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Seyama Y, Sudo K, Yamada T, Tsuchiya K, Nakamura Y. Ascorbic acid predominantly kills cancer stem cell-like cells in the hepatocellular carcinoma cell line Li-7 and is more effective at low cell density and in small spheroids. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2024; 709:149816. [PMID: 38547607 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
The development of therapies that target cancer stem cells (CSCs) is an important challenge in cancer research. The antioxidant system is enhanced in CSCs, which may lead to resistance to existing therapies. Ascorbic acid (AA) has the potential to act as both an antioxidant and a pro-oxidant agent, but its effects on CSCs are a subject of current research. Here, we investigated the effect of AA focusing specifically on CSCs with the hepatocellular carcinoma cell line Li-7. The Li-7 cell line is heterogenous consisting of CD166- and CD166+ cells; CD166- cells include CSC-like cells (CD13+CD166- cells) and CD13-CD166- cells that can revert to CD13+CD166- cells. The addition of AA to the culture medium caused cell death in both cell populations in CD166- cells in a concentration dependent manner. In contrast, AA administration had a limited effect on CD166+ non-CSC cells. The level of reactive oxygen species after AA treatment was elevated only in CD166- cells. The effect of AA only occurred at low cell densities in 2D and 3D cultures. In a mouse tumor model injected with Li-7 cells, intraperitoneal administration of AA failed to prevent tumor formation but appeared to delay tumor growth. Our findings shed light on why AA administration has not become a mainstream treatment for cancer treatment; however, they also show the possibility that AA can be used in therapies to suppress CSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusuke Seyama
- Division of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan; Cell Engineering Division, RIKEN BioResource Research Center, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Sudo
- Cell Engineering Division, RIKEN BioResource Research Center, Tsukuba, Japan.
| | - Takeshi Yamada
- Division of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan; Division of Clinical Research and Regional Innovation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Kiichiro Tsuchiya
- Division of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Yukio Nakamura
- Cell Engineering Division, RIKEN BioResource Research Center, Tsukuba, Japan.
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Olędzki R, Harasym J. Acerola ( Malpighia emarginata) Anti-Inflammatory Activity-A Review. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2089. [PMID: 38396766 PMCID: PMC10889565 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25042089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The manuscript provides an overview of recent scientific reports on the properties and range of health-promoting effects of acerola (Malpighia emarginata DC) fruits and leaves. Acerola is a natural raw material that, in its unprocessed form, is known to be a rich source of vitamin C and polyphenolic compounds. For this reason, the consumption of acerola may provide a number of health-promoting benefits, particularly related to its strong anti-free radical effects. The review discusses anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects of acerola fruit and leaves as well as its therapeutic effects on selected physiological processes in the human system. Their biochemical mechanisms are also explained. Recommendations for the consumption of acerola in the prevention of inflammatory and free radical diseases are presented. The part of the article devoted to anticancer effects of acerola describes the possibilities of using the edible parts of this raw material to obtain products and preparations of potential use in cancer prevention and therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Remigiusz Olędzki
- Department of Biotechnology and Food Analysis, Wroclaw University of Economics and Business, Komandorska 118/120, 53-345 Wroclaw, Poland;
- Adaptive Food Systems Accelerator-Science Centre, Wroclaw University of Economics and Business, Komandorska 118/120, 53-345 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Joanna Harasym
- Department of Biotechnology and Food Analysis, Wroclaw University of Economics and Business, Komandorska 118/120, 53-345 Wroclaw, Poland;
- Adaptive Food Systems Accelerator-Science Centre, Wroclaw University of Economics and Business, Komandorska 118/120, 53-345 Wroclaw, Poland
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Fan D, Liu X, Shen Z, Wu P, Zhong L, Lin F. Cell signaling pathways based on vitamin C and their application in cancer therapy. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 162:114695. [PMID: 37058822 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.114695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Vitamin C, a small organic molecule, is widely found in fruits and vegetables and is an essential nutrient in the human body. Vitamin C is closely associated with some human diseases such as cancer. Many studies have shown that high doses of vitamin C have anti-tumor ability and can target tumor cells in multiple targets. This review will describe vitamin C absorption and its function in cancer treatment. We will review the cellular signaling pathways associated with vitamin C against tumors depending on the different anti-cancer mechanisms. Based on this, we will further describe some applications of the use of vitamin C for cancer treatment in preclinical and clinical trials and the possible adverse events that can occur. Finally, this review also assesses the prospective advantages of vitamin C in oncology treatment and clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dianfa Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Targeting Oncology, National Center for International Research of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Targeting Tumor Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangxi Talent Highland of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China
| | - Xiyu Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Targeting Oncology, National Center for International Research of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Targeting Tumor Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangxi Talent Highland of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China
| | - Zhen Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Targeting Oncology, National Center for International Research of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Targeting Tumor Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangxi Talent Highland of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China
| | - Pan Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Targeting Oncology, National Center for International Research of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Targeting Tumor Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangxi Talent Highland of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China
| | - Liping Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Targeting Oncology, National Center for International Research of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Targeting Tumor Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangxi Talent Highland of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China.
| | - Faquan Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Targeting Oncology, National Center for International Research of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Targeting Tumor Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangxi Talent Highland of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China; Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Medicine of Guangxi Department of Education,Department of Clinical Laboratory, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University.
