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Imprint
Influence of folic acid on CXCR4-dependent migration of malignant colon carcinoma cells
Project
Project code: BfR-LMS-08-1322-628
Contract period: 01.01.2015
- 31.12.2016
Purpose of research: Applied research
Recent publications indicate that mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid, which was introduced in the USA and Canada in 1998, led to a significant decrease of neural tube de-fects among newborns. Concurrently, both countries experienced a temporary increase in the incidence of colon carcinomas (Mason et al., 2007). Additionally, Cole et al. found in a secondary prevention study of colon carcinomas a significant increase of colorectal adenomas as well as an increase of other tumours in the group supplemented with folic acid after 5 years (Cole et al., 2007). Similar results were obtained by two meta-analyses investigating overall-cancer-risk and prostate-cancer-risk. In both studies the groups receiving folic acid supplements had a higher risk to develop cancer (Wien et al., 2012; Baggott et al., 2012). In another meta-analysis with 12 clinical intervention-studies, in which 0,5 to 5 mg folic acid per day were administered (one study used 40 mg folic acid/ day),the folic-acid group showed also a higher but not significant risk to develop cancer (Vollset et al., 2013).
In preliminary studies we could show, that folic acid up-regulates the chemokinreceptor CXCR4 on mRNA-level in a dose-depenedent manner (Sonderforschungsantrag 1322-546).
CXCR4 plays a crucial role for metastasis, tumor growth and tumor angiogenesis (Domanska et al. 2013; Orimo et al. 2005). A high CXCR4 expression in tumor patients is highly significantly associated with a reduced overall-survival (Han et al. 2014; Kim et al. 2006; Schimanski et al. 2005; Wu et al. 2014; Xu et al. 2013).
These available data justify the need to investigate, if high physiological folic acid doses (comparable with serum levels from people consuming folic-acid-fortified food or folic acid supplements) promote a CXCR4-dependent migration of carcinoma cells.
Section overview
Subjects
- Physiology of Nutrition
