Inhibitory effect of herbal remedy PERVIVO and anti-inflammatory drug sulindac on L-1 sarcoma tumor growth and tumor angiogenesis in Balb/c mice.

Anticancer activity of many herbs was observed for hundreds of years. They act as modifiers of biologic response, and their effectiveness may be increased by combining multiple herbal extracts . PERVIVO, traditional digestive herbal remedy, contains some of them, and we previously described its antiangiogenic activity. Numerous studies documented anticancer effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. We were the first to show that sulindac and its metabolites inhibit angiogenesis. In the present paper the combined in vivo effect of multicomponent herbal remedy PERVIVO and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug sulindac on tumor growth, tumor angiogenesis, and tumor volume in Balb/c mice was studied. These effects were checked after grafting cells collected from syngeneic sarcoma L-1 tumors into mice skin. The strongest inhibitory effect was observed in experimental groups treated with PERVIVO and sulindac together. The results of our investigation showed that combined effect of examined drugs may be the best way to get the strongest antiangiogenic and antitumor effect.

Results of chemotherapy for pulmonary metastases of carcinoma of the cervix in patients after primary surgical and radiotherapeutic management.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the results of chemotherapy of pulmonary metastases from invasive carcinoma of the cervix, which were detected after a disease-free period after initial treatment with surgery or radiotherapy. Fifty patients with radiologically proven pulmonary metastases were treated with chemotherapy. All patients received a platinum-5-fluorouracil (PF) program: cisplatin 75 mg/m(2) and 5-fluorouracil 800 mg/m(2) every 4 weeks. The overall 1- and 3-year survival after PF chemotherapy was 62% and 17.6%, respectively. The progression-free survival at 1 and 3 years was 36.7% and 14.3%, respectively. There were 6 (12%) complete responses and 17 (34%) partial responses. Hematologic tolerance was acceptable. Third degree and fourth degree leukopenia was diagnosed in four (8%) and six (12%) patients, respectively. Three individuals had third degree thrombocytopenia. In the multivariate analysis, the following prognostic factors were associated with poor survival: time to recurrence after primary treatment (P= 0.002), number of lung metastases (P= 0.016), and progression during chemotherapy (P= 0.001). We conclude that PF regimen is a safe and reasonably effective chemotherapy in the management of patients with pulmonary metastases after primary treatment for invasive carcinoma of the cervix who do not qualify for surgical metastasectomy.

The effect of protein kinase C inhibitors on invasion of human ovary cancer cells.

In the present work we tested whether invasiveness of ovarian carcinoma cells could be considered as protein kinase C (PKC) dependent process. The migration and invasion studies were performed in Transwell chambers. Staurosporine, sphingosine and tamoxifen were used as PKC inhibitors. Also the effect of prolonged treatment with TPA was the subject of observation. The obtained results indicated that invasion understood as three step process (attachment, migration and matrix degradation) was affected by PKC inhibitors. The detailed studies, however, showed that attachment and matrix degradation ability of ovarian cancer cells was not changed by PKC inhibitors as opposed to migration which was, at least partly, regulated by protein kinase C.

The influence of theobromine on angiogenic activity and proangiogenic cytokines production of human ovarian cancer cells.

Angiogenesis plays an important role in ovarian cancer growth and metastasis formation. Adenosine is one of the most potent stimulator of neovascularisation. The aim of present study was to determine if theobromine, adenosine receptor antagonist, influences angiogenic activity and proangiogenic cytokines production. Theobromine caused significant inhibition of angiogenic activity of ovarian cancer cells. In in vivo and in vitro cultures theobromine diminished vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) production. Production of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) was not altered by the examined drug. These findings suggest that theobromine might be a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis induced by ovarian cancer cells and its mechanism of action is related to inhibition of VEGF production.

[Evaluation of selected parameters of lymphocyte activity in umbilical blood. II. Release of angiogenic cytokines]. / Ocena wybranych parametrów aktwnosci limfocytów krwi pepowinowej. II. Uwalnianie angiogennych cytokin.

Angiogenic abilities of mononuclear cells in the umbilical blood was estimated in 31 healthy newborns. LIA test was performed on 6-8 weeks old mice, which underwent immunosuppression before intracutaneous injection of leucocytes and were narcotized after 72 hours. The mean number of newly formed vessels was 12.85 +/- 0.2 (SD).

[Evaluation of selected parameters of lymphocyte activity in umbilical cord blood. III. Expression of receptors for SRCB susceptible and insusceptible to theophylline]. / Ocena wybranych parametrów aktwnosci limfocytów krwi pepowinowej. III. Ekspresja receptorów dla SRBC wrazliwych i opornych na teofiline.

Subpopulation of lymphocytes T in the umbilical blood was estimated in 30 healthy newborns. ARFC and CRFC fractions were isolated and analysed.

Different types and different prognosis-study of 310 uterine sarcomas.

Three hundred and ten cases of uterine sarcomas, among them, according to pathology: LMS (Leiomyosarcoma)--117, MMS (Mixed mesodermal sarcoma)--62, ESS (Endometrial stromal sarcoma)--56, CS (Carcinosarcoma)--27, RBMS (Rhabdomyosarcoma)--18 and other sarcomas--30, were retrospectively evaluated at the Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center between 1950 and 1985. These mesodermal tumors were divided into uterine corpus sarcomas (295) and the rarely occurring uterine cervix sarcomas. As the main modality of treatment 307 patients underwent surgery. Almost all patients received adjuvant radiotherapy but 51 cases of LMS. Overall 5-year survival was 34.5% and in particular subgroups the survivals were as follows: the best, 52% in LMS; lower, 30% in ESS; poor survival about 20% in CS and MMS. In spite of low curability in the majority of subgroups except LMS, the cases of CS with primary site in uterine cervix distinguished itself with better results. No significant survival advantage was found for surgery plus radiotherapy in LMS with low grade mitotic activity, (10 mitoses/10 HPF) compared with surgery alone (63% and 54%). These cases seem to have better prognosis in LMS with high grade mitotic activity (10 mitoses/10 HPF) and do not require adjuvant radiotherapy.