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Wang Y, Liu X, Dong L, Cheng KK, Lin C, Wang X, Dong J, Deng L, Raftery D. iMSEA: A Novel Metabolite Set Enrichment Analysis Strategy to Decipher Drug Interactions. Anal Chem 2023; 95:6203-6211. [PMID: 37023366 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c04603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
Drug combinations are commonly used to treat various diseases to achieve synergistic therapeutic effects or to alleviate drug resistance. Nevertheless, some drug combinations might lead to adverse effects, and thus, it is crucial to explore the mechanisms of drug interactions before clinical treatment. Generally, drug interactions have been studied using nonclinical pharmacokinetics, toxicology, and pharmacology. Here, we propose a complementary strategy based on metabolomics, which we call interaction metabolite set enrichment analysis, or iMSEA, to decipher drug interactions. First, a digraph-based heterogeneous network model was constructed to model the biological metabolic network based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database. Second, treatment-specific influences on all detected metabolites were calculated and propagated across the whole network model. Third, pathway activity was defined and enriched to quantify the influence of each treatment on the predefined functional metabolite sets, i.e., metabolic pathways. Finally, drug interactions were identified by comparing the pathway activity enriched by the drug combination treatments and the single drug treatments. A data set consisting of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells that were treated with oxaliplatin (OXA) and/or vitamin C (VC) was used to illustrate the effectiveness of the iMSEA strategy for evaluation of drug interactions. Performance evaluation using synthetic noise data was also performed to evaluate sensitivities and parameter settings for the iMSEA strategy. The iMSEA strategy highlighted synergistic effects of combined OXA and VC treatments including the alterations in the glycerophospholipid metabolism pathway and glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism pathway. This work provides an alternative method to reveal the mechanisms of drug combinations from the viewpoint of metabolomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongpei Wang
- Department of Electronic Science, National Institute for Data Science in Health and Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Xingxing Liu
- Department of Electronic Science, National Institute for Data Science in Health and Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Liheng Dong
- School of Computing and Data Science, Xiamen University Malaysia, Sepang 43600, Malaysia
| | - Kian-Kai Cheng
- Department of Bioprocess and Polymer Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Johor 81310, Malaysia
| | - Caigui Lin
- Department of Electronic Science, National Institute for Data Science in Health and Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Xiaomin Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Chronic Liver Disease and Hepatocellular Carcinoma, ZhongShan Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Jiyang Dong
- Department of Electronic Science, National Institute for Data Science in Health and Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Lingli Deng
- Department of Information Engineering, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
| | - Daniel Raftery
- Northwest Metabolomics Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98109, United States
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Repurposing Vitamin C for Cancer Treatment: Focus on Targeting the Tumor Microenvironment. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14112608. [PMID: 35681589 PMCID: PMC9179307 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14112608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 05/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a complicated network, and several promising TME-targeted therapies, such as immunotherapy and targeted therapies, are now facing problems over low response rates and drug resistance. Vitamin C (VitC) has been extensively studied as a dietary nutrient and multi-targeted natural drug for fighting against tumor cells. The focus has been recently on its crucial functions in the TME. Here, we discuss the potential mechanisms of VitC in several specialized microenvironments, characterize the current status of its preclinical and clinical applications, and offer suggestions for future studies. This article is intended to provide basic researchers and clinicians with a detailed picture of VitC targeting the tumor microenvironment. Abstract Based on the enhanced knowledge on the tumor microenvironment (TME), a more comprehensive treatment landscape for targeting the TME has emerged. This microenvironment provides multiple therapeutic targets due to its diverse characteristics, leading to numerous TME-targeted strategies. With multifaced activities targeting tumors and the TME, vitamin C is renown as a promising candidate for combination therapy. In this review, we present new advances in how vitamin C reshapes the TME in the immune, hypoxic, metabolic, acidic, neurological, mechanical, and microbial dimensions. These findings will open new possibilities for multiple therapeutic avenues in the fight against cancer. We also review the available preclinical and clinical evidence of vitamin C combined with established therapies, highlighting vitamin C as an adjuvant that can be exploited for novel therapeutics. Finally, we discuss unresolved questions and directions that merit further investigation.
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