A Paradoxical Chemoresistance and Tumor Suppressive Role of Antioxidant in Solid Cancer Cells: A Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Modulation of intracellular antioxidant concentration is a double-edged sword, with both sides exploited for potential therapeutic benefits. While antioxidants may hamper the efficacy of chemotherapy by scavenging reactive oxygen species and free radicals, it is also possible that antioxidants allev...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Jolie Kiemlian Kwee
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Hindawi Limited 2014-01-01
Series:BioMed Research International
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/209845
id doaj-da665778907b469993bb2c19c2c134fe
record_format Article
spelling doaj-da665778907b469993bb2c19c2c134fe2020-11-24T20:48:55ZengHindawi LimitedBioMed Research International2314-61332314-61412014-01-01201410.1155/2014/209845209845A Paradoxical Chemoresistance and Tumor Suppressive Role of Antioxidant in Solid Cancer Cells: A Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. HydeJolie Kiemlian Kwee0Coordenação de Pesquisa, Instituto Nacional de Câncer, Rua André Cavalcante 37, 20231-050, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilModulation of intracellular antioxidant concentration is a double-edged sword, with both sides exploited for potential therapeutic benefits. While antioxidants may hamper the efficacy of chemotherapy by scavenging reactive oxygen species and free radicals, it is also possible that antioxidants alleviate unwanted chemotherapy-induced toxicity, thus allowing for increased chemotherapy doses. Under normoxic environment, antioxidants neutralize toxic oxidants, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), maintaining them within narrow boundaries level. This redox balance is achieved by various scavenging systems such as enzymatic system (e.g., superoxide dismutases, catalase, and peroxiredoxins), nonenzymatic systems (e.g., glutathione, cysteine, and thioredoxin), and metal-binding proteins (e.g., ferritin, metallothionein, and ceruloplasmin) that sequester prooxidant metals inhibiting their participation in redox reactions. On the other hand, therapeutic strategies that promote oxidative stress and eventually tumor cells apoptosis have been explored based on availability of chemotherapy agents that inhibit ROS-scavenging systems. These contradictory assertions suggest that antioxidant supplementation during chemotherapy treatment can have varied outcomes depending on the tumor cellular context. Therefore, understanding the antioxidant-driven molecular pathways might be crucial to design new therapeutic strategies to fight cancer progression.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/209845
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Jolie Kiemlian Kwee
spellingShingle Jolie Kiemlian Kwee
A Paradoxical Chemoresistance and Tumor Suppressive Role of Antioxidant in Solid Cancer Cells: A Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
BioMed Research International
author_facet Jolie Kiemlian Kwee
author_sort Jolie Kiemlian Kwee
title A Paradoxical Chemoresistance and Tumor Suppressive Role of Antioxidant in Solid Cancer Cells: A Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
title_short A Paradoxical Chemoresistance and Tumor Suppressive Role of Antioxidant in Solid Cancer Cells: A Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
title_full A Paradoxical Chemoresistance and Tumor Suppressive Role of Antioxidant in Solid Cancer Cells: A Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
title_fullStr A Paradoxical Chemoresistance and Tumor Suppressive Role of Antioxidant in Solid Cancer Cells: A Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
title_full_unstemmed A Paradoxical Chemoresistance and Tumor Suppressive Role of Antioxidant in Solid Cancer Cells: A Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
title_sort paradoxical chemoresistance and tumor suppressive role of antioxidant in solid cancer cells: a strange case of dr. jekyll and mr. hyde
publisher Hindawi Limited
series BioMed Research International
issn 2314-6133
2314-6141
publishDate 2014-01-01
description Modulation of intracellular antioxidant concentration is a double-edged sword, with both sides exploited for potential therapeutic benefits. While antioxidants may hamper the efficacy of chemotherapy by scavenging reactive oxygen species and free radicals, it is also possible that antioxidants alleviate unwanted chemotherapy-induced toxicity, thus allowing for increased chemotherapy doses. Under normoxic environment, antioxidants neutralize toxic oxidants, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), maintaining them within narrow boundaries level. This redox balance is achieved by various scavenging systems such as enzymatic system (e.g., superoxide dismutases, catalase, and peroxiredoxins), nonenzymatic systems (e.g., glutathione, cysteine, and thioredoxin), and metal-binding proteins (e.g., ferritin, metallothionein, and ceruloplasmin) that sequester prooxidant metals inhibiting their participation in redox reactions. On the other hand, therapeutic strategies that promote oxidative stress and eventually tumor cells apoptosis have been explored based on availability of chemotherapy agents that inhibit ROS-scavenging systems. These contradictory assertions suggest that antioxidant supplementation during chemotherapy treatment can have varied outcomes depending on the tumor cellular context. Therefore, understanding the antioxidant-driven molecular pathways might be crucial to design new therapeutic strategies to fight cancer progression.
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/209845
work_keys_str_mv AT joliekiemliankwee aparadoxicalchemoresistanceandtumorsuppressiveroleofantioxidantinsolidcancercellsastrangecaseofdrjekyllandmrhyde
AT joliekiemliankwee paradoxicalchemoresistanceandtumorsuppressiveroleofantioxidantinsolidcancercellsastrangecaseofdrjekyllandmrhyde
_version_ 1716807401304227840