Effects of exercise training together with tamoxifen in reducing mammary tumor burden in mice: Possible underlying pathway of miR-21.

Exercise training has an anti-tumor effect and can reduce tumor growth; however, the exact underlying mechanisms of its protective effects are still obscure. MicroRNA (miR)-21 is a predictor in cancer survival, and has a potential use as an indicator of therapeutic outcome in breast malignancies. Forty-eight female BALB/c mice were equally divided into six groups to investigate the effects of interval exercise training with tamoxifen on miR-21 expression and its possible assumed mechanisms in an estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer model. ELISA, immunohistochemistry, western blot, qRT-PCR assays were performed at the end of the study. Tumor size was significantly declined in exercise training and tamoxifen groups compared to tumor group (P<0.05). Expression of miR-21 was significantly down-regulated in trained and tamoxifen treated mice in comparison with tumor group (P<0.05). Exercise training was as effective as tamoxifen treatment in decreasing serum estradiol and ER-α expression (P<0.05). Exercise training and tamoxifen reduced tumor IL-6 levels, NF-kB and STAT3 expressions, and up-regulated TPM1 and PDCD4 expressions (P<0.05). Both exercise and tamoxifen had synergistic effects in reducing miR-21 and Bcl-2, and up-regulating PDCD4 expression. Results showed that interval exercise training may reduce mammary tumor burden in mice through possible underlying pathway of miR-21.

Tumor suppression effects of myoepithelial cells on mice breast cancer.

Several studies have assumed that myoepithelial cells (MECs) loss may contribute to epithelial tumor induction and/or progression. We adopted an in vitro assay and a syngeneic mice breast cancer model with histological and molecular characteristics resembling human lesions to evaluate tumor suppression effects of MECs. Flow cytometric, cell viability, blood chemistry, transmission electron microscope, immunohistochemistry and qRT-PCR assays were performed at the end of the study. We demonstrated that MECs could significantly suppress the viability of cancer cells at different time points (P<0.05). At the end of the fourth and fifth weeks, treated mice had smaller tumor volume compared with control animals. Average tumor volume was significantly less in treated groups than control group at days 21 (0.38±0.19 vs. 1.99±0.13 cm3), 28 (0.57±0.3 vs. 2.5±0.37 cm3) and 35 (0.7±0.35 vs. 2.65±0.4 cm3) after tumor cell injection (P<0.05). No hematological, hepatocellular, and renal toxicities were seen in MECs treated groups. Ultrastructural features revealed severe relationship between adjacent tumoral cells and loose interconnections of neoplastic cells in treated group. Immunohistochemical examinations of breast tumors showed high p63 and low alpha-smooth muscle actin protein expression in treated mice compared to control (P<0.05). MRNA expressions of TNF-α, smooth muscle-myosin heavy chain, connexin 43, and maspin were significantly up-regulated in breast tumor tissues in treated group compared to control (P<0.05). VEGF and alpha-smooth muscle actin mRNA expression were reduced in treated animals (P<0.05). The present study highlighted the potential tumor suppression effects of MECs on breast cancer in a typical animal model.

Protective effects of dendrosomal curcumin on an animal metastatic breast tumor.

Curcumin has been shown to inhibit migration and invasion of cancer angiogenesis via interacting with key regulatory molecules like NF-κB. Rapidly metabolized and conjugated in the liver, curcumin has the limited systemic bioavailability. Previous results have shown a new light of potential biocompatibility, biodegradability, as well as anti-cancer effects of dendrosomal curcumin (DNC) in biological systems. The present study aims to deliberate the protective effects of DNC on metastatic breast tumor in vitro and in vivo. After the dosing procedure, twenty-seven female mice were divided into 40 and 80mg/kg groups of DNC, along with a control group to investigate the anti-metastatic effects of DNC on mammary tumor-bearing mice. In vitro results showed that the different concentrations of DNC reduced the migration and the adhesion of 4T1 cells after 24h (P<0.05). Under the dosing procedure, DNC was safe at 80mg/kg and lower doses. The treated DNC animals had a higher survival rate and lower metastatic signs (14%) compared to control (100%) (P<0.05). The metastatic tumors were more common in control mice than the treated groups in the lung, the liver and the sternum tissues. Animals treated with DNC had smaller tumor volume in comparison with control group (P<0.05). Final mean tumor volume reached to approximately 1.11, 0.31 and 0.27cm(3) in the control, and 40 and 80mg/kg DNC groups, respectively (P<0.05). Furthermore, suppression of NF-κB expression by DNC led to down-regulation of VEGF, COX-2, and MMP-9 expressions in the breast tumor, the lung, the brain, the spleen and the liver tissues (P<0.05). These outcomes indicate that dendrosomal curcumin has a chemoprotective effect on the breast cancer metastasis through suppression of NF-κB and its regulated gene products.

