A Drug‐Free Tumor Therapy Strategy: Cancer‐Cell‐Targeting Calcification. Issue 17 (17th March 2016) - Zhao, Ruibo
Abstract: Herein, we propose a drug‐free approach to cancer therapy that involves cancer cell targeting calcification (CCTC). Several types of cancer cells, such as HeLa cells, characterized by folate receptor (FR) overexpression, can selectively adsorb folate (FA) molecules and then concentrate Ca 2+ locally to induce specific cell calcification. The resultant calcium mineral encapsulates the cancer cells, inducing their death, and in vivo assessments confirm that CCTC treatment can efficiently inhibit tumor growth and metastasis without damaging normal cells compared with conventional chemotherapy. Accordingly, CCTC remarkably improve the survival rate of tumor mice. Notably, both FA and calcium ions are essential ingredients in human metabolism, which means that CCTC is a successful drug‐free method for tumor therapy. This achievement may further represent an alternative cancer therapy characterized by selective calcification‐based substitution of sclerosis for tumor disease. Abstract : Anticancer mineralization : Cancer‐cell‐targeting calcification can convert tumors into calcified tissues by using folic acid (FA), calcium, and the folate receptor (FR) resulting in cancer cell growth and metastatic inhibition without any drugs. These results suggest cancer cells can be selectively targeted using biomineralization methods.