Cancer-Specific Therapy by Artificial Modulation of Intracellular Calcium Concentration

Calcium (Ca²⁺ ) hemeostasis is crucial for the normal function of cellular biochemistry. The abnormal frequency of Ca²⁺ signaling in cancer cells makes them more vulnerable to Ca²⁺ modulation than normal cells. Here in this study, a novel cancer-specific therapy by artificially triggering Ca²⁺ overload in cancer cells is proposed. The feasibility of this therapy is illustrated by successful coupling of selective extrusion (Ca²⁺ ) inhibition effect of Curcumin (Cur) and the effective Ca²⁺ generating capability of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) into a facilely prepared water responsive phospholipid (PL)-ACC hybrid platform (PL/ACC-Cur). The obtained results demonstrate that PL/ACC-Cur can specifically boost the intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration to cause Ca²⁺ overload and to trigger mitochondria-related apoptosis in MCF-7 cells while sparing normal hepatocyte (L02), which might be a promising approach for effective cancer therapy.