6-Amino-6-deoxyascorbic acid induces apoptosis in human tumor cells.

6-Amino-6-deoxyascorbic acid was found to inhibit human tumor cell growth. The antitumor effect depends on the tumor type and concentration of the acid. After cell treatment with 6-amino-6-deoxyascorbic acid, drastic morphological changes were found. Although image analysis did not show a difference in p53 and c-myc gene expression, the appearance of chromatin aggregation and DNA fragmentation points to apoptosis or programmed cell death.