1: Eur J Med Chem.  2003 May;38(5):451-7.  

The association of vitamins C and K3 kills cancer cells mainly by autoschizis, a
novel form of cell death. Basis for their potential use as coadjuvants in
anticancer therapy.

Verrax J, Cadrobbi J, Delvaux M, Jamison JM, Gilloteaux J, Summers JL, Taper HS,
Buc Calderon P.

Unite de Pharmacocinetique, Metabolisme, Nutrition et Toxicologie, Departement
des sciences pharmaceutiques, Universite Catholique de Louvain, Brussels,
Belgium.

Deficiency of alkaline and acid DNase is a hallmark in all non-necrotic cancer
cells in animals and humans. These enzymes are reactivated at early stages of
cancer cell death by vitamin C (acid DNase) and vitamin K(3) (alkaline DNase).
Moreover, the coadministration of these vitamins (in a ratio of 100:1, for C and
K(3), respectively) produced selective cancer cell death. Detailed morphological
studies indicated that cell death is produced mainly by autoschizis, a new type
of cancer cell death. Several mechanisms are involved in such a cell death
induced by CK(3), they included: formation of H(2)O(2) during vitamins redox
cycling, oxidative stress, DNA fragmentation, no caspase-3 activation, and cell
membrane injury with progressive loss of organelle-free cytoplasm. Changes in
the phosphorylation level of some critical proteins leading to inactivation of
NF-kappaB appear as main intracellular signal transduction pathways. The
increase knowledge in the mechanisms underlying cancer cells death by CK(3) may
ameliorate the techniques of their in vivo administration. The aim is to prepare
the introduction of the association of vitamins C and K(3) into human clinics as
a new, non-toxic adjuvant cancer therapy.

Publication Types:
    Review
    Review Literature

PMID: 12767595 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]