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Query: UMLS:C0699790 (colon cancer)
 28,837 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

High consumption of fruits and vegetables which are abundant in dietary antioxidants has been linked to a reduced incidence of colorectal cancer. A potential mechanism of dietary anticarcinogenesis involves the induction of detoxifying phase II enzymes, including NAD(P)H:quinone reductase (QR) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST). This study therefore examined the ability of the dietary antioxidant vitamins beta-carotene, alpha-tocopherol and ascorbic acid to induce cellular expression of QR and GST activities in human colon cancer cells. Colo205 cells were cultured in the presence or absence of various concentrations (10(-10) to 10(-5) M) of each antioxidative micronutrient, then assessed for cytosolic QR and GST activities and cell growth. beta-Carotene, alpha-tocopherol and ascorbic acid each resulted in dose-dependent increases in QR activity, without adverse effects upon cell proliferation. To investigate whether the ability of beta-carotene to induce QR may be attributable to its conversion to vitamin A and/or to its antioxidant capacity as a carotenoid, retinol, retinoic acid, and lycopene were similarly tested for their capacity for enzyme induction. Although retinol and retinoic acid were both noted to be antiproliferative at higher concentrations (10(-6) to 10(-5) M), both retinoids stimulated QR at physiological concentrations. Lycopene, a carotenoid which is not converted to vitamin A, was devoid of biologic activity. By contrast with the effects upon QR, GST activity was unaffected by treatment with any of the micronutrients tested in this in vitro model. The results support a hypothesis that a high dietary consumption of vitamins A, E and C may confer partial protection against colorectal cancer by the induction of specific detoxifying enzymes. The antioxidant capacity of beta-carotene appears to have less biologic impact vis-a-vis QR induction than its function as a non-toxic reservoir of vitamin A. Measurements of QR activity within the colorectal mucosa may provide an index of cancer susceptibility, and may be an appropriate surrogate endpoint biomarker for colorectal cancer prevention studies involving diet modification or specific relevant micronutrients.
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PMID:Induction of NAD(P)H:quinone reductase by vitamins A, E and C in Colo205 colon cancer cells. 852 7

Plasma vitamins C, E, retinol and carotene were measured in 1971-1973 in 2,974 men working in Basel Switzerland. In 1990, the vital status of all participants was assessed. A total of 290 men had died from cancer during the 17 years of follow-up, including 87 with lung cancer, 30 with prostate cancer, 28 with stomach cancer and 22 with colon cancer. Overall mortality from cancer was associated with low mean plasma levels of carotene (adjusted for cholesterol) and of vitamin C. Lung and stomach cancers were associated with low mean plasma carotene level. After calculation of the relative risk, using the Cox model, with exclusion of mortality during the first 2 years of follow-up, simultaneously low levels of plasma carotene (below quartile I) and lipid-adjusted retinol were related to a significantly increased mortality risk for all cancers and for lung cancer. Simultaneously, low levels of plasma vitamin C and lipid-adjusted vitamin E also were associated with a significantly increased risk for lung cancer. Additionally, low vitamin E levels in smokers were related to an increased risk for prostate cancer. It is concluded that low plasma levels of the vitamins C, E, retinol and carotene are related to increased risk of subsequent overall and lung-cancer mortality and that low levels of vitamin E in smokers are related to an increased risk of prostate-cancer mortality.
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PMID:Prediction of male cancer mortality by plasma levels of interacting vitamins: 17-year follow-up of the prospective Basel study. 860 2

The prospect that high intake of certain vitamins may confer protection against cancer has drawn substantial attention during the last decades. This paper gives a concise update of the role of a number of promising vitamins in prevention of cancer. Vitamin A and its analogues have an important role in cellular processes related to carcinogenesis. However, blood vitamin A levels are under strict control and a high intake of preformed vitamin A does not seem to be relevant for cancer prevention. The antioxidant vitamins C and E and beta-carotene may also have other biological activities than free radical trapping that relate to their cancer preventive properties. Mechanisms include immune stimulation, inhibition of nitrosamine formation, enhancement of cell communication and an influence on metabolic activation of carcinogens. Epidemiological data for the antioxidant vitamins are promising, but cannot rule out that another factor or combination of factors in fruits and vegetables might be responsible for a protective effect. The B vitamin folic acid is one of these potential factors that is currently thought to have an influence on DNA methylation and thus on proto-oncogene expression. Folic acid seems to be promising and deserves further study. Vitamin D might be relevant in colon cancer development due to its close links with calcium metabolism that might influence cell proliferation. Overall, results are promising, but the first human intervention trials on (antioxidant) vitamins and human cancer have yielded somewhat disappointing results. At this moment the data seem insufficient to make recommendations for vitamin supplementation to prevent cancer. The results are certainly in line with the advice that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables will help reduce cancer risk.
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PMID:Vitamins and cancer. 910 91

