Small, DNA-containing particles were separated from preparations of a simian adenovirus. These particles differed antigenically from the adenovirus. Replication of the particles in cell cultures was obtained only when theywere inoculated simultaneously with adenoviruses. This suggests that these adenovirus-associated particles behave as defective viruses.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are a major cause of cellular injury in an increasing number of diseases, including cancer. Most ROS are created in the cell through normal cellular metabolism. They can be produced by environmental insults such as ultraviolet light and toxic chemicals, as well as by the inflammatory process. Interception of ROS or limiting their cellular effects is a major role of antioxidants. Due to their content of phenolic and flavonoid compounds, berries exhibit high antioxidant potential, exceeding that of many other foodstuffs. Through their ability to scavenge ROS and reduce oxidative DNA damage, stimulate antioxidant enzymes, inhibit carcinogen-induced DNA adduct formation and enhance DNA repair, berry compounds have been shown to inhibit mutagenesis and cancer initiation. Berry constituents also influence cellular processes associated with cancer progression including signaling pathways associated with cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and angiogenesis. This review article summarizes laboratory and human studies, demonstrating the protective effects of berries and berry constituents on oxidative and other cellular processes leading to cancer development.

Cohesive scientific evidence from molecular, animal, and human investigations supports the hypothesis that constitutive overexpression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is a ubiquitous driver of mammary carcinogenesis, and reciprocally, that COX-2 blockade has strong potential for breast cancer prevention and therapy. Key findings include the following: (1) COX-2 is constitutively expressed throughout breast cancer development and expression intensifies with stage at detection, cancer progression and metastasis; (2) essential features of mammary carcinogenesis (mutagenesis, mitogenesis, angiogenesis, reduced apoptosis, metastasis and immunosuppression) are linked to COX-2-driven prostaglandin E2 (PGE-2) biosynthesis; (3) upregulation of COX-2 and PGE-2 expression induces transcription of CYP-19 and aromatase-catalyzed estrogen biosynthesis which stimulates unbridled mitogenesis; (4) extrahepatic CYP-1B1 in mammary adipose tissue converts paracrine estrogen to carcinogenic quinones with mutagenic impact; and (5) agents that inhibit COX-2 reduce the risk of breast cancer in women without disease and reduce recurrence risk and mortality in women with breast cancer. Recent sharp increases in global breast cancer incidence and mortality are likely driven by chronic inflammation of mammary adipose and upregulation of COX-2 associated with the obesity pandemic. The totality of evidence clearly supports the supposition that mammary carcinogenesis often evolves as a progressive series of highly specific cellular and molecular changes in response to induction of constitutive overexpression of COX-2 and the prostaglandin cascade in the "inflammogenesis of breast cancer". Key words: Breast Cancer; Cyclooxygenase-2; Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; Inflammogenesis; Estrogen; Aromatase Core tip: Mammary carcinogenesis often evolves as a series of highly specific cellular and molecular changes in response to induction of constitutive over-expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and the prostaglandin cascade; reciprocally, agents that block COX-2 have significant value in the chemoprevention and therapy of breast cancer.Harris RE, Casto BC, Harris ZM. Cyclooxygenase-2 and the inflammogenesis of breast cancer. World J Clin Oncol 2014; 5(4): 677-692 Available from: URL: http://www.wjgnet.com/2218-4333/full/v5/ i4/677.htm DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5306/wjco.v5.i4.677 INTRODUCTIONMore than a century ago, Virchow et al [1,2] chronic inflammation leads to cancer development by increasing cellular proliferation [3] . Various models of carcinogenesis have been proposed involving inflammatory stimuli and mediators of wound healing [4][5][6] . The recent discovery of the inducible cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) gene has rekindled interest in the causal link between inflammation and cancer, and various models of carcinogenesis have been proposed involving inflammatory stimuli and COX-2 expression [7][8][9][10] . The current review synthesizes and interprets the accumulating body of evidence supporting COX-2 driven inflammogenesis as a ge...

Eleven subjects completed a clinical trial to determine the safety/tolerability of freeze-dried black raspberries (BRB) and to measure, in plasma and urine, specific anthocyanins-cyanidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin-3-sambubioside, cyanidin-3-rutinoside, and cyanidin-3-xylosylrutinoside, as well as ellagic acid. Subjects were fed 45 g of freeze-dried BRB daily for 7 days. Blood samples were collected predose on days 1 and 7 and at 10 time points postdose. Urine was collected for 12 hours predose on days 1 and 7 and at three 4-hour intervals postdose. Maximum concentrations of anthocyanins and ellagic acid in plasma occurred at 1 to 2 hours, and maximum quantities in urine appeared from 0 to 4 hours. Overall, less than 1% of these compounds were absorbed and excreted in urine. None of the pharmacokinetic parameters changed significantly between days 1 and 7. In conclusion, 45 g of freeze-dried BRB daily are well tolerated and result in quantifiable anthocyanins and ellagic acid in plasma and urine.

Black raspberries are a rich natural source of chemopreventive phytochemicals. Recent studies have shown that freeze-dried black raspberries inhibit the development of oral, esophageal, and colon cancer in rodents, and extracts of black raspberries inhibit benzo(a)pyrene-induced cell transformation of hamster embryo fibroblasts. However, the molecular mechanisms and the active components responsible for black raspberry chemoprevention are unclear. In this study, we found that 2 major chemopreventive components of black raspberries, ferulic acid and beta-sitosterol, and a fraction eluted with ethanol (RO-ET) during silica column chromatography of the organic extract of freeze-dried black raspberries inhibit the growth of premalignant and malignant but not normal human oral epithelial cell lines. Another fraction eluted with CH2Cl2/ethanol (DM:ET) and ellagic acid inhibited the growth of normal as well as premalignant and malignant human oral cell lines. We investigated the molecular mechanisms by which ferulic acid and beta-sitosterol and the RO-ET fraction selectively inhibited the growth of premalignant and malignant oral cells using flow cytometry and Western blotting of cell cycle regulatory proteins. There was no discernable change in the cell cycle distribution following treatment of cells with the RO-ET fraction. Premalignant and malignant cells redistributed to the G2/M phase of the cell cycle following incubation with ferulic acid. beta-sitosterol treated premalignant and malignant cells accumulated in the G0/G1 and G2/M phases, respectively. The RO-ET fraction reduced the levels of cyclin A and cell division cycle gene 2 (cdc2) in premalignant cells and cyclin B1, cyclin D1, and cdc2 in the malignant cell lines. This fraction also elevated the levels of p21waf1/cip1 in the malignant cell line. Ferulic acid treatment led to increased levels of cyclin B1 and cdc2 in both cell lines, and p21waf1/cip1 was induced in the malignant cell line. beta-sitosterol reduced the levels of cyclin B1 and cdc2 while increasing p21waf1/cip1 in both the premalignant and malignant cell lines. These results show for the first time that the growth inhibitory effects of black raspberries on premalignant and malignant human oral cells may reside in specific components that target aberrant signaling pathways regulating cell cycle progression.