Search results for "AMA"

Anisakis pegreffii (Nematoda: Anisakidae) products modulate oxidative stress and apoptosis-related biomarkers in human cell lines

2016

Background In countries with elevated prevalence of zoonotic anisakiasis and high awareness of this parasitosis, a considerable number of cases that associate Anisakis sp. (Nematoda, Anisakidae) and different bowel carcinomas have been described. Although neoplasia and embedded larvae were observed sharing the common site affected by chronic inflammation, no association between the nematode and malignancy were directly proved. Similarly, no data are available about the effect of secretory and excretory products of infecting larvae at the host’s cellular level, except in respect to allergenic interaction. Methods To test the mechanisms by which human non-immune cells respond to the larvae, w…

In Vitro Study of the Cytotoxic, Cytostatic, and Antigenotoxic Profile of Hemidesmus indicus (L.) R.Br. (Apocynaceae) Crude Drug Extract on T Lymphob…

2018

In traditional Indian medicine, the crude drug Hemidesmus indicus root—commonly known as Indian sarsaparilla—is used alone or in poly-herbal preparations for the treatment of a wide range of diseases. The present study focuses on the cancer chemopreventive and therapeutic potential of H. indicus extracts on an acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line (CCRF-CEM). With this aim in mind, we subjected H. indicus roots to two subsequent extractions (hydro-alcoholic extraction and soxhlet extraction). As DNA damage is an important prerequisite for the induction of mutations/cancer by genotoxic carcinogens, cancer chemoprevention may be achieved by preventing genotoxicity. Through an integrated …

Modification of DNA structure by reactive nitrogen species as a result of 2-methoxyestradiol–induced neuronal nitric oxide synthase uncoupling in met…

2020

Abstract 2-methoxyestradiol (2-ME) is a physiological anticancer compound, metabolite of 17β-estradiol. Previously, our group evidenced that from mechanistic point of view one of anticancer mechanisms of action of 2-ME is specific induction and nuclear hijacking of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), resulting in local generation of nitro-oxidative stress and finally, cancer cell death. The current study aims to establish the substantial mechanism of generation of reactive nitrogen species by 2-ME. We further achieved to identify the specific reactive nitrogen species involved in DNA-damaging mechanism of 2-ME. The study was performed using metastatic osteosarcoma 143B cells. We detected…

Genotoxicity testing: Comparison of the γH2AX focus assay with the alkaline and neutral comet assays

2017

Genotoxicity testing relies on the quantitative measurement of adverse effects, such as chromosome aberrations, micronuclei, and mutations, resulting from primary DNA damage. Ideally, assays will detect DNA damage and cellular responses with high sensitivity, reliability, and throughput. Several novel genotoxicity assays may fulfill these requirements, including the comet assay and the more recently developed γH2AX assay. Although they are thought to be specific for genotoxicants, a systematic comparison of the assays has not yet been undertaken. In the present study, we compare the γH2AX focus assay with the alkaline and neutral versions of the comet assay, as to their sensitivities and li…

DNA-BINDING and DNA-protecting activities of small natural organic molecules and food extracts

2020

The review summarizes literature data on the DNA-binding, DNA-protecting and DNA-damaging activities of a range of natural human endogenous and exogenous compounds. Small natural organic molecules bind DNA in a site-specific mode, by arranging tight touch with the structure of the major and minor grooves, as well as individual bases in the local duplex DNA. Polyphenols are the best-studied exogenous compounds from this point of view. Many of them demonstrate hormetic effects, producing both beneficial and damaging effects. An attempt to establish the dependence of DNA damage or DNA protection on the concentration of the compound turned out to be successful for some polyphenols, daidzein, ge…

Inherent and toxicant-provoked reduction in DNA repair capacity: A key mechanism for personalized risk assessment, cancer prevention and intervention…

2018

Abstract Genomic investigations reveal novel evidence which indicates that genetic predisposition and inherent drug response are key factors for development of cancer and for poor response to therapy. However, mechanisms for these outcomes and interactions with environmental factors have not been well-characterized. Therefore, cancer risk, prevention, intervention and prognosis determinations have still mainly been based on population, rather than on individualized, evaluations. The objective of this review was to demonstrate that a key mechanism which contributes to the determination is inherent and/or toxicant-provoked reduction in DNA repair capacity. In addition, functional and quantita…

2016

DNA damage can significantly modulate expression of the affected genes either by direct structural interference with transcription components or as a collateral outcome of cellular repair attempts. Thus, DNA glycosylases of the base excision repair (BER) pathway have been implicated in negative transcriptional response to several spontaneously generated DNA base modifications, including a common oxidative DNA base modification 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG). Here, we report that single 8-oxoG situated in the non-transcribed DNA strand of a reporter gene has a pronounced negative effect on transcription, driven by promoters of various strength and with different structural properties, including viral…

Regulation of Dendritic Spine Morphology in Hippocampal Neurons by Copine-6.

2015

Dendritic spines compartmentalize information in the brain, and their morphological characteristics are thought to underly synaptic plasticity. Here we identify copine-6 as a novel modulator of dendritic spine morphology. We found that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) - a molecule essential for long-term potentiation of synaptic strength - upregulated and recruited copine-6 to dendritic spines in hippocampal neurons. Overexpression of copine-6 increased mushroom spine number and decreased filopodia number, while copine-6 knockdown had the opposite effect and dramatically increased the number of filopodia, which lacked PSD95. Functionally, manipulation of post-synaptic copine-6 level…

Correlation between micro-hardness and mineral content in healthy human enamel

2016

Background Enamel is the hardest and the stiffest tissue in the human body. The enamel undergoes multidirectional stresses, withstands multimillion chewing cycles, all while protecting the internal dentin and pulp from damage due to mechanical overload and exposure to the harsh chemical environment of the mouth. Raman spectroscopy allows to study enamel mineral content in a non-destructive and site-specific way. While Raman spectroscopy has been applied in other studies to assess tooth mineralization, there are no studies that examine the relationship between micro-hardness and mineral content of the untreated enamel. An understanding of this relationship is extremely important in a clinica…

Circadian rhythms in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal diseases

2018

The etiology of digestive pathologies such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and cancer is not yet fully understood. In recent years, several studies have evidenced circadian variations in mechanisms involved in digestive health. In situations of disturbed circadian rhythms (chronodisruption) where the central clock and the peripheral clocks receive incoherent signals, the synchronicity is lost producing implications for health. This lack of coordination could alter the tissue function and cause long term damage to the organs. Life habits such as sleep, physical exercise, social interaction, and feeding times are determinants for stability and integrity of…