The superoxide dismutase (SOD) is the principal antioxidant defense system in the body that is activated by a reactive oxygen species. Some variants of the SOD2 gene have been associated with cancer. ...The rs4880 variant was determined by PCR real-time and the rs5746136 variant by PCR-RFLP in healthy subjects and in breast cancer (BC) patients. The rs4880 and rs5746136 variants were associated with BC susceptibility when BC patients and the control group were compared for the CT, TT, CTCC, and the T alleles (p < 0.05). The CT genotype of the rs4880 variant showed significant statistical differences in patients and controls aged ≤ 45 years old, and with hormonal consumption (p < 0.05). The rs4880 variant was associated with BC patients with CTTT genotype and obesity, the presence of DM2-SAH, and a non-chemotherapy response (p < 0.05). Additionally, the rs5746136 variant was associated with susceptibility to BC with Ki-67 (≥20%), luminal A type BC, and a chemotherapy partial response (p < 0.05) in BC patients who carry TT, TC, and CTTT genotypes, respectively. The haplotype T/T (OR 1.98; 95% CI 1.20−3.26, p = 0.005) was observed to be a risk factor for BC. The rs4880 and rs5746136 variants in the SOD2 gene were associated with BC susceptibility.
The synthesis of cis and trans geometrical isomers of platinum( ii ) complexes with a symmetric N-heterocyclic carbene ligand ( Me NHC) is reported. These complexes were obtained from ...1,3-dimethylimidazolium-2-carboxylate, a masked NHC precursor. Their cytotoxicity, oxidative nature, and antibacterial behavior were investigated. The highest cytotoxic effect (IC 50 = 1.21 μM) was observed with the cis -Pt( Me NHC) 2 Cl 2 complex in the cervix cancerous cell line HeLa.
To evaluate the effect of Artemisia dracunculus on glycemic control, insulin sensitivity, and insulin secretion in patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). A randomized, double blind, ...placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed in 24 patients with diagnosis of IGT. Before and after the intervention, glucose and insulin levels were measured every 30 min for 2 h after a 75-g dextrose load, along with glycated hemoglobin A1c (A1C) and lipid profile. Twelve patients received A. dracunculus (1000 mg) before breakfast and dinner for 90 days; the remaining 12 patients received placebo. Area under the curve (AUC) of glucose and insulin, total insulin secretion, first phase of insulin secretion, and insulin sensitivity were calculated. Wilcoxon signed-rank, Mann-Whitney U, and chi-square tests were used for statistical analyses. The institutional ethics committee approved the protocol. After A. dracunculus administration, there were significant decreases in systolic blood pressure (SBP; 120.0 ± 11.3 vs. 113.0 ± 11.2 mmHg, P < .05), A1C (5.8 ± 0.3 vs. 5.6% ± 0.4%, P < .05), AUC of insulin (56,136.0 ± 27,426.0 vs. 44,472.0 ± 23,370.0 pmol/L, P < .05), and total insulin secretion (0.45 ± 0.23 vs. 0.35 ± 0.18, P < .05), with a significant increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (1.3 ± 0.3 vs. 1.4 ± 0.3 mmol/L, P < .05). There were no significant differences after placebo administration. A. dracunculus administration for 90 days in patients with IGT significantly decreased SBP, A1C, AUC of insulin, and total insulin secretion with a significant increase in HDL-C levels.
In the therapy of cancer, several treatments have been designed using nanomaterials, among which gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been featured as a promising antitumoral agent. Our research group has ...developed the synthesis of gold nanoparticles L-AuNPs and D-AuNPs stabilized with zwitterions of imidazolium (L-1 and D-1) derived from L-methionine and D-methionine. Because the stabilizer agent is chiral, we observed through circular dichroism that AuNPs also present chirality; such chirality as well as the fact that the stabilizing agent contains fragments of methionine and imidazolium that are commonly involved in biological processes, opens up the possibility that this system may have biological compatibility. Additionally, the presence of methionine in the stabilizing agent opens the application of this system as a possible antitumor agent because methionine is involved in methylation processes of molecules such as DNA.
The aim of this research is the evaluation of the antitumor activity of gold nanoparticles stabilized with zwitterions of imidazolium (L-AuNPs) derived from L-methionine in the model of BALB/c mice with lymphoma L5178Y.
Taking as a parameter cell density, the evaluation of the inhibitory effect of L-AuNPs was carried out with a series of in vivo tests in BALB/c type mice; three groups of five mice each were formed (Groups 1, 2 and 3); all mice were i.p. inoculated with the lymphoblast murine L5178Y. Group 1 consisted of mice without treatment. In the Groups 2 and 3 the mice were treated with L-AuNPs at 0.3 mg/Kg on days 1, 7 and 14 by orally and intraperitonally respectively.
These results show low antitumor activity of these gold nanoparticles (L-NPsAu) but interestingly, the imidazolium stabilizing agent of gold nanoparticle (L-1) displayed promising antitumor activity. On the other hand, the enantiomer of L-1, (D-1) as well as asymmetric imidazole derivate from L-methionine (L-2), do not exhibit the same activity as L-1.
The imidazolium stabilizing agent (L-1) displayed promising antitumor activity. Modifications in the structure of L-1 showed that, the stereochemistry (like D-1) and the presence of methionine fragments (like L-2) are determinants in the antitumor activity of this compound.
