Comment

Enhanced supplementation with certain naturally occurring nutrients and vitamins has been associated with a reduction in occurrence and progression of human cancer. The exact mechanisms of this action are still under investigation. Extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a key role in the development of cancer. Therefore, we studied whether nutrients could exert anti-cancer effects through alteration of ECM biological properties. The results demonstrated that the ECM produced by normal fibroblasts treated with a mixture of ascorbic acid, lysine, proline, arginine, cysteine, and green tea polyphenols significantly reduced the growth rate and invasive activity of osteosarcoma cells in contrast to the non-supplemented control. We conclude that anti-cancer effects of nutrients involve beneficial changes in ECM biological properties.