title: Vitamin B₂ Sensitizes Cancer Cells to Vitamin-C-Induced Cell Death via Modulation of Akt and Bad Phosphorylation.
abstract: Vitamin C is an essential dietary nutrient that has a variety of biological functions. Recent studies have provided promising evidence for its additional health benefits, including anticancer activity. Vitamin B2, another essential dietary nutrient, often coexists with vitamin C in some fruits, vegetables, or dietary supplements. The objective of the present study is to determine whether the combination of vitamin C and B2 can achieve a synergistic anticancer activity. MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, and A549 cells were employed to evaluate the combinatory effects of vitamin C and B2. We found that the combination of vitamin C and B2 resulted in a synergistic cell death induction in all cell lines tested. Further mechanistic investigations revealed that vitamin B2 sensitized cancer cells to vitamin C through inhibition of Akt and Bad phosphorylation. Our findings identified vitamin B2 as a promising sensitizer for improving the efficacy of vitamin-C-based cancer chemoprevention and chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: ‡Department of Nutrition and Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, No. 17 Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ni
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: ‡Department of Nutrition and Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, No. 17 Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Shutao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: ‡Department of Nutrition and Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, No. 17 Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xinhua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: §College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, No. 2 Yunamingyuan West Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Lihong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: ‡Department of Nutrition and Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, No. 17 Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hongbo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hu
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004357:Drug Synergism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012256:Riboflavin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051025:bcl-Associated Death Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C494819:BAD protein, human; D051025:bcl-Associated Death Protein; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D001205:Ascorbic Acid; D012256:Riboflavin
keywords: Akt; Bad; cell death; vitamin B2; vitamin C