Chemosensitizing effect of vitamin C in combination with 5-fluorouracil in vitro.

Abstract

The antiproliferative effect and apoptosis-inducing action of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in combination with vitamin C were tested in vitro against the chemosensitive mouse lymphoma, the chemoresistant HEp-2 and a human lung fibroblast cell line. Vitamin C itself had no antiproliferative effect on the fibroblasts, but increased the anticancer effect of 5-FU dose-dependently. In the case of the chemoresistant cell line, only a high concentration of vitamin C increased the cytotoxicity of 5-FU. A combination of 5-FU and vitamin C exerted a significantly enhanced apoptotic effect on the mouse lymphoma cell line, whereas for the HEp-2 cell line this effect was less marked and was achieved only at a high concentration of vitamin C. These findings suggest that the administration of a high dose of vitamin C in combination with 5-FU chemotherapy enhances the chemoresponsiveness of cancer cells and serves as a potential sensitizer, especially in chemo-resistant cell lines. One of the mechanisms by which vitamin C potentiates cytostatics could be apoptosis induction.

• Authors: Beatrix Nagy, Ilona Mucsi, Jozsef Molnar, Andreas Varga, Laszlo Thurzo
• Journal: In vivo (Athens, Greece) (In Vivo) 2003 May-Jun Vol. 17 Issue 3 Pg. 289-92 ISSN: 0258-851X [Print] Greece
• PMID: 12929582 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Ascorbic Acid
• Fluorouracil

Topics

• Animals
• Ascorbic Acid (pharmacology)
• Cell Division (drug effects)
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Cell Survival (drug effects)
• Drug Resistance, Multiple (drug effects)
• Drug Synergism
• Fluorouracil (pharmacology)
• Leukemia L5178 (pathology)
• Mice