that vitamin K (VK) supplementation benefits the human body. Specifically, VK participates in coagulation and is associated with cellular senescence and cancer. VK has a potential anticancer effect in various cancers, such as pancreatic and prostate cancers. Through anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, VK can prevent senescence and inhibit cancer metastasis. Therefore, cancer prognosis can be improved by preventing cellular senescence. In addition, VK can inhibit the proliferation, growth, and differentiation of cancer cells through various mechanisms, including induction of c-myc and c-fos genes, regulation of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and p21 genes, and angiogenesis inhibition. This review aims to discuss the relationship among VK, cellular senescence, and cancer metastasis and thus may improve comprehension of the specific functions of VK in human health. The potential application of VK as an adjuvant therapy for cancer (or in combination with traditional chemotherapy drugs or other vitamins) has also been highlighted.

Vitamin A, D, E, and K as Matrix Metalloproteinase-2/9 Regulators That Affect Expression and Enzymatic Activity

Fat-soluble vitamins (vitamin A, D, E, and K) assume a pivotal role in maintaining human homeostasis by virtue of their enzymatic functions. The daily inclusion of these vitamins is imperative to the upkeep of various physiological processes including vision, bone health, immunity, and protection against oxidative stress. Current research highlights fat-soluble vitamins as potential therapeutics for human diseases, especially cancer. Fat-soluble vitamins exert their therapeutic effects through multiple pathways, including regulation of matrix metalloproteinases' (MMPs) expression and enzymatic activity. As MMPs have been reported to be involved in the pathology of various diseases, such as cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and neurological disorders, regulating the expression and/or activity of MMPs could be considered as a potent therapeutic strategy. Here, we summarize the properties of fat-soluble vitamins and their potential as promising candidates capable of effectively modulating MMPs through multiple pathways to treat human diseases.

Vitamin K: A novel cancer chemosensitizer

Cancer incidences are growing rapidly and causing millions of deaths globally. Cancer treatment is one of the most exigent challenges. Drug resistance is a natural phenomenon and is considered one of the major obstacles in the successful treatment of cancer by chemotherapy. Combination therapy by the amalgamation of various anticancer drugs has suggested modulating tumor response by targeting various signaling pathways in a synergistic or additive manner. Vitamin K is an essential nutrient and has recently been investigated as a potential anticancer agent. The combination of vitamin K analogs, such as vitamins K1, K2, K3, and K5, with other chemotherapeutic drugs have demonstrated a safe, cost-effective, and most efficient way to overcome drug resistance and improved the outcomes of prevailing chemotherapy. Published reports have shown that vitamin K in combination therapy improved the efficacy of clinical drugs by promoting apoptosis and cell cycle arrest and overcoming drug resistance by inhibiting P-glycoprotein. In this review, we discuss the mechanism, cellular targets, and possible ways to develop vitamin K subtypes into effective cancer chemosensitizers. Finally, this review will provide a scientific basis for exploiting vitamin K as a potential agent to improve the efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs.

Evaluating Risk: Benefit Ratio of Fat-Soluble Vitamin Supplementation to SARS-CoV-2-Infected Autoimmune and Cancer Patients: Do Vitamin–Drug Interactions Exist?

Simple Summary

This review brings attention to a crucial yet under-investigated subject which is vitamin–drug interactions. Fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E, and K have been proven to possess many beneficial effects in the treatment and prevention of COVID-19. Moreover, it has been reported that deficiencies of fat-soluble vitamins have been directly linked to COVID-19 infection-related morbidity and mortality, especially in high-risk populations such as cancer and autoimmune patients. However, many vitamin–drug interactions exist between most of the newly COVID-19 FDA-approved medications and fat-soluble vitamins. Hence, this mandates personalizing the COVID-19 treatment protocols, especially for patients who have any deficiency in any of these vital vitamins. Weighing the risk-to-benefit ratio of supplementing any of these fat-soluble vitamins with COVID-19 medications is considered crucial to maximize the therapeutic benefit and decrease the side effects of these drugs.

