Ewa L Gregoraszczuk
Jagiellonian University, Poland
Title: Vitamin C as a possible adjunctive drug in ovarian cancer treatment
Biography
Biography: Ewa L Gregoraszczuk
Abstract
Introduction: Despite rapid progress in understanding the ethology of epithelial ovarian cancer it is still the most lethal form of cancers. In Poland, ovarian cancer is the sixth most common women’s cancer. Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) has been widely used in the treatment and prevention of cancer; nevertheless, the clinical results are still inconclusive. Still there are many controversies regarding the role of vitamin C in the prevention and treatment of cancer.
Study Design: In the present data we estimated dose dependent effect of VitC on SVCT1, involved in whole body vitamin C homeostasis, SVCT2, protects metabolically active cells from oxidative stress and GLUT hexose transporters protein expression. Additionally action of Vitamin C on cell membrane permeability, measured by LDH release, lysosomal activity measured by acid phosphate assay (AP), mitochondrial activity measured by Alamar Blue assay and caspase3 activity as an indicator of apoptosis in non-cancer epithelial cells HOSEpiC and cancer chemoresistant OVCAR-3 cells
Results: Vitamin C at doses of 10 and 100 µM increased SVCT1, had no effect on SVCT2 and in dose of 100 µM increased GLUT expression in cancer cells. In dose 0.1-10 μM had no effect on cell membrane permeability mitochondrial activity, lysosomal activity and caspase-3 activity in non-cancer epithelial cells HOSEpiC, however in this doses increased LDH realize, decreased mitochondrial activity, had no effect on lysosomal activity while increased casapase-3 activity in epithelial cancer cells OVCAR-3.
Conclusion: The results of the presented data will provide new and unique information on the merits of Vitamin C as preventive and supportive for the treatment of ovarian cancer. Our study is the first concerning potential action of Vit C not only on cancer but also non-cancer ovarian cells. We suggesting that its nontoxic effects on non-cancer cells may be an indicator of its prophylactic use. This is an extremely important knowledge for biologists, doctors and most importantly for high-risk women.