Amorphous Calcium Carbonate Shows Anti-Cancer Properties That are Attributed to Its Buffering Capacity.

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Oncology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) is a non-crystalline form of calcium carbonate.
• ACC is composed of aggregated nano-size primary particles.
• Its potential anti-cancer effects, linked to buffering capabilities, are being investigated in lung cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the anti-cancer effect of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) in lung cancer models.
• To assess ACC's impact on tumor growth, cathepsin B activity, and gene expression.
• To investigate the hypothesis that ACC's buffering capacity contributes to its anti-malignant properties.

Main Methods:

• In vivo studies utilized Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) and A549 human lung cancer cell lines in mice.
• Tumor-bearing mice received daily intraperitoneal injections of ACC, cisplatin, a combination of ACC and cisplatin, or vehicle.
• Cathepsin B activity and differential gene expression were analyzed in tumor tissues and cells, respectively.

Main Results:

• ACC treatment significantly decelerated tumor growth rates in both LLC and xenograft models.
• Tumor volumes were reduced by 44.83% (LLC) and 51.6% (xenograft) in ACC-treated animals compared to controls.
• Combined ACC and cisplatin treatment yielded a 74.75% tumor volume reduction; cathepsin B activity and anti-tumorigenic gene expression were also modulated.

Conclusions:

• The study supports the amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) anti-malignant buffering hypothesis.
• ACC demonstrates anti-cancerous effects through decelerated tumor growth, reduced cathepsin B activity, and altered gene expression.
• ACC shows promise as a therapeutic agent for lung cancer.