title: Cytotoxicity of ascorbic acid in a human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line (WiDr): in vitro and in vivo studies.
abstract: Vitamin C, available in its reduced form (ascorbic acid; AA) and in its oxidized form (dehydroascorbic acid; DHA), may act in physiological conditions as an antioxidant or pro-oxidant. The aim of this study is to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of pharmacological doses of AA in a human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line (WiDr) in vitro, through spectrophotometry, clonogenic assays and flow cytometry, and in vivo with xenotransplanted Balb/c nu/nu mice. The results show that the reduced form of vitamin C induces an anti-proliferative and cytotoxic effect in adenocarcinoma colorectal cells under study. The results obtained in vivo after treatment with AA showed a large reduction in the rate of tumor growth. Such understanding can guide decisions about which colorectal cancer patients might potentially benefit from vitamin C pharmacologic therapy.
authors.affiliation: Biophysics Unit, Institute of Biomedical Research on Light and Image (IBILI), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal. ana mamede@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Ana Catarina
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Mamede
authors.forename: Ana Salomé
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Pires
authors.forename: Ana Margarida
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Abrantes
authors.forename: Sónia Dorilde
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Tavares
authors.forename: Ana Cristina
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.forename: João Eduardo
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Casalta-Lopes
authors.forename: Ana Bela
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Sarmento-Ribeiro
authors.forename: Jorge Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Maia
authors.forename: Maria Filomena
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Botelho
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D003683:Dehydroascorbic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D051336:Mitochondrial Membranes / Q000378:metabolism; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D014410:Tumor Stem Cell Assay
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D005978:Glutathione; D001205:Ascorbic Acid; D003683:Dehydroascorbic Acid