Methylation pattern of THBS1, GATA-4, and HIC1 in pediatric and adult patients infected with Helicobacter pylori.

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori infection is usually acquired in childhood and persists into adulthood if untreated. The bacterium induces a chronic inflammatory response, which is associated with epigenetic alterations in oncogenes, tumor-suppressor genes, cell-cycle regulators, and cell-adhesion molecules. AIM: The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of H. pylori infection on the methylation status of Thrombospondin-1 (THBS1), Hypermethylated in cancer 1 (HIC1) and Gata binding protein-4 (GATA-4) in gastric biopsy samples from children and adults infected or uninfected with the bacterium and in samples obtained from gastric cancer patients. METHODS: The methylation pattern was analyzed with methylation-specific PCR. RESULTS: Our results showed that H. pylori infection was associated with methylation of the promoter regions of the THBS1 and GATA-4 genes in pediatric and adult samples (p < 0.01). HIC1 showed the lowest level of methylation, which was not an early event during gastric carcinogenesis. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study indicate that methylation of THBS1 and GATA-4 occurs in the early stages of chronic gastritis and gastric cancer in association with H. pylori infection; however, in gastric cancer samples, other mechanisms cooperate with the down-regulation of these genes. Methylation of HIC1 may not be the principal mechanism implicated in its down-regulation in gastric cancer samples.

Influence of diet on oxidative DNA damage, uracil misincorporation and DNA repair capability.

The contribution of diet to cancer ranges from 10 to 80%. The low ingestion of antioxidants and enzymatic cofactors involved in DNA repair and methylation reactions and the high ingestion of chemical additives present in the modern diet, associated with genetic factors, could lead to genomic instability and the hypomethylation of proto-oncogenes, thus contributing to development of genetic-related diseases such as cancer. The present study evaluated the influence of diet on the level of oxidative DNA damage, misincorporated uracil and DNA repair capability in peripheral blood lymphocytes from two groups of individuals with antagonist diets as follows: (i) 49 healthy individuals with a diet rich in organic products, whole grains, fruit and vegetables and poor in processed foods (Group I) and (ii) 56 healthy individuals with diet rich in processed foods and poor in fruit and vegetables (Group II). Oxidative DNA damage, uracil incorporation and DNA repair capability were assessed by the comet assay. The individuals in Group I presented lower levels of oxidative DNA damage (oxidized purines and pyrimidines) and lower levels of DNA damage induced by ex vivo treatment with hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) than those individuals in Group II. The analysis of our results suggests that a diet rich in organic products, integral grains, fruit and vegetables and poor in industrialized products can protect against oxidative DNA damage and DNA damage induced by H(2)O(2).

Genotoxicity of cigarette smoking in maternal and newborn lymphocytes.

Tobacco smoke contains a large number of substances known to induce DNA damage and to be hazardous to human health. Several reviews and meta-analyses have reported an association between maternal or paternal smoking habits and genetic-related diseases, such as cancer, in children. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the level of DNA damage in lymphocytes of active- and passive-smoking mothers and in their newborns, using the comet assay. A total of 40 active smokers, 40 passive smokers, and 40 non-smokers, and their respective newborns, were evaluated. The active smokers presented a statistically significant increase of DNA damage when compared to the non-smokers and passive-smokers. No significant difference was observed between passive and non-smoking women. Similar results were detected in newborns. Those born to active-smoking mothers presented higher levels of DNA damage than those from passive- and non-smoking mothers. Additionally, no significant difference was detected between newborns from non-smoking and passive-smoking mothers. Also, no statistically significant difference in DNA damage was observed between mothers and their respective newborns, and a positive correlation in the level of DNA damage was detected between them. Logistic regression analyses showed positive associations between DNA damage, spontaneous abortion and smoking status. In conclusion, our data indicate that tobacco exposure during pregnancy has genotoxic effects for both mother and child, and it can be considered an important risk factor for childhood cancer or other genetic-related diseases.

Tomato-oleoresin supplement prevents doxorubicin-induced cardiac myocyte oxidative DNA damage in rats.

Doxorubicin (DOX) is an efficient chemotherapeutic agent used against several types of tumors; however, its use is limited due to severe cardiotoxicity. Since it is accepted that reactive oxygen species are involved in DOX-induced cardiotoxicity, antioxidant agents have been used to attenuate its side effects. To determine tomato-oleoresin protection against cardiac oxidative DNA damage induced by DOX, we distributed Wistar male rats in control (C), lycopene (L), DOX (D) and DOX+lycopene (DL) groups. They received corn oil (C, D) or tomato-oleoresin (5mg/kg body wt. day) (L, DL) by gavage for a 7-week period. They also received saline (C, L) or DOX (4mg/kg body wt.) (D, DL) intraperitoneally at the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and at 6th week. Lycopene absorption was checked by HPLC. Cardiac oxidative DNA damage was evaluated by the alkaline Comet assay using formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase (FPG) and endonuclease III (endo III). Cardiomyocyte levels of SBs, SBs FPG and SBs Endo III were higher in rats from D when compared to other groups. DNA damage levels in cardiomyocytes from DL were not different when compared to C and L groups. The viability of cardiomyocytes from D or DL was lower than C or L groups (p<0.01). Lycopene levels (mean+/-S.D.nmol/kg) in saponified hearts were similar between L (47.43+/-11.78) and DL (49.85+/-16.24) groups. Our results showed: (1) lycopene absorption was confirmed by its cardiac levels; (2) DOX-induced oxidative DNA damage in cardiomyocyte; (3) tomato-oleoresin supplementation protected against cardiomyocyte oxidative DNA damage.

Biopatologia do Helicobacter pylori / Biopathology of Helicobacter pylori

A infecção pelo Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) induz inflamação persistente na mucosa gástrica com diferentes lesões orgânicas em humanos, tais como gastrite crônica, úlcera péptica e câncer gástrico. Os fatores determinantes desses diferentes resultados incluem a intensidade e a distribuição da inflamação induzida pelo H. pylori na mucosa gástrica. Evidências recentes demonstram que cepas do H.pylori apresentam diversidade genotípica, cujos produtos acionam o processo inflamatório por meio de mediadores e citocinas, que podem levar a diferentes graus de resposta inflamatória do hospedeiro, resultando em diferentes destinos patológicos. Cepas H. pylori com a ilha de patogenicidade cag induzem resposta inflamatória mais grave, através da ativação da transcrição de genes, aumentando o risco para desenvolvimento de úlcera péptica e câncer gástrico. O estresse oxidativo e nitrosativo induzido pela inflamação desempenha importante papel na carcinogênese gástrica como mediador da formação ou ativação de cancerígenos, danos no DNA, bem como de alterações da prolifereção celular e da apoptose.