Auhtors: Welsh J, Bak MJ, Narvaez CJ

PMID: 36028390 PMCID: PMC9509427 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2022.07.002

Abstract

Phylloquinone (vitamin K1) and menaquinones (vitamin K2 family) are essential for post-translational γ-carboxylation of a small number of proteins, including clotting factors. These modified proteins have now been implicated in diverse physiological and pathological processes including cancer. Vitamin K intake has been inversely associated with cancer incidence and mortality in observational studies. Newly discovered functions of vitamin K in cancer cells include activation of the steroid and xenobiotic receptor (SXR) and regulation of oxidative stress, apoptosis, and autophagy. We provide an update of vitamin K biology, non-canonical mechanisms of vitamin K actions, the potential functions of vitamin K-dependent proteins in cancer, and observational trials on vitamin K intake and cancer.

Keywords: Gla proteins; cancer; menaquinone; phylloquinone; vitamin K

More on: Cancer Care

More on: Vitamin K1