Encapsulation of curcumin in diblock copolymer micelles for cancer therapy.

Application of nanoparticles has recently promising results for water insoluble agents like curcumin. In this study, we synthesized polymeric nanoparticle-curcumin (PNPC) and then showed its efficiency, drug loading, stability, and safety. Therapeutic effects of PNPC were also assessed on two cell lines and in an animal model of breast cancer. PNPC remarkably suppressed mammary and hepatocellular carcinoma cells proliferation (P < 0.05). Under the dosing procedure, PNPC was safe at 31.25 mg/kg and lower doses. Higher doses demonstrated minimal hepatocellular and renal toxicity in paraclinical and histopathological examinations. Tumor take rate in PNPC-treated group was 37.5% compared with 87.5% in control (P < 0.05). Average tumor size and weight were significantly lower in PNPC group than control (P < 0.05). PNPC increased proapoptotic Bax protein expression (P < 0.05). Antiapoptotic Bcl-2 protein expression, however, was lower in PNPC-treated animals than the control ones (P < 0.05). In addition, proliferative and angiogenic parameters were statistically decreased in PNPC-treated animals (P < 0.05). These results highlight the suppressing role for PNPC in in vitro and in vivo tumor growth models. Our findings provide credible evidence for superior biocompatibility of the polymeric nanocarrier in pharmacological arena together with an excellent tumor-suppressing response.

Survivin gene polymorphism association with tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

SUBJECT: Survivin expression is correlated with tumor aggressiveness and severity in head and neck carcinoma. A polymorphism at position -31 (G/C) (rs 9904341) has been associated with cancer risk in several studies. We evaluated the correlation of this polymorphism with clinical manifestation of patients with tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in an Irananian population. METHODS: Paraffin-embedded tissue sections from patients with tongue SCC (n=91) were evaluated for association between the survivin -31 (G/C) polymorphism and tumor staging, pathological grade, lymph node metastasis, tumor size, and recurrence of tumor. RESULTS: There was a significant increase of presence of allele C in patients who were at stages III and IV compared to patients with lower stages [GC+CC vs. GG, p=0.025, odds ratio [OR] 2.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.03-7.4]). In addition, presence of allele C was significantly decreased in patients with T1 tumor size compared to patients with larger tumor size (p=0.03, OR 0.6, 95% CI [0.2-2.03]). CONCLUSION: Presence of the C allele was significantly associated with tumor stage and size; therefore, survivin might be an important marker in the prognosis of tongue SCC that requires further investigation.

Chemoprevention of azoxymethane-initiated colon cancer in rat by using a novel polymeric nanocarrier--curcumin.

Curcumin is a potential natural anticancer drug with limited bioavailability due to the lack of solubility in aqueous solvents. The present study is designed to investigate the preventive effects of polymeric nanocarrier-curcumin (PNCC) on colon carcinogenesis in an azoxymethane-induced rat tumor. Forty rats were divided into control, curcumin- and PNCC-treated groups. Animals received azoxymethane (AOM) as a carcinogenic agent (15 mg/kg, s.c.) weekly for two consecutive weeks. They were given curcumin 0.2% and PNCC two weeks before till 14 weeks after the last injection of AOM. In the end, post euthanasia, the entire gastrointestinal tract was scrutinized for tumors, and the rest of the body for metastatic deposits. Tumor number, size and location were characterized. The histopathological and immunohistochemistry examinations were also performed on colon tissue. In vivo, curcumin nanoparticles inhibited colon cancer growth in animal model. The tumors incidence and number decreased by nanocurcumin comparison with control. Furthermore, the nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio, epithelial stratification, nuclear dispolarity, goblet depletion, structural abnormality, and the expression of Beta-catenin and Bcl-2 proteins were reduced in PNCC compared to others groups (P<0.05). In addition, Bax protein expression was significantly increased in PNCC in comparison with control and curcumin-treated groups (P<0.001). The present study demonstrated the potential anticancer effects of PNCC in a typical animal model. The results provide evidence that nanopolymeric curcumin exerts a significant chemopreventive effect on AOM-initiated colon cancer through cell proliferation inhibition and apoptosis induction. More investigations are needed to confirm its safety for human use.

