Schmidt Sarah, Qiao Xi, Bergö Martin O
Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
EMBO Mol Med. 2025 Jul 11. doi: 10.1038/s44321-025-00269-5.
Antioxidant supplements are widely marketed for their promised health benefits, including cancer prevention and therapy support. This belief stems from the idea that excessive levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) cause oxidative damage to cellular macromolecules. However, the effects of antioxidants are highly context-dependent and influenced by the compound type, dosage, and cancer type. While antioxidants may slow tumor progression in specific cancers such as MYC-driven lymphoma, they can accelerate tumor growth, metastasis, and angiogenesis in other settings, including KRAS-driven lung cancer and BRAF-driven melanoma. Some antioxidants may also influence the immune system in ways that support cancer therapies, such as immune checkpoint blockade. Here, we review recent studies that highlight the complex roles of antioxidants in cancer progression and discuss their potential implications for clinical practice.
抗氧化剂补充剂因其所宣称的健康益处而广泛销售，包括癌症预防和治疗支持。这种观念源于这样一种观点，即过量的活性氧（ROS）会对细胞大分子造成氧化损伤。然而，抗氧化剂的作用高度依赖于具体情况，并受化合物类型、剂量和癌症类型的影响。虽然抗氧化剂可能会减缓特定癌症（如MYC驱动的淋巴瘤）的肿瘤进展，但在其他情况下，包括KRAS驱动的肺癌和BRAF驱动的黑色素瘤，它们会加速肿瘤生长、转移和血管生成。一些抗氧化剂还可能以支持癌症治疗（如免疫检查点阻断）的方式影响免疫系统。在此，我们综述了近期突出抗氧化剂在癌症进展中复杂作用的研究，并讨论了它们对临床实践的潜在影响。
