TITLE:
Lifeceramics-Treated Water Suppresses the Migration and Invasion of Human Cancer Cells and Has Antioxidative Effects
AUTHORS:
Kazuko Kita, Masaki Fukuyo, Bahityar Rahmutulla, Atsushi Kaneda, Nobuo Suzuki
KEYWORDS:
Lifeceramics, Cancer Cells, Suppression of Migration and Invasion, Reactive Oxygen Species, Antioxidative Effects
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.14 No.6,
June
12,
2026
ABSTRACT: An increase in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) leads to the promotion of ROS-dependent cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and metastasis, and it has been reported that treatment of metastatic cancer cells with ROS scavengers suppresses their metastatic potential. Using cultured human cells, we have previously reported the antioxidative effects of lifeceramics (LC)-treated water (LC water) prepared by mixing MiliQ water with LC particles comprising zeolite and oyster shells. In this study, we investigated effects of culture medium prepared using LC water (LCM) on proliferation, migration, and invasion of human cancer cells, along with the accumulation of ROS. We found that migratory and invasive capacities, assessed in vitro using Transwell assays, were lower in LCM-cultured RKO colorectal and MKN45 gastric cancer cells than in the cancer cells cultured in control medium prepared with MilliQ water (ContM). Using a fluorescence probe, we detected reductions in both intracellular ROS accumulation and H2O2-induced ROS production in the LCM-cultured cells compared with the ContM-cultured cells. Furthermore, treatment of RKO cells with the antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine resulted in a suppression of migration and invasion. In addition, gene expression analysis based on RNA-seq revealed that genes down-regulated in the LCM-cultured cancer cells compared with the ContM-cultured cells were enriched in gene ontology terms related to oxidative stress, suggesting a reduction in oxidative stress in the LCM-cultured cells. Some of these down-regulated genes are involved in oxidative stress-induced migration, invasion, or epithelial-mesenchymal transition in cancer cells. Collectively, our findings in this study indicate that exposure to LCM has migration-/invasion-suppressive and antioxidative effects in the two human cancer cells examined. Furthermore, these findings suggest that the antioxidative effects of LC water contribute to the migration-/invasion-suppressive effects of LCM culture in association with the down-regulation of genes involved in oxidative stress-induced cancer progression.