Effect of methyl jasmonate and 3-bromopyruvate combination therapy on mice bearing the 4 T1 breast cancer cell line.

Cancer cells apply the Warburg pathway to meet their increased metabolic demands caused by their rapid growth and proliferation and also creates an acidic environment to promote cancer cell invasion. 3-bromopyruvate (3-BrP) as an anti-cancer agent disrupts glycolytic pathway. Moreover, one of the mechanism of actions of Methyl Jasmonate (MJ) is interference in glycolysis. Hence, the aim of this study was to evaluate MJ and 3-BrP interaction. MTT assay was used to determine IC50 and synergistic concentrations. Combination index was applied to evaluate the drug- drug interaction. Human tumor xenograft breast cancer mice was used to evaluate drug efficacy in vivo. Tumor size was considered as a drug efficacy criterion. In addition to drug efficacy, probable side effects of these drugs including hepatotoxicity, renal failure, immunotoxicity, and losing weight were evaluated. Serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase for hepatotoxicity, serum urea and creatinine level for the possibility of renal failure and changes in body weight were measured to evaluate drug toxicity. IL10 and TGFß secretion in supernatant of isolated splenocytes from treated mice were assessed to check immunotoxicity. 3-BrP synergistically augmented the efficacy of MJ in the specific concentrations. This polytherapy was more effective than monotherapy of 3-BrP, MJ, and also surprisingly cyclophosphamide as a routine treatment for breast cancer in the tumor bearing mice. These results have been shown by decrease in tumor volume and increase of tumor growth inhibition percentage. This combination therapy didn't have any noticeable side effects on kidney, liver, and immune system and body weight.

Association of T/A polymorphism in miR-1302 binding site in CGA gene with male infertility in Isfahan population.

Infertility occurs in 10-15% of couples worldwide and close to half of it is caused by male factors. One of the genes that can affect male infertility is CGA. Polymorphisms in CGA gene may affect gene expression, therefore affecting male infertility by disrupting the regulation of this gene. One of the polymorphisms is the substitution of T with A in the miR-1302 binding site in the 3' untranslated region of the CGA gene. In this study, we explored this polymorphism in Isfahan population. In this case-control study, by the use of Tetra primer-ARMS-PCR technique, rs6631 has been investigated in 224 infertile men and 196 controls. Infertile men were recruited from Isfahan Fertility and Infertility Center. Analysis of genotype and allele frequencies indicated that the differences between case and control populations were significant for rs6631 because P = 0.00 which is above the threshold. We found a significant relationship between this polymorphism and male infertility. This study which performed for the first time in Iran suggests that polymorphism in CGA gene can affect male infertility. Also, this polymorphism has high heterozygosity, so it can be used for further studies in different populations.