While vitamin E has shown an increased risk of developing prostate cancer, another supplement has been found to help slow down the progression of the most diagnosed cancer in men.
A recent study led by researchers from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) in New York, found that a vitamin K compound known as menadione could help in slowing the progression of prostate cancer.
Vitamin K3, also known as menadione, is an artificially produced form of vitamin K. While previous research have found it harmful to humans, test-tube studies about its anticancer properties continue, Healthline noted.
In the study "Dietary pro-oxidant therapy by a vitamin K precursor targets PI 3-kinase VPS34 function" published in the journal Science, researchers tested vitamin K3 on mice and saw promising results.
Menadione disrupts a key lipid molecule, PI(3)P, within cancer cells. By depleting this lipid, it stops the cancer cells’ ability to sort and process new nutrients, causing them to swell and burst, killing the cancer cells.
"It’s like a transport hub, like JFK. If everything that goes in is immediately de-identified, nobody knows where the airplanes should go next," explains Professor Lloyd Trotman, who led the research.
"New stuff keeps coming in, and the hub starts to swell. This ultimately leads to the cell bursting."
Trotman believes there's potential for applying this approach to human cases, particularly in men diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer. He hopes that the supplement could slow cancer progression, increase patients' survival rates, and prolong their lives.
The results also show potential for using the same approach in treating myotubular myopathy, a rare genetic neuromuscular disorder characterized by muscle weakness and mostly affects infants.
According to data from the National Cancer Institute, 3.3 million men live with prostate cancer in the U.S. About 299,000 new cases are expected this year. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted that 70% of cases are diagnosed at a localized stage, this is wherein the cancer has not spread outside the organ.
The research team expects future clinical studies to validate the effects of menadione in humans, which could offer a new option for managing prostate cancer in early and even severe stages.
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