I agree strongly with the D3 recommendation but I would not recommend resveratrol, not for melanoma. While there are even here some hints in vitro it could help through radiosensitization and upregulating of TRAIL surface expression I would not take it. (1) In vivo it tended not to stop, but stimulate melanoma growth and lung metastasis (perhaps through its metabolite piceatannol) although they used a resveratrol sensitive melanoma cell line. For this in vivo study resveratrol was given in food and also as subcutaneous pellet next to newly palpated tumors. No positive effects. (2)
"Another possibility is the presence of the resveratrol metabolite piceatannol in the skin. We found that this compound can stimulate lung metastasis of a mouse melanoma cell line B16-BL6 when cells were injected into the tail vein of the syngeneic mice."I would perhaps switch to more effective compounds like
mebendazole and the plant stress hormone
methyl jasmonate which works even toxic on melanoma cells in vivo and slows down the metastasis to the lungs. The only problem with methyl jasmonate is that it was given i.v. at a dosage of 75 mg/kg, but to be honest if I had melanoma there would just be few things I wouldn`t try. (3)
One other plant stress hormone is salicylic acid, the acetylated version
(aspirin, ASA) is showing some properties against melanoma, its way of action underlines how important it is to avoid antioxidants during cancer therapy. (4)
"Our investigation suggests that quinone species, intracellular GSH depletion, ROS formation, and mitochondrial toxicity significantly contributed toward ASA selective toxicity in melanocytic SK-MEL-28 melanoma cells."What is also interesting is
terpinen-4-ol a compound from tea tree oil. (5)
A combination of several pharmaceutical agents should be used in order to hit the melanoma through different pathways.
(1)
Radiosensitization of melanoma cells through combined inhibition of protein regulators of cell survival.
Johnson GE, Ivanov VN, Hei TK.
Apoptosis. 2008 Jun;13(6):790-802.
(2)
Resveratrol is rapidly metabolized in athymic (nu/nu) mice and does not inhibit human melanoma xenograft tumor growth.
Niles RM, Cook CP, Meadows GG, Fu YM, McLaughlin JL, Rankin GO.
J Nutr. 2006 Oct;136(10):2542-6.
(3)
Effects of natural and novel synthetic jasmonates in experimental metastatic melanoma.
Reischer D, Heyfets A, Shimony S, Nordenberg J, Kashman Y, Flescher E.
Br J Pharmacol. 2007 Mar;150(6):738-49. Epub 2007 Feb 12.
(4)
Biochemical mechanism of acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin) selective toxicity toward melanoma cell lines.
Vad NM, Yount G, Moridani MY.
Melanoma Res. 2008 Dec;18(6):386-99.
(5)
Terpinen-4-ol, the main component of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil inhibits the in vitro growth of human melanoma cells.
Calcabrini A, Stringaro A, Toccacieli L, Meschini S, Marra M, Colone M, Salvatore G, Mondello F, Arancia G, Molinari A.
J Invest Dermatol. 2004 Feb;122(2):349-60.
http://www.nature.co...ml#figure-title
