Some recent studies on folic acid ( Description : Vitamin B9 Folic Acid) Supplemental folic acid (the more bioavailable and synthetic form of folate) and breast cancer risk in BRCA mutation carr ...

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Some recent studies on folic acid ( Description : Vitamin B9 Folic Acid)

Supplemental folic acid (the more bioavailable and synthetic form of folate) and breast cancer risk in BRCA mutation carriers have not been studied. This study evaluated folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 supplement use, and breast cancer risk among BRCA mutation carriers. In this first investigation of folic acid supplement use and breast cancer risk in BRCA mutation carriers, these findings suggest that moderate folic acid- and vitamin B12-containing supplement use may be protective for BRCA-associated breast cancer, particularly among BRCA1 mutation carriers. Future studies with larger samples and prospective follow-up are needed (1).

Among the different types of biomaterials, natural excipients gum acacia (GA) is economic and has the potential for controlled drug delivery. We have synthesized GA microspheres by co-precipitation method and characterized them by XRD, FESEM, 1H NMR, FTIR, UV visible spectra and DLS. Despite its potential anti-cancer activity, solubility of curcumin is very low rendering its limit in application. We have used GA microspheres where curcumin can be loaded comfortably and thereby increases its bioavailability. The cytotoxicity of curcumin encapsulated GA microspheres was evaluated on triple negative breast cancer cell lines. They were found to induce apoptosis by perturbing the mitochondrial membrane potential. Folic acid was conjugated to curcumin encapsulated GA microspheres, for delivering it specifically to the cancer cells. The in-vivo study in BALB/C mice model exhibited more tumor regression in case of folic acid targeted curcumin encapsulated GA microsphere. Our results implicates that these microspheres can be an effective therapeutic agent to folate receptors over expressing cancer cells (2).

B-vitamins are a group of soluble vitamins which are cofactors of some of the enzymes involved in the metabolic pathways of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. These compounds participate in a number of functions as cardiovascular, brain or nervous systems. Folic acid is described as an accessible and multifunctional niche component that can be used safely, even combined with other compounds, which gives it high versatility. Also, due to its non-toxicity and great stability, folic acid has attracted much attention from researchers in the biomedical and bioengineering area, with an increasing number of works directed at using folic acid and its derivatives in tissue engineering therapies as well as regenerative medicine. Thus, this review provides an updated discussion about the most relevant advances achieved during the last five years, where folic acid and other vitamins B have been used as key bioactive compounds for enhancing the effectiveness of biomaterials' performance and biological functions for the regeneration of tissues and organs (3).

The Government of Canada and the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada both recommend a daily multivitamin supplement containing 400 µg folic acid (FA) for the primary prevention of neural tube defects among low-risk women from before conception and throughout lactation. Prenatal supplements marketed and prescribed in Canada typically exceed the recommended dose, usually providing ≥1000 µg FA/d. This high daily dose, coupled with staple-food FA fortification, has resulted in the observation of very high blood folate concentrations among reproductive-aged women consuming FA-containing supplements. The long-term consequences of high folate status on fetal development are unknown; however, evidence from animal studies and some human epidemiologic data suggest potential adverse consequences. To address this issue, a workshop was convened with the overall goal to identify challenges and solutions to aligning supplemental FA intakes with current evidence-based recommendations. Thirty-eight stakeholders from academia, industry, government, and health professional groups participated. Group discussions facilitated the identification and prioritization of 5 key challenges for which solutions and implementation strategies were proposed. The 5 themes encompassed clarity and harmonization of evidence-based guidelines, reformulation or relabeling of FA-containing supplements, access to FA for all women, knowledge dissemination strategies and education of the public and health care professionals, and attitude change to overcome the perception of "more is better." A combination of the proposed implementation strategies involving all key stakeholders and directed to health care professionals and the public may enable a sustainable change to align FA intake during the periconceptional period with evidence-based recommendations (4).

References____________________________________

(1) Folic acid supplement use and breast cancer risk in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers: a case-control study.
Kim SJ, Zhang CXW, Demsky R, Armel S, Kim YI, Narod SA, Kotsopoulos J.
Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2019 Jan 2. doi: 10.1007/s10549-018-05118-3.

(2) Folic acid conjugated curcumin loaded biopolymeric gum acacia microsphere for triple negative breast cancer therapy in invitro and invivo model.
Pal K, Roy S, Parida PK, Dutta A, Bardhan S, Das S, Jana K, Karmakar P.
Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl. 2019 Feb 1;95:204-216. doi: 10.1016/j.msec.2018.10.071. Epub 2018 Oct 22.

(3) Tissue Engineering Therapies Based on Folic Acid and Other Vitamin B Derivatives. Functional Mechanisms and Current Applications in Regenerative Medicine.
Fernández-Villa D, Jiménez Gómez-Lavín M, Abradelo C, San Román J, Rojo L.
Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Dec 16;19(12). pii: E4068. doi: 10.3390/ijms19124068. Review.

(4) Periconceptional intake of folic acid among low-risk women in Canada: summary of a workshop aiming to align prenatal folic acid supplement composition with current expert guidelines.
Lamers Y, MacFarlane AJ, O'Connor DL, Fontaine-Bisson B.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2018 Dec 1;108(6):1357-1368. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqy212.

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