Vitamin-mediated cancer immune reprogramming: Context-dependent mechanisms and translational perspectives

Figure 1 Vitamins can regulate anti-tumor immunity through both reductive/antioxidant and oxidative/pro-oxidant mechanisms. In reductive regulatory programs, vitamins enhance immune-cell functions that support tumor elimination, including macrophage phagocytosis and cytotoxicity, T-cell-mediated killing, B-cell activation, NK-cell oncolytic activity, and DC differentiation and maturation. In oxidative programs, pharmacological vitamin exposure, especially high-dose ascorbate in susceptible contexts, can increase ROS-dependent stress, damage tumor-cell proteins and organelles, and promote tumor-cell death. NK: Natural killer; DC: Dendritic cell; ROS: Reactive oxygen species.