Resveratrol (Res) has been reported to possess cancer chemopreventive activity on the basis of its in vitro effects on tumor cells and in vivo experimental models of rodents transplanted with parental tumors or treated with carcinogens. We investigated the effects of Res on the development of mammary tumors appearing spontaneously in HER-2/neu transgenic mice at an early age. The mechanisms involved in the Res antitumor effect were evaluated by studying the immune effectiveness, tumor apoptosis and expression of mRNA and protein for HER-2/neu in tumoral mammary glands from Res-treated mice and in tumor cell lines. Res supplementation delayed the development of spontaneous mammary tumors (p < 0.001), reduced the mean number and size of mammary tumors (p < 0.0001) and diminished the number of lung metastases in HER-2/neu transgenic mice. The effects of Res were associated with downregulation of HER-2/neu gene expression and increased apoptosis both in tumoral mammary glands and in murine (N202) and human (SKBr3) tumor cell lines. Neither the basal, the IL-2-induced NK activity nor the lymphocyte number and proliferation was modified in Res-supplemented compared to control mice. Our results demonstrate that Res supplementation delays the development and reduces the metastasizing capacity of spontaneous mammary tumors in HER-2/neu transgenic mice. The antitumor effect of Res might be related to the downregulation of HER-2/neu expression and the induction of apoptosis in tumor cells. ' 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Key words: resveratrol; HER-2/neu; mammary tumor; transgenic mouse; apoptosis Cancer chemoprevention, the prevention of cancer by chemical agents that reduce the risk of carcinogenesis, is one of the most direct ways to reduce morbidity and mortality. Res (trans-3,4 0 , 5-trihydroxystilbene) is a naturally occurring polyphenolic antioxidant compound present in grapes, mulberries, peanuts and red wine. It has been identified as an excellent candidate cancer chemopreventive, based on its safety and efficacy in experimental models of carcinogenesis. It has been found to inhibit diverse cellular events associated with tumor initiation, promotion and progression. 1 Most of the antitumor activity of Res has been discovered through in vitro studies in tumor cell lines. In these studies, Res was generally found to induce growth inhibition and apoptosis of a panel of human and murine tumor cell lines. [2][3][4][5][6][7] Fewer studies have been conducted on the antitumor effect exerted by in vivo supplementation with Res. Res was found to inhibit tumorigenesis in a mouse skin cancer model. 1 In other studies, it protected rats from ascites hepatoma 8 and colon carcinogenesis 9 and exerted inhibitory effects on tumor growth and lung metastasis in mice bearing highly metastatic Lewis lung carcinoma. 10 In the latter study, the effect of Res was related to its proapoptotic and antiangiogenic action on tumor cells, with no evidence of modulation of the immune response. 10 Res also inhibited the growth of experimentally implante...

Background: Well-established reference values which take into account the influence of age on immune cell phenotype, and the impact of naïve or memory T cells on mortality have not been well defined in the elderly. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the reference values for the peripheral number of total and naïve or memory CD4 and CD8 T cells in a healthy population in Italy, and to analyze whether the immune phenotype was associated with an increased risk of death among older adults. Methods: The number of total or naïve and memory CD4+ or CD8+ T cells was evaluated in the peripheral blood of 288 healthy people ranging in age from 20 to 107 years. Furthermore, to correlate peripheral immune phenotype with mortality rate after a 3-years follow-up, a retrospective analysis was performed on the results from those individuals aged >65 years at the time of the enrolment in the study. Results: The absolute number of total and naïve T cells was progressively reduced with increasing age in both the CD4+ and CD8+ T cell populations. The decrease was particularly evident for cells with naïve phenotype, since CD4-naïve and CD8-naïve T cells respectively showed a 4- and a 2- to 3-fold reduction in 70- to >90-year-old subjects in comparison with young adults. The number of CD4 memory T cells significantly increased with age. No significant age-related change was observed in the number of CD8+ memory T cells. Of the 194 subjects included in the study of association of immune phenotype with mortality, 121 were alive and 73 deceased during the 3-year follow-up. The impact of immune parameters on survival demonstrated that only the absolute number of CD8 memory T cells, after adjustment for age, correlated with increased mortality (OR 1.007, 95% CI 1.002–1.012, p = 0.01). The correlation was significant in female but not in male subjects. Conclusion: We provide reference values for total and naïve or memory CD4 and CD8 T cell populations, and demonstrate that the absolute number of CD8 memory T cells, after adjustment for age, correlates with increased mortality.

Silybin, a main component of the milk thistle of Silybum marianum, has been reported to possess anticancer activity. We investigated the effects of IdB 1016, a complex of silybin with phosphatidylcholine, on the development of mammary tumors appearing spontaneously in HER-2/neu transgenic mice. The mechanisms involved in the antitumor effect of IdB 1016 were evaluated by studying the apoptosis, senescentlike growth arrest, intratumoral leukocyte infiltrate, and the expression of HER-2/neu and p53 in tumoral mammary glands from transgenic mice and in human breast SKBR3 tumor cells. The administration of IdB 1016 delayed the development of spontaneous mammary tumors, reduced the number and size of mammary tumor masses, and diminished lung metastasization in HER-2/neu transgenic mice. In tumoral mammary glands from IdB 1016-treated mice, a down-regulation of HER-2/neu gene expression was associated with an increased senescent-like growth arrest of tumor cells, and an increased infiltrate of neutrophils, CD4, and CD8 T cells. Both senescentlike growth arrest and apoptosis were significantly increased and were associated with a reduced p185 HER-2/neu protein and an increased p53 mRNA in SKBR3 in vitro treated with IdB 1016 in comparison with control cells. The results show the antitumor effect of IdB 1016 in the development of spontaneous mammary tumors in HER-2/neu transgenic mice. The effect of IdB 1016 might be related to the down-regulation of HER-2/neu expression and the induction of senescent-like growth arrest and apoptosis through a p53-mediated pathway in tumor cells. [Cancer Res 2007;67(5):2022-9]

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