We finally have a more natural method to kill cancer.
A study from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory suggests that a vitamin K precursor, menadione, may offer a highly targeted way to kill prostate cancer cells.
Unlike traditional treatments that push cancer into dormancy, menadione acts as a pro-oxidant, disrupting a key lipid called PIP. This lipid helps cells manage waste, and without it, cancer cells become overwhelmed and ultimately burst.
The study, published in Science, demonstrated significant tumor suppression in both mice and human cancer cells. Researchers believe this method could offer a safer and more definitive resolution for prostate cancer while minimizing the risk of resistance.
Beyond cancer, menadione also shows promise in treating X-linked myotubular myopathy, a severe genetic muscle disorder. Importantly, menadione’s safety profile appears favorable, as it is commonly used in animal feed to support vitamin K production.
The findings suggest that menadione could be especially beneficial for prostate cancer patients under active surveillance, potentially delaying or even preventing progression.
With low side effects and a highly selective approach, this research offers new hope for effective, minimally invasive cancer treatment options.
Men taking antioxidant vitamin E supplements have increased prostate cancer (PC) risk. However, whether pro-oxidants protect from PC remained unclear. In this work, we show that a pro-oxidant vitamin K precursor [menadione sodium bisulfite (MSB)] suppresses PC progression in mice, killing cells through an oxidative cell death: MSB antagonizes the essential class III phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase VPS34—the regulator of endosome identity and sorting—through oxidation of key cysteines, pointing to a redox checkpoint in sorting. Testing MSB in a myotubular myopathy model that is driven by loss of MTM1—the phosphatase antagonist of VPS34—we show that dietary MSB improved muscle histology and function and extended life span.