Modification of the effect of tamoxifen,cis‐platin, DTIC, and interferon‐α2b on human melanoma cells in culture by a mixture of vitamins

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Abstract
The effect of a mixture of vitamins in modifying the efficacy of commonly used drugs in the treatment of human melanoma has not been studied. Vitamin C and d‐α‐tocopheryl succinate (α‐TS) alone reduced the growth of human melanoma (SK‐30) cells in culture, whereas β‐carotene (BC), 13‐cis‐retinoic acid (RA), or sodium selenite alone was ineffective. RA caused morphological changes, as evidenced by flattening of cells and formation of short cytoplasmic processes. A mixture of four vitamins (vitamin C, BC, α‐TS, and RA) was more effective in reducing growth of human melanoma cells than a mixture of three vitamins. The growth‐inhibitory effect of cis‐platin, decarbazine, tamoxifen, and recombinant interferon‐α2b was enhanced by vitamin C alone, a mixture of three vitamins (BC, α‐TS, and RA), and a mixture of four vitamins (vitamin C, BC, α‐TS, and RA) that contained 50 μg/ml of vitamin C. These data show that a mixture of three or four vitamins can enhance the growth‐inhibitory effect of currently used chemotherapeutic agents on human melanoma cells.