Cancer-Specific Therapy by Artificial Modulation of Intracellular Calcium Concentration

Calcium (Ca2+) hemeostasis is crucial for the normal function of cellular biochemistry. The abnormal frequency of Ca2+ signaling in cancer cells makes them more vulnerable to Ca2+ modulation than normal cells. Here in this study, a novel cancer-specific therapy by artificially triggering Ca2+ overload in cancer cells is proposed. The feasibility of this therapy is illustrated by successful coupling of selective extrusion (Ca2+) inhibition effect of Curcumin (Cur) and the effective Ca2+ generating capability of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) into a facilely prepared water responsive phospholipid (PL)-ACC hybrid platform (PL/ACC-Cur). The obtained results demonstrate that PL/ACC-Cur can specifically boost the intracellular Ca2+ concentration to cause Ca2+ overload and to trigger mitochondria-related apoptosis in MCF-7 cells while sparing normal hepatocyte (L02), which might be a promising approach for effective cancer therapy.