US research: Vitamin C may weaken the efficacy of anticancer drugs

Vitamin C may seriously weaken the efficacy of many anti-cancer drugs, according to a study by US scientists A study by the Sloan gitling cancer research center in the US showed that a series of anti-cancer drugs reduced the killing power of cancer cells in mice injected with vitamin C by 30-70% compared with mice not injected with vitamin C, BBC reported Subsequent chemotherapy tests found that cancer cells grew faster in mice injected with vitamin C Some anticancer drugs produce a molecule called oxidation free radicals, which react with other free radicals in cancer cells, killing them In theory, vitamin C can kill these free radicals and keep cancer cells alive in chemotherapy But the key problem, the researchers found, is not that vitamin C kills free radicals, but that it appears to protect the tiny structures inside cancer cells called mitochondria from damage Mitochondria are responsible for the generation of energy in cells, once damaged, it will lead to cell death Dr mark Henny, who led the study, said vitamin C seemed to protect mitochondria from damage, so it protected cells The function of all anticancer drugs is to destroy the function of mitochondria directly or indirectly, which leads to cell death But Dr Owens of Cancer Research UK said the findings, while interesting, were still in the early stages.