This report reviews published epidemiologic research on the associations of vitamin and mineral supplementation with cancer risk. Although the literature on nutrition and cancer is vast, few reports to date have addressed supplemental nutrients directly (seven clinical trials, 16 cohort, and 36 case-control studies). These studies offer insight into effects of nutrients that are distinguishable from effects of other biologically active compounds in foods. Randomized clinical trials have not shown significant protective effects of beta-carotene, but have found protective effects of: alpha-tocopherol against prostate cancer; mixtures of retinol/zinc and beta-carotene/alpha-tocopherol/selenium against stomach cancer; and selenium against total, lung, and prostate cancers. Cohort studies provide little evidence that vitamin supplements are associated with cancer. Case-control studies have reported an inverse association between bladder cancer and vitamin C; oral/pharyngeal cancer and several supplemental vitamins; and several cancers and vitamin E. A randomized clinical trial, a cohort study, and a case-control study have all found inverse associations between colon cancer and vitamin E. Overall, there is modest evidence for protective effects of nutrients from supplements against several cancers. Future studies of supplement use and cancer appear warranted; however, methodologic problems that impair ability to assess supplement use and statistical modeling of the relation between cancer risk and supplement use need attention.
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PMID:Vitamin supplements and cancer risk: the epidemiologic evidence. 932 89

Vitamin A derivatives (retinoids) are potent regulators of embryogenesis, cell proliferation, epithelial cell differentiation and carcinogenesis [1]. In breast cancer cells, the effects of retinoids are associated with changes in the cadherin-beta-catenin adhesion and signaling system [2] [3]. beta-catenin is a component of the Wnt signaling pathway, which regulates several developmental pathways [4]. Increases in cytoplasmic beta-catenin and beta-catenin signaling are also associated with numerous cancers, and are particularly important in colon cancer [5]. The oncogenic and developmental effects of beta-catenin are mediated by its interaction with and activation of members of the LEF/TCF family of transcription factors [6] [7] [8]. Here, we shown that retinoic acid (RA) decreases the activity of the beta-catenin-LEF/TCF signaling pathway. This activity of RA was independent of the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) tumor suppressor and ubiquitination-dependent degradation of cytoplasmic beta-catenin. Consistent with this finding, beta-catenin interacted directly with the RA receptor (RAR) in a retinoid-dependent manner, but not with the retinoid X receptor (RXR), and RAR competed with TCF for beta-catenin binding. The activity of RA on RAR-responsive promoters was also potentiated by beta-catenin. The data suggest that direct regulation of beta-catenin-LEF/TCF signaling is one mechanism whereby RA influences development, cell differentiation and cancer.
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PMID:Cross-regulation of beta-catenin-LEF/TCF and retinoid signaling pathways. 1060 66

We assessed the effects of 78 potential chemopreventive agents in the F344 rat using two assays in which the inhibition of carcinogen-induced aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in the colon was the measure of efficacy. In both assays ACF were induced by the carcinogen azoxymethane (AOM) in F344 rats by two sequential weekly injections at a dose of 15 mg/kg. Two weeks after the last AOM injection, animals were evaluated for the number of aberrant crypts detected in methylene blue stained whole mounts of rat colon. In the initiation phase protocol agents were given during the period of AOM administration, whereas in the post-initiation assay the chemopreventive agent was introduced during the last 4 weeks of an 8 week assay, a time when ACF had progressed to multiple crypt clusters. The agents were derived from a priority listing based on reports of chemopreventive activity in the literature and/or efficacy data from in vitro models of carcinogenesis. During the initiation phase carboxyl amidoimidazole, p-chlorphenylacetate, chlorpheniramine maleate, D609, diclofenac, etoperidone, eicosatetraynoic acid, farnesol, ferulic acid, lycopene, meclizine, methionine, phenylhexylisothiocyanate, phenylbutyrate, piroxicam, 9-cis-retinoic acid, S-allylcysteine, taurine, tetracycline and verapamil were strong inhibitors of ACF. During the post-initiation phase aspirin, calcium glucarate, ketoprofen, piroxicam, 9-cis-retinoic acid, retinol and rutin inhibited the outgrowth of ACF into multiple crypt clusters. Based on these data, certain phytochemicals, antihistamines, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and retinoids show unique preclinical promise for chemoprevention of colon cancer, with the latter two drug classes particularly effective in the post-initiation phase of carcinogenesis.
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PMID:Efficacy of potential chemopreventive agents on rat colon aberrant crypt formation and progression. 1083 3

Vitamin A and its metabolic forms, like all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), are used with promising results in the treatment of many tumors. Two major problems in the clinical use of retinoids are that the doses needed for successful treatment are often toxic, leading to "hypervitaminosis A syndrome" and that patients often develop drug resistance. In order to find compounds that can overcome these problems, many new derivatives of retinoids have been synthesized and tested. Here we present a study on the effect of a new derivative of retinoic acid, IIF (pat. WIPO W0 00/17143), on growth and differentiation of two colon carcinomna cell lines, CaCo-2 and HT-29, with different degrees of tumorigenicity, the second one being more undifferentiated. The effect of IIF was compared with that of ATRA, whose antitumoral action on colon cancer cells and other tumoral cells is widely described in the literature. Besides exerting a strong antiproliferative effect, even higher than that of ATRA, IIF induced cellular differentiation, as demonstrated by the appearance of morphological (domes and microvilli formation) and biochemical (alkaline phosphatase induction) markers. Therefore, these findings indicate the new retinoid IIF as a possible candidate in the treatment of colon cancer.
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PMID:Retinoids and cancer: antitumor effect of ATRA and of a new derivative of retinoic acid, IIF, on colon carcinoma cell lines CaCo-2 and HT-29. 1527 55