Abstract

COVID-19 is a recent pandemic that mandated the scientific society to provide effective evidence-based therapeutic approaches for the prevention and treatment for such a global threat, especially to those patients who hold a higher risk of infection and complications, such as patients with autoimmune diseases and cancer. Recent research has examined the role of various fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E, and K) in reducing the severity of COVID-19 infection. Studies showed that deficiency in fat-soluble vitamins abrogates the immune system, thus rendering individuals more susceptible to COVID-19 infection. Moreover, another line of evidence showed that supplementation of fat-soluble vitamins during the course of infection enhances the viral clearance episode by promoting an adequate immune response. However, more thorough research is needed to define the adequate use of vitamin supplements in cancer and autoimmune patients infected with COVID-19. Moreover, it is crucial to highlight the vitamin–drug interactions of the COVID-19 therapeutic modalities and fat-soluble vitamins. With an emphasis on cancer and autoimmune patients, the current review aims to clarify the role of fat-soluble vitamins in SARS-CoV-2 infection and to estimate the risk-to-benefit ratio of a fat-soluble supplement administered to patients taking FDA-approved COVID-19 medications such as antivirals, anti-inflammatory, receptor blockers, and monoclonal antibodies.

Large-scale and high-resolution mass spectrometry-based proteomics profiling defines molecular subtypes of esophageal cancer for therapeutic targeting

Esophageal cancer (EC) is a type of aggressive cancer without clinically relevant molecular subtypes, hindering the development of effective strategies for treatment. To define molecular subtypes of EC, we perform mass spectrometry-based proteomic and phosphoproteomics profiling of EC tumors and adjacent non-tumor tissues, revealing a catalog of proteins and phosphosites that are dysregulated in ECs. The EC cohort is stratified into two molecular subtypes-S1 and S2-based on proteomic analysis, with the S2 subtype characterized by the upregulation of spliceosomal and ribosomal proteins, and being more aggressive. Moreover, we identify a subtype signature composed of ELOA and SCAF4, and construct a subtype diagnostic and prognostic model. Potential drugs are predicted for treating patients of S2 subtype, and three candidate drugs are validated to inhibit EC. Taken together, our proteomic analysis define molecular subtypes of EC, thus providing a potential therapeutic outlook for improving disease outcomes in patients with EC.

Antitumoral and antimetastatic activity of Maitake D-Fraction in triple-negative breast cancer cells

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is associated with poor prognosis, high local recurrence rate and high rate of metastasis compared with other breast cancer subtypes. In addition, TNBC lacks a targeted therapy. This scenario highlights the need for novel compounds with high potential for TNBC treatment. In this regard, natural products are important sources of anticancer drugs. D-Fraction, a proteoglucan extracted from the edible and medicinal mushroom Grifola frondosa (Maitake), is a dietary supplement that has been shown to exert both immunostimulatory and immune-independent antitumoral effects on some cancer types. However, its antitumoral potential in TNBC is unknown. Therefore, we employed TNBC cells to investigate if D-Fraction is able to attenuate their aggressive phenotype. We found that D-Fraction decreases MDA-MB-231 cell viability through apoptosis induction and reduces their metastatic potential. D-Fraction increases cell-cell adhesion by increasing E-cadherin protein levels and β-catenin membrane localization, and increases cell-substrate adhesion. D-Fraction also decreases cell motility by affecting actin cytoskeleton rearrangements, and proteolytic activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9. Furthermore, D-Fraction decreases the invasive capacity of MDA-MB-231 cells. In concordance, D-Fraction retards tumor growth and reduces lung metastases in a xenograft model. Altogether, these results suggest the potential therapeutic role of D-Fraction in aggressive TNBC.

