Comparative study of X-ray treatment and photodynamic therapy by using 5-aminolevulinic acid conjugated gold nanoparticles in a melanoma cell line.

PURPOSE: The most important challenges in photodynamic therapy (PDT) are related to the limited penetration of light and the low uptake of photosensitizers. In radiotherapy, they are correlated to radiation damage of normal tissues. Therefore, a targeted radio and photosensitizer can reduce the limitations of the mentioned methods. In this study, photosensitizing and radio-sensitizing effects of 5-aminolevulinic acid (5ALA)-conjugated GNPs were investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: First, cell toxicities of 5ALA, GNPs and a conjugate were assessed on Mel-Rm cell line. Then, the radio sensitizing effect of every agent was studied. Different experiments were designed in four separate groups, each group containing six subgroups receiving different radiation doses by using a superficial X-ray tube. Furthermore, the photosensitizing efficacy of the agents was evaluated after cells were irradiated by a He-Ne laser at four light doses in separate groups. RESULTS: With regards to radio sensitivity assessments, there was no significant difference between different irradiation doses. The investigation on photosensitivity of 5ALA and a conjugate showed significant differences between the control (without illumination) and groups that received PDT in the presence of 5ALA and conjugate, wherein ED50 were estimated at 136.2 J/cm2 and 56.2 J/cm2, respectively. With regards to PDT experiments, the conjugate induces cell death more than twice in comparison with 5ALA. CONCLUSION: The conjugate does not cause any enhancement of radiation efficiency on MeL-Rm cell line. With regards to PDT, we found that the conjugate induced cell death at twice the rate when compared with 5ALA alone. Therefore, the conjugate can be an appropriate delivery agent for 5ALA and may also enhance the destruction of tumor cells. Finally, comparing the two types of treatment shows that PDT is a more efficient treatment for this cell line.

The Stromal Overexpression of CD10 in Invasive Breast Cancer and its Association with Clincophathologic Factors.

BACKGROUND: Breast carcinoma is the most common non-skin malignancy in women. More recently, it has been suggested that extracellular proteinase has also regulated growth factors and cytokines that might contribute to tumor progression. CD10 is a 90-110kd cell surface zinc-dependent metalloproteinase. Since CD10 is structurally similar to matrix metalloproteinase and stromelysin, it might facilitate cancer cell invasion and/or metastasis. The aim of this study was investigation the rate of CD10 expression in the stromal cells of invasive ductal breast carcinomas, Immunohistochemical aspects, then any other aspects to be able to clarify its correlation with other clinicopathological factors of this disease. METHODS: One hundred patients with histopathologic diagnosis of invasive ductal carcinoma and 50 patients with fibroadenoma of breast (as the control group) have selected, then 150 paraffin blocks have obtained. The stained slides by immunohistochemistry method for CD10 marker have examined separately by two pathologists, and discrepancies have reviewed in common session to get the final result. RESULTS: Stromal CD10 has detected in 28% of the IDC. No kind of immunoreactivity has identified in the stromal cells of normal breast. Stromal CD10 expression in IDC has significantly correlated with increasing tumor size (p<0.001), increasing histologic grade (p<0.001), the presence of nodal metastases (p<0.001) and estrogen receptor negative status (p=0.003). CONCLUSION: Stromal CD10 expression in IDC has closely correlated with invasion and metastasis and it might play an important role in the pathogenesis of IDC.

Correlation of serum and salivary CA125 levels in patients with breast cancer.

AIM: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between serum and saliva levels of cancer antigen (CA) 125 and compare them among healthy women and patients with treated and untreated breast cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: CA125 levels were assayed in serum and unstimulated whole saliva of 25 normal healthy women, 24 patients with untreated breast cancer, and 23 patients with treated breast cancer using enzyme immunoassay (EIA) kits. RESULTS: The mean saliva and serum CA125 levels were significantly higher in untreated cancer women compared to healthy and treated groups. The serum and saliva CA125 levels showed a significant modest positive correlation (r=0.38; p=0.01). CONCLUSION: CA125 level in saliva is higher than in serum with a modest positive correlation between each other. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Serum and salivary CA125 levels were significantly higher in women with untreated breast cancer than healthy women and women who were treated for breast cancer.

Expression of p53 in colorectal carcinoma: correlation with clinicopathologic features.

BACKGROUND: The p53 gene mutation is closely related to carcinogenesis in most malignant diseases. The main function of wild p53 protein is to maintain the integrity of genes by detecting mutations and preventing the division of cells with damaged DNA. The mutated form of p53 protein is overexpressed due to an extended half-life and can be easily detected by immunohistochemistry. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the frequency of p53 protein overexpression in colorectal carcinoma and its correlation with some clinicopathologic variables. METHODS: One hundred paraffin-preserved colorectal carcinoma samples were collected randomly from patients undergoing tumor resection from April 1995 through April 2001 in Omid Hospital, affiliated to Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. The overexpression of p53 protein was studied using a monoclonal antibody (clone DO-7; Dako). The number of cells stained were classified semiquantitatively as (-): <5% positive cells, (+): 5 - 25% positive cells, (++): 25 - 75% positive cells, and (+++): >75% positive cells. Clinicopathologic data including gender, age, tumor location, histologic type, and stage (Astler-Coller) were collected from the files maintained at the Department of Pathology. The correlation between p53 protein overexpression and each variable was evaluated using Chi-square analysis. RESULTS: p53 staining was positive in 59 of 100 specimens. Out of these 100 specimens, 16 were weekly (+), 16 moderately (++), and 27 intensely (+++) positive for p53 protein over-expression. There was no significant correlation between p53 staining and gender (P = 0.34), age (< 40 vs. > or = 40 yr; P = 0.74), site of tumor (right vs. left colon and rectum; P = 0.26), pathologic type (mucinous vs. nonmucinous; P = 0.63), and stage of the disease (P = 0.12). CONCLUSION: Considering the p53 protein overexpression in a relatively high percentage of patients, it seems that p53 mutation plays an important role in development of colorectal carcinoma. There was no significant association between p53 protein expression and some common clinicopathologic variables such as age, gender, site of tumor, pathologic type, and stage of the disease.