In recent years, the idea that Vitamin C (Vit-C) could be utilized as a form of anti-cancer therapy has generated many contradictory arguments. Recent insights into the physiological characteristics of Vit-C, its pharmacokinetics, and results from preclinical reports, however, suggest that high-dose Vit-C could be effectively utilized in the management of various tumor types. Studies have shown that the pharmacological action of Vit-C can attack various processes that cancerous cells use for their growth and development. Here, we discuss the anti-cancer functions of Vit-C, but also the potential for the use of Vit-C as an epigenetic regulator and immunotherapy enhancer. We also provide a short overview of the current state of systems for scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS), especially in the context of their influencing high-dose Vit-C toxicity for the inhibition of cancer growth. Even though the mechanisms of Vit-C action are promising, they need to be supported with robust randomized and controlled clinical trials. Moreover, upcoming studies should focus on how to define the most suitable cancer patient populations for high-dose Vit-C treatments and develop effective strategies that combine Vit-C with various concurrent cancer treatment regimens.
Aggressive tissue biopsy is commonly unavoidable in the management of most suspected tumor cases to conclusively verify the presence of cancerous cells through histological assessment. The extracted tissue is also immunostained for detection of antigens (tissue tumor markers) of potential prognostic or therapeutic importance to assist in treatment decision. Although liquid biopsies can be a powerful tool for monitoring treatment response, they are still excluded from standard cancer diagnostics, and their utility is still being debated in the scientific community. With a myriad of soluble tissue tumor markers now being discovered, liquid biopsies could completely change the current paradigms of cancer management. Recently, soluble form of PD-L1 (sPD-L1), which is found in the peripheral blood, i.e. serum and plasma, has shown potential as a pre-therapeutic predictive marker as well as a prognostic biomarker to monitor treatment efficacy. Thus, this review focuses on the emergence of sPD-L1 and promising technologies for its detection in order to support liquid biopsies for future cancer management.
Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer type among women with a distinct clinical presentation, but the survival rate remains moderate despite advances in multimodal therapy. Consequently, a deeper understanding of the molecular etiology is required for the development of more effective treatments for BC. The relationship between inflammation and tumorigenesis is well established, and the activation of the pro-inflammatory transcription factor nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) is frequently identified in BC. Constitutive NF-κB activation is linked to cell survival, metastasis, proliferation, and hormonal, chemo-, and radiotherapy resistance. Moreover, the crosstalk between NF-κB and other transcription factors is well documented. It is reported that vitamin C plays a key role in preventing and treating a number of pathological conditions, including cancer, when administered at remarkably high doses. Indeed, vitamin C can regulate the activation of NF-κB by inhibiting specific NF-κB-dependent genes and multiple stimuli. In this review, we examine the various NF-κB impacts on BC development. We also provide some insight into how the NF-κB network may be targeted as a potential vulnerability by using natural pro-oxidant therapies such as vitamin C.
‘Neonatal’ Nav1.5 (nNav1.5) is a potent tumour metastasis marker found especially in aggressive human breast cancer cells in vitro, in tumour tissues of in vivo metastatic animal models and in patients positive for lymph-node metastasis. Its expression has been recently described in human brain neuroblastoma and astrocytoma. However, a thorough understanding of nNav1.5’s role in cancers has been limited by the lack of specific antibodies against it. Here, a mouse monoclonal antibody, 4H8 mAb-nNav1.5, was obtained and characterised concerning its efficacy in detecting nNav1.5 using indirect ELISA, surface plasmon resonance (SPR), Western blotting and immunofluorescence microscopy. 4H8 mAb-nNav1.5 was selected from a panel of hybridoma clones raised against nNav1.5 specific peptide (15 mers). The antibody exhibited linear association against nNav1.5 specific-linear peptide in indirect ELISA and was supported by SPR. The antibody also demonstrated strong immunoreactivity in immunofluorescence imaging of nNav1.5-abundant cells, human and mouse aggressive breast cancer cells, MDA-MB-231 and 4T1, respectively, which was not observed in nNav1.5-deficient cells, human less aggressive breast cancer cells, MCF-7 and non-cancerous breast epithelial cells, MCF-10A. This study demonstrates the initial description of 4H8 mAb-nNav1.5, which could serve as a beneficial tool to enhance future studies on nNav1.5 expression and function in cancers.
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