The synergistic effect exerted by the HDAC inhibitor SAHA and the sesquiterpene lactone parthenolide on triple negative breast canc er cells

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype o f breast cancer, insensitive to endocrine therapy. Chemotherapy is the main form of treatment, but is accompanied by a high rate of recidivism. The sesquiterpene lactone Parthenolide (PN) exerts a cy totoxic effect on MDA-MB231 cells, a TNBC cell line (1), but was ineffective at low doses (2-5μM). This repr esents an obstacle for a therapeutic utilization of PN. We supposed, in line with other authors (2), that PN c auses a protective response, which at low doses pre vails on the cytotoxic effect. With the aim of inhibiting this protective effect we have shown that pre-trea tment of MDA-MB231 cells with SAHA (2-5μM), an histone deace tylat…

Effetti benefici degli oli essenziali nel trattamento anti-obesità

The apoptotic effects and synergistic interaction of sodium butyrate and MG132 in human retinoblastoma Y79 cells

This study deals with the apoptotic effect exerted on human retinoblastoma Y79 cells by both sodium butyrate and an inhibitor of 26S proteasome [z-Leu-Leu-Leu-CHO (MG132)] and their synergistic effect. Exposure to sodium butyrate (1-4 mM) induced an accumulation of cells in the G2-M phase that was already visible after 24 h of treatment, when morphological and biochemical signs of apoptosis appeared only in a small number of cells (5-10%). Thereafter, the apoptotic effects increased progressively with slow kinetics, reaching a maximum after 72 h of exposure, when they concerned a large fraction of cells (>75% with 4 mM sodium butyrate). Sodium butyrate stimulated the conversion of procaspas…

Increased cyclin E level in retinoblastoma cells during programmed cell death

Ethanol promotes survival and tumor progression of colon cancer cells

In the Western Countries, colon cancer is the third tumor for aggressiveness and incidence after lung and breast/prostate cancer. Different risk factors concur to the development of colon cancer, including genetic factors, inflammation, intestinal microflora composition, as well as lifestyle. Epidemiologic studies correlating alcohol consumption and assert that the risks are 5-fold higher among drinkers compared to nondrinkers. However, the exact mechanisms correlating heavy alcohol drinking and colon cancer are not completely elucidated yet. To shed light on the biochemical mechanisms through which alcohol favors colon cancer progression, we evaluated the effect of high doses of ethanol (1…