Calcitrol, the active form of vitamin D, has been found to induce a tumor suppressing protein that can inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells, according to a study by researcher Sylvia Chistakos Ph.D. of the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School.
Chistakos, a professor of biochemistry, has published extensively on the multiple roles of vitamin D, including inhibition of the growth of malignant cells found in breast cancer. Her current findings on the vitamin D induced protein that inhibits breast cancer growth are published in a recent issue of The Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Previous research had determined that increased serum levels of vitamin D are associated with an improved diagnosis in patients with breast cancer. Epidemiological studies have also shown that low vitamin D ingestion is associated with increased risk of breast cancer.
It is estimated that there is a 30 to 50% reduction in risk for developing colorectal, prostate, and breast cancer by either increasing vitamin D intake to least 1000 IU/d. Prior to the current study, little was known about the factors that determine the effect of calcitrol on inhibiting breast cancer growth.
During the study, Christakos and co-author Puneet Dhawan, Ph.D., examined the protein involved in the action that can reduce the growth of vitamin D in breast cancer cells. “These results provide an important process in which the active form of vitamin D may work to reduce growth of breast cancer cells,” said Christakos. “These studies provide a basis for the design of new anticancer agents that can target the protein as a candidate for breast cancer treatment.”
References:
1. Sylvia Chistakos, et al. University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
2. Pérez-López FR, Chedraui P, Haya J. Review article: vitamin D acquisition and breast cancer risk. Reprod Sci. 2009 Jan;16(1):7-19. PMID: 19144887.
3. Holick MF. Vitamin D and sunlight: strategies for cancer prevention and other health benefits. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2008 Sep;3(5):1548-54. PMID: 18550652.
4. Image by cappuccino-girl.
