title: Vitamin B6 kills hepatoma cells in culture.
abstract: Data are presented which indicate that vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) can retard and eventually kill Fu5-5 rat hepatoma cells in culture. Additional studies indicate that the human kidney cell line 293-31, and a rat glial cell strain. C6, display growth characteristics similar to those of hepatoma cells when cultured in 5 mM pyridoxine-supplemented medium. However, the pyridoxine-supplemented culture medium had little effect on the growth of the human mammary cancer cell line MCF-7. The resistance of the MCF-7 cells to growth inhibition by vitamin B6 suggests that the vitamer pyridoxine must be metabolized by pyridoxal before it can act as a growth inhibitor. These findings suggest the potential use of vitamin B6 as an antineoplastic agent. Possible mechanisms by which vitamin B6 promotes this effect are presented.
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D002452:Cell Count; D002455:Cell Division; D002460:Cell Line; D005910:Glioma / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000166:cytology; D008114:Liver Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011736:Pyridoxine / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D013936:Thymidine / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D011736:Pyridoxine; D013936:Thymidine