SATURDAY May 10, 2008 (Foodconsumer.org) -- A study published in the Jul. 2008 issue of Journal of Cell Physiol showed that vitamin C suppresses proliferation of the human melanoma.

The study led by Lee SK and colleagues from Seoul National University College of Medicine showed that vitamin C suppressed proliferation or growth of the human melanoma cells through the inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 (cox-2) expression and the modulation of insulin-like growth factor II production.

Vitamin C plays an important role in the suppression of proliferation of several types of cancer, according to the background information in the research report, while over-expression of Cox-2 and IGF receptor are known to be important for proliferation and protection against apoptosis in malignancies.
 

In the study, the researchers found 1.0 mM vitamin C inhibits growth of the cancer cells SK-MEL-2 without inducing apoptosis.  At the level of vitamin C, IF-II production decreased and cox-2 activity was also halted.

Together with other assays, the researchers found vitamin C suppressed proliferation of the human melanoma cell line SK -MEL-2 through the down-regulation of IGF-II production and IGF-IR expression as well as the activation of p38 MAPK and the inhibition of cox-2 expression.