Layered double hydroxides (LDH) are matrices with interlayer anions that can be exchanged with several types of organic or inorganic anions. Due to the anion-exchange capability, hundreds of new ...materials have been prepared in the past two decades. Conversely, attempts to intercalate neutral molecules (and increase the range of applications) have been achieved by expanding the interlayer space with long-chain surfactants, thus allowing to exclusively retain highly hydrophobic molecules. This work describes a folate-intercalated LDH structure, where folate pillars are capable of forming both hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions with neutral molecules. Infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction data indicated that imidazole, urea and cyclophosphamide were successfully intercalated. This evidence increases the opportunity to prepare more novel materials with neutral molecules in LDH. The cyclophosphamide-LDH product here obtained represents a remarkable example of an LDH-based vehicle for a non-ionic anti-cancer drug used in current chemotherapies.
•A SFE of Citrus aurantifolia seed was carried out for limonoids extraction.•Limonin content was affected by process temperature, but not by process pressure.•SFEs resulted more efficient in time ...than solvent method for similar cytotoxicity against L5178Y lymphoma cells.
Citrus seeds are sources of secondary metabolites including limonoids, which have demonstrated cytotoxic activity. There are several reports of limonoid extraction methods. However, there are no studies that compare extraction methods and their optimization. The aim of this work was to evaluate two extraction methods for obtaining limonoid extracts from Citrus aurantifolia seeds and to evaluate their cytotoxic activity against L5178Y lymphoma cells. In solvent extraction, we evaluated two factors: time and solvent type, while for supercritical extraction, pressure and temperature were evaluated. Cytotoxic activities of extracts were carried out in vitro. Time and solvent did not affect cytotoxic activity, but they did affect limonin content and yield extraction. Supercritical extraction pressure did not affect the limonin yield, but latter was affected by temperature process. There was no difference in cytotoxic activity between extracts, showing an IC50 of 8.5μg/mL for supercritical CO2 and of 9μg/mL for solvent extracts.
Some studies, that consider polymorphisms of the apolipoprotein B (APOB) gene as risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD), have reported discordant results. The aim of the present study was to ...search for associations between plasma lipid profiles with the DNA Xba I polymorphism of the APOB gene in CAD patients diagnosed by angiography (CAD+). In the present study we compared 114 Mexican patients (80 men and 34 women) with CAD+ and 132 control patients (59 men and 73 women) without evidence of ischemia or arterial damage (CAD-). The frequency of X+/X+ genotype of Xba I polymorphism, in CAD+ group, was 23% (26/114) compared with 8% (11/132) in the CAD- (OR 3.25, p = 0.002). The patients with X+/X+ for the Xba I genotype APOB gene had higher concentration of triglycerides (TG) and VLDL in plasma than CAD- (p < 0.05). The genotype X+/X+ in the CAD had an effect increasing the TG and VLDL plasma levels when compared with individuals with X-/Xand X-/X+ genotypes. The present study indicated that the X+X+ genotype of Xba I polymorphism is associated with CAD+ patients and high plasma levels of TG and VLDL, in the Mexican population.
We investigated the cytotoxic and antitumor effects of nine leaf extracts from Artemisia dracunculus (Tarragon). Five extracts were obtained using different organic solvents and four by supercritical ...CO
. The cytotoxic effects were expressed as IC
in 100, 80, 80, 100, and 80 μg/mL by respective solvents: hexane, ethyl acetate, acetone, ethanol, and acetonitrile in L5178Y lymphoma cells. For supercritical CO
extract A, IC
was 100 μg/mL; for extracts C and D, IC
was 150 μg/mL. The antitumor activity was assessed through a tumor growth inhibition test that measured ascites fluid volume and tumor cell counts of BALB/c mice (2 × 10
cells L5178Y i.p.). Twenty-four hours after inoculation, mice were treated with 100 mg/kg of acetonitrile extract or extract SF-A daily for 15 days in independent groups of five mice, using two administration routes. We observed tumor evolution with and without treatment. Without treatment, tumor evolution was 17,969 × 10
± 5485 L5178Y cells in 2.6 mL ascites volume, whereas the orally treated acetonitrile extract group showed 0.1 × 10
± 0.07 L5178Y cells (P < .05). The oral SF-A group showed 12.9 × 10
± 243 L5178Y cells, and intraperitoneal (i.p.)-treated SF-A group showed 0.1 × 10
± 0.05 L5178Y cells (P < .05) without any ascites volume development. The acetonitrile extract contains abundant polyphenols and possibly a flavone with antioxidant activity. The SF-A contains abundant alkamides. Both extracts are complexes and the identity of the compounds responsible for observed antitumor activity remains unknown.
This study combines two methodologies – vector expression of a genomic library and proteomics – to identify immunogenic proteins of
Mycobacterium bovis. Immunization of BALB/c mice with a plasmid DNA ...pool from the library, containing approximately 8000 clones, induced a humoral response that facilitated the detection of 12 antigenic proteins by Western blotting. Two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE) and mass spectrometry identified four proteins (Cpn60-1, HSP70, EF-Tu, and AdoHcyase). Such genomic immunization offers the possibility of in vivo screening of potential candidate
M. bovis antigens.
The effect of an ethanolic extract from the stem bark of
Bursera fagaroides on ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity
in vitro and on the growth of
Entamoeba histolytica was evaluated. For this ...purpose, increasing concentrations of the extract, up to 8.0
mg/mL, were added to amoeba cultures or ODC reaction mixtures, which were incubated at 37
°C. Metronidazole and G418 were added as controls. After 1.5 and 72
h, the ODC activity
in vitro and growth, respectively, were determined. Results revealed a strong inhibition of growth with IC
50 values on the order of 0.05
mg/mL. ODC activity, on the other hand, was inhibited by 12% and 50% at concentrations of 4.0 and 8.0
mg/mL, respectively.
