Wealthy Wellness
When Vitamin K2 Meets Vitamin D: Positive Effects in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
In the study titled “Vitamin K2 enhances the tumor suppressive effects of 1,25(OH)₂D₃ in triple negative breast cancer cells”, published in The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (July 2023), researchers examined how vitamin K2 (menaquinone-4) and active vitamin D (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃) affect triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells grown in the lab. TNBC is an aggressive breast cancer subtype that lacks estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors, making it difficult to treat with targeted therapies. The study tested three different TNBC cell lines to evaluate changes in cell growth, morphology, viability, and stem-cell-like behavior.
The researchers found that vitamin K2 alone reduced cancer cell viability in some TNBC cell lines, while active vitamin D caused cell-cycle arrest and signs of differentiation. When both were used together, the combination produced additive or synergistic tumor-suppressive effects, including stronger growth inhibition, altered mammosphere (cancer stem cell) structure, and increased signals for cell-cycle arrest or apoptosis. Notably, vitamin K2 increased vitamin D receptor (VDR) expression in certain cells, which may explain why the combination worked better than either nutrient alone, highlighting a potential non-toxic, nutrient-based strategy worth further investigation.
Source: Healthy Harbor
