Vitamin K Precursor Takes On Prostate Cancer

[ofonorow]

https://www.the-scientist.com/vitamin-k ... ncer-72432

Trotman focused on the pro-oxidant menadione sodium bisulfate (MSB), a precursor to vitamin K, which is commonly found in leafy greens. Recently, in a paper published in Science, Trotman and his team found that MSB promotes prostate cancer cell death by targeting a key lipid kinase in the endosomal pathway.3 This disrupts cell sorting and results in oxidative cell death. The team also linked this kinase to X-linked myotubular myopathy, a severe muscle disease, highlighting the broader potential of this approach for pro-oxidants’ potential therapeutic benefits.

To test the effects of an MSB treatment, Trotman turned to a prostate cancer mouse model that his team previously developed.4 They gave the mice one of three drinking treatments: water, water-soluble MSB, or a combination of water-soluble MSB with vitamin C. Despite vitamin C’s reputation as a classic antioxidant, it exerts oxidative effects against cancer cells.5

Trotman hoped to see a synergistic effect between MSB and vitamin C; however, when the researchers measured their abundance in mouse prostates, only MSB was robustly present. Not only did the treatment effectively deliver MSB to the prostate, but MSB more effectively reduced prostate tumor progression. Subsequent analysis revealed that increased oxidative stress was driving the MSB-induced slowdown.