Experimental studies have shown that beta-carotene inhibited the growth of colon cancer cells, and human trials have demonstrated that the carotenoid reduces colon cell proliferation of adenomatous polyps; however, molecular mechanisms underlying this chemopreventive activity remain unclear. Because COX-2 has been implicated as a causative factor in colon carcinogenesis, the present study was designed to investigate the relation between the growth-inhibitory effect of the carotenoid and COX-2 expression in colon cancer cells. We evaluated the effects of beta-carotene on the growth of human colon adenocarcinoma cells overexpressing (LS-174, HT-29, WiDr) or not expressing (HCT116) COX-2. We also studied COX-2 expression induced by heregulin-alpha, apoptosis induction, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) activation. beta-Carotene (0.5-2.0 micromol/L) decreased COX-2 expression (P < 0.05) and prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) production (P < 0.05) in colon cancer cells. This effect was not observed in cells treated with retinoic acid or retinol. The downregulation of COX-2 by the carotenoid occurred in both untreated and heregulin-treated cells. It was accompanied by an increased ability of cells to undergo apoptosis and by a decrease in intracellular ROS production and in the activation of ERK1/2. Moreover, cells not expressing COX-2 were insensitive to the growth-inhibitory and proapoptotic effects of the carotenoid. Here, we report that the suppression of COX-2 by beta-carotene may represent a molecular mechanism by which this compound acts as an antitumor agent in colon carcinogenesis.
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PMID:beta-Carotene downregulates the steady-state and heregulin-alpha-induced COX-2 pathways in colon cancer cells. 1562 44

Biomarkers of trans-fatty acid consumption have been associated with increased risks of breast and colon cancer, although no studies have examined their associations with prostate cancer risk. Using data from the beta-Carotene and Retinol Efficacy Trial, this nested case-control study examined the relationships between serum phospholipid trans-fatty acids and prostate cancer incidence in 272 case and 426 control men. Trans-fatty acids were measured using organic extraction followed by separations with TLC and gas chromatography. Adjusted odds ratios for risk of prostate cancer with increasing levels of trans-fatty acids were calculated using logistic regression. There were consistent trends for increasing prostate cancer risk with higher levels of C18 but not C16 trans-fatty acids, although only trends for Delta11t 18:1 trans-vaccenic and Delta9c,12t 18:2 fatty acids reached statistical significance. Odds ratios (95% confidence interval) contrasting low versus high quartiles for these fatty acids were 1.69 (1.03-2.77) and 1.79 (1.02-3.15), respectively. There were no consistent differences in associations between low-grade and high-grade cancer among the subset of 209 cases with information on tumor grade. Additional studies are needed to confirm these findings and better control for factors, such as use of prostate-specific antigen screening, which may confound this association.
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PMID:Serum trans-fatty acids are associated with risk of prostate cancer in beta-Carotene and Retinol Efficacy Trial. 1582 75

Retinol (vitamin A) is thought to exert its effects through the actions of its metabolite, all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA), on gene transcription mediated by retinoic acid receptors (RAR) and retinoic acid response elements (RARE). However, retinoic acid resistance limits the chemotherapeutic potential of ATRA. We examined the ability of retinol to inhibit the growth of ATRA-sensitive (HCT-15) and ATRA-resistant (HCT-116, SW620, and WiDR) human colon cancer cell lines. Retinol inhibited cell growth in a dose-responsive manner. Retinol was not metabolized to ATRA or any bioactive retinoid in two of the cell lines examined. HCT-116 and WiDR cells converted a small amount of retinol to ATRA; however, this amount of ATRA was unable to inhibit cell growth. To show that retinol was not inducing RARE-mediated transcription, each cell line was transfected with pRARE-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) and treated with ATRA and retinol. Although treatment with ATRA increased CAT activity 5-fold in ATRA-sensitive cells, retinol treatment did not increase CAT activity in any cell line examined. To show that growth inhibition due to retinol was ATRA, RAR, and RARE independent, a pan-RAR antagonist was used to block RAR signaling. Retinol-induced growth inhibition was not alleviated by the RAR antagonist in any cell line, but the antagonist alleviated ATRA-induced growth inhibition of HCT-15 cells. Retinol did not induce apoptosis, differentiation or necrosis, but affected cell cycle progression. Our data show that retinol acts through a novel, RAR-independent mechanism to inhibit colon cancer cell growth.
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PMID:Retinol inhibits the growth of all-trans-retinoic acid-sensitive and all-trans-retinoic acid-resistant colon cancer cells through a retinoic acid receptor-independent mechanism. 1626 17


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