Determining the inter- and intraobserver reproducibility of the diagnosis of endometrial hyperplasia subgroups and well-differentiated endometrioid carcinoma in endometrial curettage specimens.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have attempted to identify histologic features that help to distinguish atypical hyperplasia from hyperplasia without atypia and well-differentiated endometrioid carcinoma of the endometrium; however, few have evaluated the reproducibility of these diagnoses. METHODS: Five pathologists independently reviewed 100 endometrial curettage specimens chosen to represent the spectrum of proliferative lesions of the endometrium. This included simple hyperplasia, complex hyperplasia, atypical hyperplasia, and well-differentiated endometrioid carcinoma. Slides were reviewed once for interobserver agreement among the five pathologists and twice for intraobserver agreement by one of them. RESULTS: The results were assessed using the weighted kappa statistic. The mean intraobserver kappa value was 0.86. The mean interobserver kappa values by diagnostic category were as follows: simple hyperplasia without atypia: 0.74; complex hyperplasia without atypia: 0.33; atypical hyperplasia: 0.34, and well-differentiated endometrioid carcinoma: 0.64; with a kappa value of 0.53 for all cases combined. CONCLUSION: A major interobserver discrepancy exists in the diagnosis of complex and atypical hyperplasia which are the most similar mimics of endometrioid carcinoma.

Reproducibility determination of WHO classification of endometrial hyperplasia/well differentiated adenocarcinoma and comparison with computerized morphometric data in curettage specimens in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Management of endometrial precancerous lesions has been of much debate due to inconsistencies in their classification, natural history and histologic diagnosis. Endometrial hyperplasia constitutes a wide range of histomorphologic features associated with high intra and interobserver diagnostic variability.Although traditional microscopic diagnosis is by far the most applicable method and the gold standard for histomorphologic diagnosis, digitized image analysis has been used as a powerful adjunct to maximize the histologic data retrieval and to add some detailed objective criteria for correct diagnosis in difficult cases. METHODS: A series of 100 endometrial curettage specimens with diagnosis of endometrial hyperplasia or well differentiated adenocarcinoma were blindly reviewed by 5 pathologists; their intra and interobserver reproducibility determined and further compared to the objective morphometric data i.e. D-score and volume percent of stroma (VPS). RESULTS: The results were assessed using the weighted kappa statistics. Mean intraobserver kappa value was 0.8690 (99.44% agreement). Mean interobserver kappa values by diagnostic category were: simple hyperplasia without atypia: 0.7441; complex hyperplasia without atypia: 0.3379; atypical hyperplasia: 0.3473, and well-differentiated endometrioid carcinoma: 0.6428; with a kappa value of 0.5372 for all cases combined.Interobserver agreement was in substantial rate for simple hyperplasia (SH) and well differentiated adenocarcinoma (WDA) but was in fair limit for complex hyperplasia (CH) and atypical hyperplasia (AH). Intraobserver agreement was almost perfect. The specimens were divided in two groups according to the computerized morphometric analysis: Endometrial Hyperplasia (EH) ( D Score > or = 1 or VPS > or = 55%) and Endometrial Intraepithelial Neoplasia (EIN) (D-Score < 1 or VPS < 55%). Morphometric findings were closely compatible with routine WHO classification made by one expert pathologist; however; diagnosis of (CH) and (AH) made by other pathologists were not concordant with morphometric data. CONCLUSION: It may be necessary to make some revisions in WHO classification for endometrial hyperplasia and precancerous lesions.