Retinoic acid and cancer treatment

Abstract

Retinoic acid which belongs to the retinoid class of chemical compounds is an important metabolite of vitamin A in diets. It is currently understood that retinoic acid plays important roles in cell development and differentiation as well as cancer treatment. Lung, prostate, breast, ovarian, bladder, oral, and skin cancers have been demonstrated to be suppressed by retinoic acid. Our results also show that low doses and high doses of retinoic acid may respectively cause cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of cancer cells. Also, the common cell cycle inhibiting protein, p27, and the new cell cycle regulator, Cdk5, are involved in retinoic acid’s effects. These results provide new evidence indicating that the molecular mechanisms of/in retinoic acid may control cancer cells’ fates. Since high doses of retinoic acid may lead to cytotoxicity, it is probably best utilized as a potential supplement in one’s daily diet to prevent or suppress cancer progression. In this review, we have collected numerous references demonstrating the findings of retinoic acid in melanoma, hepatoma, lung cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer. We hope these observations will shed light on the future investigation of retinoic acid in cancer prevention and therapy.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: ω-3 free fatty acids and all-trans retinoic acid synergistically induce growth inhibition of three subtypes of breast cancer cell lines

“…ATRA inhibits breast cancer cell growth and prevents mammary carcinogenesis in animal models with the induction of cell apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest 10 . Luminal and ER + breast cancer cells are generally more sensitive to ATRA than basal phenotype (triple negative) and HER2 + breast cancer cells 11 .…”

Topical treatment of all‐trans retinoic acid inhibits murine melanoma partly by promoting CD8+ T‐cell immunity

“…Vitamin A and its main biologically active metabolite all‐ trans retinoic acid (atRA) have been extensively studied to determine their role in immunoregulation and anti‐cancer . AtRA is known to influence both CD4 + and CD8 + T cells by regulating the migration, differentiation and activation under different conditions .…”

Association of lung cancer with skin diseases: A nationwide cohort study based on the “lung governing skin and hair” theory

“…The incidence of lung cancer is higher among men than among women [23], although women with skin diseases before lung cancer diagnosis showed a higher OR for lung cancer [24]. This may be related to differences in the lung cancer subtype, risk factors, and etiology of lung cancer in male and female patients.…”