Bovine Lactoferrin Induces Cell Death in Human Prostate Cancer Cells.

Bovine lactoferrin (bLf) is a multifunctional protein widely associated with anticancer activity. Prostate cancer is the second most frequent type of cancer worldwide. This study was aimed at evaluating the influence of bLf on cell viability, cell cycle progression, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and rate of apoptosis in the human prostate cancer cell line (DU-145). MTT assay and trypan blue exclusion were used to analyze cell viability. Morphological changes were analyzed through optical microscopy after 24 h and 48 h of bLf treatment. FITC-bLf internalization and cellular damage were observed within 24 h by confocal fluorescence microscopy. Cell cycle analyses were performed by flow cytometry and propidium iodide. For caspases 3/7 activation and reactive oxygen species production evaluation, cells were live-imaged using the high-throughput system Operetta. The cell viability assays demonstrated that bLf induces cell death and morphological changes after 24 h and 48 h of treatment compared to control on DU-145 cells. The bLf internalization was detected in DU-145 cells, G1-phase arrest of the cell cycle, caspase 3/7 activation, and increased oxidative stress on bLf-treated cells. Our data support that bLf has an important anticancer activity, thus offering new perspectives in preventing and treating prostate cancer.

Estradiol and Progesterone Levels are Related to Redox Status in the Follicular Fluid During in vitro Fertilization.

Studies have reported a possible association between the levels of oxidative stress biomarkers in follicular fluid (FF) and infertility treatment outcomes. FF analysis can provide important information about oocyte quality. This study aimed to evaluate the possible correlation between oxidative stress biomarker and intrafollicular hormone levels and clinical and laboratory parameters in women during controlled ovarian stimulation. These women were undergoing in vitro fertilization with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).The FF samples were acquired from September 2012 to February 2014 from women undergoing private fertility treatment in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A total of 196 women who were undergoing ICSI and had different infertility diagnoses were recruited. The FF from each patient (average patient age of 36.3 ± 4.3 years) was collected following puncture of just one follicle with the largest diameter. After ruling out blood contamination by spectrophotometry, 163 patient samples were utilized in the study. In the FF, the progesterone levels were negatively correlated with (a) hydrogen peroxide scavenging capacity (HPSC) (r = -0.294, P < 0.0001), (b) total number of follicles (r = -0.246, P < 0.001) and (c) total number of oocytes punctured (r = -0.268, P = 0.0001). The concentration of serum estradiol exhibited a positive correlation with intrafollicular HPSC (r = 0.165, P = 0.037). Our data indicate that the FF levels of estradiol and progesterone are related to the FF redox status, which is closely associated with the number of oocytes obtained during ICSI procedures.