Despite the increasing number of newly diagnosed
malignancies worldwide, therapeutic options for some
tumor diseases are unfortunately still limited. Interestingly, preclinical but also some clinical data suggest that the administration of pharmacological ascorbate seems to respond well, especially in some aggressively growing
tumor entities. The membrane transport and channel
proteins are highly relevant for the use of pharmacological ascorbate in
cancer therapy and are involved in the transfer of active substances such as ascorbate,
hydrogen peroxide, and
iron that predominantly must enter malignant cells to induce antiproliferative effects and especially ferroptosis. In this review, the relevant conveying
proteins from cellular surfaces are presented as an integral part of the efficacy of pharmacological ascorbate, considering the already known genetic and functional features in
tumor tissues. Accordingly, candidates for diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets are mentioned.