Oil rich in carotenoids instead of vitamins C and E as a better option to reduce doxorubicin-induced damage to normal cells of Ehrlich tumor-bearing mice: hematological, toxicological and histopathological evaluations.

The development of therapeutic strategies to attenuate chemotherapy toxicity represents an area of great interest in cancer research, and among them is nutritional therapy based on antioxidants. As research on this topic is still controversial and scarce, we aim to investigate the effects of antioxidant supplementation with vitamin C, vitamin E or pequi oil, a carotenoid-rich oil extracted from pequi (Caryocar brasiliense), on doxorubicin (DX)-induced oxidative damage to normal cells in Ehrlich solid tumor-bearing mice. Tumor weight and volume, histopathology, morphometry and immunohistochemistry were used to assess the treatments' efficacy in containing tumor aggressiveness and regression, while possible toxicity of treatments was assessed by animals' weight, morphological analysis of the heart, liver and kidneys, hemogram, and serum levels of total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, indirect bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase, creatinine and urea. Although all the chemotherapeutic treatments increased internal necrosis area and reduced the positive Ki-67 cells compared to non-treated tumors, the treatments with pequi oil provided before tumor inoculation (PTDX) or in continuous and concurrent administration with doxorubicin (PTPDX) were more effective in containing tumor growth, besides increasing lymphocyte-dependent immunity and reducing the adverse side effects associated with DX-induced oxidative damage to normal cells, mainly the PTDX treatment. Vitamins C and E given before tumor inoculation and chemotherapy were not successful against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity, besides increasing doxorubicin-induced nephrotoxicity, indicating that, at least for doxorubicin, pequi oil instead of vitamins C and E would be the best option to reduce its adverse effects.

Co-nanoencapsulation of magnetic nanoparticles and selol for breast tumor treatment: in vitro evaluation of cytotoxicity and magnetohyperthermia efficacy.

Antitumor activities have been described in selol, a hydrophobic mixture of molecules containing selenium in their structure, and also in maghemite magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). Both selol and MNPs were co-encapsulated within poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanocapsules for therapeutic purposes. The PLGA-nanocapsules loaded with MNPs and selol were labeled MSE-NC and characterized by transmission and scanning electron microscopy, electrophoretic mobility, photon correlation spectroscopy, presenting a monodisperse profile, and positive charge. The antitumor effect of MSE-NC was evaluated using normal (MCF-10A) and neoplastic (4T1 and MCF-7) breast cell lines. Nanocapsules containing only MNPs or selol were used as control. MTT assay showed that the cytotoxicity induced by MSE-NC was dose and time dependent. Normal cells were less affected than tumor cells. Cell death occurred mainly by apoptosis. Further exposure of MSE-NC treated neoplastic breast cells to an alternating magnetic field increased the antitumor effect of MSE-NC. It was concluded that selol-loaded magnetic PLGA-nanocapsules (MSE-NC) represent an effective magnetic material platform to promote magnetohyperthermia and thus a potential system for antitumor therapy.

The protective effects of nutritional antioxidant therapy on Ehrlich solid tumor-bearing mice depend on the type of antioxidant therapy chosen: histology, genotoxicity and hematology evaluations.

Strong evidence indicates that reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in the initiation as well as the promotion phase of carcinogenesis. Studies support the role of ROS in cancer, in part, by showing that dietary antioxidants act as cancer-preventive agents. Although results are promising, the research on this topic is still controversial. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate whether vitamins C, E and pequi oil can, individually, provide prevention and/or be used afterward as an adjuvant in cancer therapy. Ehrlich solid tumor-bearing mice received antioxidant as follows: before tumor inoculation, before and after tumor inoculation (continuous administration), and after tumor inoculation; morphometric analyses of tumor, genotoxicity and hematology were then carried out. Antioxidant administrations before tumor inoculation effectively inhibited its growth in the three experimental protocols, but administrations after the tumor's appearance accelerated tumor growth and favored metastases. Continuous administration of pequi oil inhibited the tumor's growth, while the same protocol with vitamins E and C accelerated it, favoring metastasis and increasing oxidative stress on erythrocytes. Except for continuous administration with vitamin E, the development of ascites tumor metastases was linked with increased inflammation. Results suggest that the efficiency and applicability of antioxidants in the medical clinic can depend not only on the nature of the antioxidant, the type and stage of cancer being treated and the prevailing oxygen partial pressure in the tissues, but also on the type of antioxidant therapy chosen.