The tropical edible red seaweed (Eucheuma cottonii L.) is rich in nutrients and polyphenolic compounds that may suppress cancer through its antioxidant and antiproliferative properties. The study reports on rat mammary tumor suppression and tissue antioxidant status modulation by E. cottonii ethanol extract (ECE). The effect of orally administered ECE (100 mg/kg body-weight) was compared with that of tamoxifen (10 mg/kg body-weight). Rat was induced to develop mammary tumor with subcutaneous injection of LA-7 cells (6 × 10(6) cells/rat). The ECE was more effective than tamoxifen in suppressing tumor growth (27%), improving tissues (plasma, liver, and kidney) malondialdehyde concentrations, superoxide dismutase activity and erythrocyte glutathione concentrations (P < 0.05). Unlike tamoxifen, the ECE displayed little toxicity to the liver and kidneys. The ECE exhibited strong anticancer effect with enzyme modulating properties, suggesting its potential as a suppressing agent for mammary gland tumor.

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Nanotechnology has provided new technological opportunities, which could help in challenges confronting stem cell research. Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers, a new class of macromolecular polymers with high molecular uniformity, narrow molecular distribution specific size and shape and highly functionalised terminal surface have been extensively explored for biomedical application. PAMAM dendrimers are also nanospherical, hyperbranched and monodispersive molecules exhibiting exclusive properties which make them potential carriers for drug and gene delivery.

Background The X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) is the most potent caspase inhibitor of the IAP family in apoptosis pathway. This study aims to identify the molecular targets of XIAP in human breast cancer cells exposed to XIAP siRNA by proteomics screening. The expression of XIAP was reduced in MCF-7 breast cancer cells by siRNA. Cell viability and the mRNA expression level of this gene were evaluated by MTS and quantitative real-time PCR procedures, respectively. Subsequently, the XIAP protein level was visualized by Western blotting and analyzed by two-dimensional (2D) electrophoresis and LC–ESI–MS/MS. Results Following XIAP silencing, cell proliferation was reduced in XIAP siRNA transfected cells. The mRNA transcription and protein expression of XIAP were decreased in cells exposed to XIAP siRNA than si-NEG. We identified 30 proteins that were regulated by XIAP, of which 27 down-regulated and 3 up-regulated. The most down-regulated proteins belonged to the Heat Shock Proteins family. They participate in cancer related processes including apoptosis and MAPK signaling pathway. Reduced expression of HSP90B1 was associated with apoptosis induction by androgen receptor and prostate specific antigen. Suppression of XIAP resulted in the enhancement of GDIB, ENO1, and CH60 proteins expression. The network analysis of XIAP-regulated proteins identified HSPA8, HSP90AA1, ENO1, and HSPA9 as key nodes in terms of degree and betweenness centrality methods. Conclusions These results suggested that XIAP may have a number of biological functions in a diverse set of non-apoptotic signaling pathways and may provide an insight into the biomedical significance of XIAP over-expression in MCF-7 cells.

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) has been produced by the reprogramming of several types of somatic cells through the expression of different sets of transcription factors. This study consists of a technique to obtain iPSCs from human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) in a feeder layer-free process using a mini-circle vector containing defined reprogramming genes, Lin28, Nanog, Oct4 and Sox2. The human MSCs transfected with the minicircle vector were cultured in iPSCs medium. Human embryonic stem cell (ESC)-like colonies with tightly packed domelike structures appeared 7-10 days after the second transfection. In the earliest stages, the colonies were green fluorescence protein (GFP)-positive, while upon continuous culture and passage, genuine hiPSC clones expressing GFP were observed. The induced cells, based on the ectopic expression of the pluripotent markers, exhibited characteristics similar to the embryonic stem cells. These iPSCs demonstrated in vitro capabilities for differentiation into the three main embryonic germ layers by embryoid bodies formation. There was no evidence of transgenes integration into the genome of the iPSCs in this study. In conclusion, this method offers a means of producing iPSCs without viral delivery that could possibly overcome ethical concerns and immune rejection in the use of stem cells in medical applications.

Background All cell types express long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which have the potential to play a role in carcinogenesis by altering the levels of their expression. Squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus (ESCC) is a deadly disease with a poor prognosis and a high frequency of lymphatic metastases. Understanding the functional role and signaling pathways of two neighboring lncRNAs, CCAT1 and PVT1, in this oncogene’s pathogenesis may help us determine ESCC. Furthermore, it is still unclear whether these lncRNAs are linked to the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with ESCC. Methods For this study, we used biopsy from the Imam Khomeini Cancer Institute’s tumor bank in Tehran, Iran to obtain 40 ESCC tumor samples and their normal margin counterparts. The expression levels of the CCAT1, PVT1, and c-MYC genes were assessed using quantitative Real-Time RT-PCR. Additionally, demographic data and clinical-pathologic characteristics, such as tumor grade, tumor stage, lymph node, and metastasis, were taken into consideration. Graphpad prism version 8 was used for bioinformatics analyses. Results Comparing ESCC tissues to non-tumor tissues, we found significant upregulation of PVT1, CCAT1, and c-MYC. Patients with ESCC who had increased PVT1 expression also had higher rates of advanced stage and lymph node metastasis, whereas increased CCAT1 expression was only linked to advanced stage and wasn’t associated with lymph node metastasis. In predicting ESCC, CCAT1 (p < 0.05) was found to be an important factor. Overall survival was reduced by c-MYC and PVT1 overexpression (p < 0.001), according to Kaplan-Meier analysis. PVT1, CCAT1, and c-MYC were found to interact with 23 miRNAs with high and medium score classes, as shown in a bioinformatics study. We summarized the experimentally proven interactions between c-MYC, PVT1, and CCAT1 and other miRNAs, lncRNAs, and proteins. Conclusion This is the first report that CCAT1, PVT1 and c-MYC have been found to be up-regulated simultaneously in ESCC. It is possible that these genes may be involved in ESCC as a result of these findings. Therefore, as consequence, more research is needed to determine whether or not these lncRNAs play an oncogenic role in ESCC development and progression, as well as the regulatory mechanisms that control them.

EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) is overexpressed in a variety of human cancers (including squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck, colon cancer, and some breast cancers) and therefore is regarded as an ideal target for cancer therapy or imaging purposes. In the current study, we produced a scFv-based near-infrared probe (called cet.Hum.scFv-IRDye-800CW) and evaluated its ability in recognizing and imaging of EGFR-overexpressing tumors in a mouse model. Like the molecular probe consisting of its parental antibody (cetuximab, an FDA-approved monoclonal antibody) and IRD800CW, cet.Hum.scFv-IRDye-800CW was able to recognize EGFR-overexpressing tumors in mice. cet.Hum.scFv-IRDye-800CW was found to be superior to the cetuximab-based probe in imaging of mouse tumors. The tumor-to-background ratio and blood clearance rate were higher when cet.Hum.scFv-IRDye-800CW was used as an imaging probe.