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Pharmacological Ascorbate as a Means of Sensitizing Cancer Cells to Radio-Chemotherapy While Protecting Normal Tissue
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Pharmacological Ascorbate as a Means of Sensitizing Cancer Cells to Radio-Chemotherapy While Protecting Normal Tissue

Joshua D Schoenfeld, Matthew S Alexander, Timothy J Waldron, Zita A Sibenaller, Douglas R Spitz, Garry R Buettner, Bryan G Allen and Joseph J Cullen
Seminars in radiation oncology, Vol.29(1), pp.25-32
01/2019
DOI: 10.1016/j.semradonc.2018.10.006
PMCID: PMC6310038
PMID: 30573181

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Abstract

Chemoradiation has remained the standard of care treatment for many of the most aggressive cancers. However, despite effective toxicity to cancer cells, current chemoradiation regimens are limited in efficacy due to significant normal cell toxicity. Thus, efforts have been made to identify agents demonstrating selective toxicity, whereby treatments simultaneously sensitize cancer cells to protect normal cells from chemoradiation. Pharmacological ascorbate (intravenous infusions of vitamin C resulting in plasma ascorbate concentrations ≥20 mM; P-AscH ) has demonstrated selective toxicity in a variety of preclinical tumor models and is currently being assessed as an adjuvant to standard-of-care therapies in several early phase clinical trials. This review summarizes the most current preclinical and clinical data available demonstrating the multidimensional role of P-AscH in cancer therapy including: selective toxicity to cancer cells via a hydrogen peroxide (H O )-mediated mechanism; action as a sensitizing agent of cancer cells to chemoradiation; a protectant of normal tissues exposed to chemoradiation; and its safety and tolerability in clinical trials.
Chemoradiotherapy - methods Neoplasms - therapy Oxidative Stress Humans Radiation-Sensitizing Agents - pharmacology Ascorbic Acid - pharmacology Antioxidants - pharmacology Hydrogen Peroxide - metabolism

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