Induction of apoptosis in cancer cells can be a promising treatment method in cancer therapy. Naturally derived products had drawn growing attention as agent in cancer therapy. The main target of anticancer drugs may be distinct, but eventually, they lead to identical cell death pathway, which is apoptosis. Here, we indicated that britannin, a sesquiterpene lactone isolated from Asteraceae family, has antiproliferative activity on the MCF-7 and MDA-MB-468 human breast cancer cells. Annexin V/propidium iodide (PI) staining, Hoechst 33258 staining, and caspase-3/9 activity assay confirmed that britannin is able to induce apoptosis in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-468 cells. The Western blot analysis showed that the expression of Bcl-2 was noticeably decreased in response to britannin treatment, while the expression of Bax protein was increased, which were positively correlated with elevated expression of p53. Moreover, britannin also increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation which in turn triggered the loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential (ΔΨm) and the subsequent release of cytochrome c from mitochondria into cytosol. Taken together, these results suggest that britannin inhibits growth of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cells through the activation of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway and may potentially serve as an agent for breast cancer therapy.
Background. Despite recent advances in scientific knowledge and clinical practice, management, and treatment of breast cancer, as one of the leading causes of female mortality, breast cancer remains a major burden. Recently, methods employing stem cells and their derivatives, i.e., exosomes, in gene-based therapies hold great promise. Since these natural nanovesicles are able to transmit crucial cellular information which can be engineered to have robust delivery and targeting capacity, they are considered one of the modes of intercellular communication. miR-145, one of the downregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) in various cancers, can regulate tumor cell invasion, metastasis, apoptosis, and proliferation and stem cell differentiation. Objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of exosomes secreted from adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for miR-145 transfection into breast cancer cells in order to weaken their expansion and metastasis. Methods. Here, we exploited the exosomes from adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC-Exo) to deliver miR-145 in the T-47D breast cancer cell line. Lentiviral vectors of miR-145-pLenti-III-enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) and empty pLenti-III-eGFP as the backbone were used to transfect MSCs and T-47D cells. In order to find the efficiency of exosomes as a delivery vehicle, the expression level of some miR-145 target genes, including Rho-Associated Coiled-Coil Containing Protein Kinase 1 (ROCK1), Erb-B2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinase 2 (ERBB2), Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9), and Tumor Protein p53 (TP53), was compared in all treatment groups (T-47D cells treated by miR-145-transfected MSCs and their derivatives or their backbone) and control group (untransfected T-47D cells) using real-time PCR. Results. The obtained data represented the inhibitory effect of miR-145 on apoptosis induction and metastasis in both direct miR-treated groups. However, exosome-mediated delivery caused an improved anticancer property of miR-145. Conclusion. Restoration of miR-145 using MSC-Exo can be considered a potential novel therapeutic strategy in breast cancer in the future.
Background:
Trichomonas vaginalis (T.vaginalis) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (N.gonorrhoeae) are two most common non-viral sexually transmitted infections in the world. No data are available regarding the epidemiology of genital infections in women of Qom, central Iran. Objective:Epidemiological investigation of sexually transmitted infections in genital specimens of women referred to the referral gynecology hospital in Qom, central Iran.Materials and Methods:Genital swab specimens were collected from women volunteers and used for identification of bacterial and protozoal infections by conventional microbial diagnostics, porA pseudo gene LightCycler® real-time PCR (for N.gonorrhoeae) and ITS-PCR (for T.vaginalis). Results:Of 420 volunteers, 277 (65.9%) had genital signs/symptoms, including 38.3% malodorous discharge, 37.9% dyspareunia, and 54.8% abdominal pain. Totally, 2 isolates of Streptococcus agalactiae were identified. Five specimens (1.2%) in Thayer-Martin culture and 17 (4.1%) in real-time PCR were identified as N.gonorrhoeae. Fifty-four specimens (12.9%) in wet mount, 64 (15.2%) in Dorset’s culture, and 81 (19.3%) in ITS-PCR showed positive results for T.vaginalis. Five mixed infections of T.vaginalis+ N.gonorrhoeae were found. The risk of T.vaginalis infection was increased in women with low-birth-weight (p=0.00; OR=43.29), history of abortion (p=0.00; OR=91.84), and premature rupture of membranes (PROM) (p=0.00; OR=21.75). The probability of finding nuclear leukocytes (p=0.00; OR=43.34) in vaginal smear was higher in T.vaginalis infection.Conclusion:The significant prevalence of trichomoniasis and gonorrhea emphasizes the need for accurate diagnosis and effective surveillance to prevent serious reproductive complications in women.
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