Vitamin K: Redox-modulation, prevention of mitochondrial dysfunction and anticancer effect

This review is directed to the redox-modulating properties and anticancer effect of vitamin K. The concept is focused on two aspects: (i) redox-cycle of vitamin K and its effect on the calcium homeostasis, “oncogenic” and “onco-suppressive” reactive oxygen species and the specific induction of oxidative stress in cancer; (ii) vitamin K plus C as a powerful redox-system, which forms a bypass between mitochondrial complexes II and III and thus prevents mitochondrial dysfunction, restores oxidative phosphorylation and aerobic glycolysis, modulates the redox-state of endogenous redox-pairs, eliminates the hypoxic environment of cancer cells and induces cell death. The analyzed data suggest that vitamin C&K can sensitize cancer cells to conventional chemotherapy, which allows achievement of a lower effective dose of the drug and minimizing the harmful side-effects. The review is intended for a wide audience of readers - from students to specialists in the field.

Vitamin K and its analogs: Potential avenues for prostate cancer management

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated a relationship between cancer incidence and dietary habits. Especially intake of certain essential nutrients like vitamins has been shown to be beneficial in experimental studies and some clinical trials. Vitamin K (VK) is an essential nutrient involved in the blood clotting cascade, and there are considerable experimental data demonstrating its potential anticancer activity in several cancer types including prostate cancer. Previous in vitro and in vivo studies have focused mainly on anti-oxidative effects as the underlying anticancer mechanism of VK. However, recent studies reveal that VK inhibits the growth of cancer cells through other mechanisms, including apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, autophagy, and modulation of various transcription factors such as Myc and Fos. In the present review, we focus on the anticancer effect of dietary VK and its analogs on prostate cancer, with an emphasis on the signaling pathways that are activated following exposure to these compounds. This review also highlights the potential of VK and its derivatives as an adjuvant treatment in combination with other vitamins or with chemotherapeutic drugs. Based on our recent results and a review of the existing literature, we present evidence that VK and its derivatives can potentially be explored as cancer therapy, especially for prostate cancer.

Antitumoral Effects of D-Fraction from Grifola Frondosa (Maitake) Mushroom in Breast Cancer

D-Fraction is protein-bound β-1,6 and β-1,3 glucans (proteoglucan) extracted from the edible and medicinal mushroom Grifola frondosa (Maitake). The antitumoral effect of D-Fraction has long been exclusively attributed to their immunostimulatory capacity. However, in recent years increasing evidence showed that D-Fraction directly affects the viability of canine and human tumor cells, independent of the immune system. Previously, we have reported that D-Fraction modulates the expression of genes associated with cell proliferation, cell death, migration, invasion, and metastasis in MCF7 human breast cancer cells. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to investigate if this modulation of gene expression by Maitake D-Fraction really modulates tumor progression. In the present work, we demonstrate for the first time that Maitake D-Fraction is able to act directly on mammary tumor cells, modulating different cellular processes involved in the development and progression of cancer. We demonstrate that D-Fraction decreases cell viability, increases cell adhesion, and reduces the migration and invasion of mammary tumor cells, generating a less aggressive cell behavior. In concordance with these results, we also demonstrate that D-Fraction decreases tumor burden and the number of lung metastases in a murine model of breast cancer.

Mushroom β-Glucan May Immunomodulate the Tumor-Associated Macrophages in the Lewis Lung Carcinoma

The present study showed that oral mushroom beta-glucan treatment significantly increased IFN-γ mRNA expression but significantly reduced COX-2 mRNA expression within the lung. For LLC tumor model, oral Ganoderma lucidum or Antrodia camphorata polysaccharides treatments significantly reduced TGF-β production in serum. In addition, IL-12 and IFN-γ mRNA expression were significantly increased, but IL-6, IL-10, COX-2, and TGF-β mRNA expression were substantially following oral mushroom polysaccharides treatments. The study highlights the efficacious effect of mushroom polysaccharides for ameliorating the immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment. Increased M1 phenotype of tumor-associated macrophages and attenuated M2 phenotype of tumor-associated macrophages could be achieved by ingesting mushroom polysaccharides.