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.