Selective Cytotoxic Action and DNA Damage by Calcitriol-Cu(II) Interaction: Putative Mechanism of Cancer Prevention

Abstract

This is the first report implicating Cu (II) and calcitriol interaction as the cause of selective cytotoxic action of calcitriol against malignant cells. We show that this interaction leads to the production of oxidative stress due to free radical production and consequent DNA fragmentation, which leads to apoptosis. A putative mechanism is presented to explain this biological effect.