Abstract. Soy isoflavones are compounds found in soybean and soybean products. They have been reported to possess numerous physiological properties, such as antitumor, antimenopausal (female) osteoporosis and anti-aging. They have also been reported to improve learning and memory skills in menopausal women and aid in the prevention and treatment of heart disease, diabetes and Kawasaki disease (KD). In this review, the effects of soy isoflavones on various diseases were analyzed. Based on the analysis, it was hypothesized that the function of soybean isoflavones in the prevention and treatment of various diseases results from their phytoestrogen and antioxidant properties. However, due to their phytoestrogen properties, it is recommended that the risks of soy isoflavone intake as food and̸or medical treatment be further evaluated.
Abstract. Cordycepin, a 3-deoxyadenosine, is the predominant functional component of the fungus Cordyceps militaris, a traditional Chinese medicine. Previous studies investigating the inhibition of cancer cells by cordycepin identified that it not only promotes cell apoptosis, but also controls cell proliferation. Furthermore, studies have elucidated the molecular mechanisms of inhibiting cell proliferation by cordycepin binding the A3 adenosine receptor, activating G protein, inhibiting cAMP formation, decreasing glycogen synthase kinase-3β/β-catenin activation and suppressing cyclin D1 and c-myc expression. The most significant signaling pathway in which cell apoptosis is induced by cordycepin is the caspase pathway. Cordycepin induces cell apoptosis via binding the DR3 receptor and consequently activating caspase-8/-3. Taken together, these studies demonstrate that cordycepin may be used as a natural medicine, as it can not only control tumor cell proliferation, but also induce cancer cell apoptosis.
Imprinted genes are vulnerable to environmental influences during early embryonic development, thereby contributing to the onset of disease in adulthood. Monoallelic methylation at several germline imprints has been reported as DNMT1-dependent. However, which of these two epigenetic attributes, DNMT1-dependence or allelic methylation, renders imprinted genes susceptible to environmental stressors has not been determined. Herein, we developed a new approach, referred to as NORED, to identify 2468 DNMT1-dependent DNA methylation patterns in the mouse genome. We further developed an algorithm based on a genetic variation-independent approach (referred to as MethylMosaic) to detect 2487 regions with bimodal methylation patterns. Two approaches identified 207 regions, including known imprinted germline allele-specific methylation patterns (ASMs), that were both NORED and MethylMosaic regions. Examination of methylation in four independent mouse embryonic stem cell lines shows that two regions identified by both NORED and MethylMosaic (Hcn2 and Park7) did not display parent-of-origin-dependent allelic methylation. In these four F1 hybrid cell lines, genetic variation in Cast allele at Hcn2 locus introduces a transcription factor binding site for MTF-1 that may predispose Cast allelic hypomethylation in a reciprocal cross with either C57 or 129 strains. In contrast, each allele of Hcn2 ASM in J1 inbred cell line and Park7 ASM in four F1 hybrid cell lines seems to exhibit similar propensity to be either hypo- or hypermethylated, suggesting a ‘random, switchable’ ASM. Together with published results, our data on ASMs prompted us to propose a hypothesis of regional ‘autosomal chromosome inactivation (ACI)’ that may control a subset of autosomal genes. Therefore, our results open a new avenue to understand monoallelic methylation and provide a rich resource of candidate genes to examine in environmental and nutritional exposure models.
BackgroundBreast cancer is the most common type of cancer in females. Aberrant expression of microRNA-21 (miR-21) has previously been reported in breast cancer tissue. The aim of this study was to investigate expression levels of serum miR-21 in breast cancer patients and evaluate its prognostic value in Chinese females.MethodsReal-time quantitative (RQ)-PCR was used to analyze miR-21 expression in archived serum, tumor tissue, and adjacent normal tissue from 549 participants (326 with breast cancer, 223 without breast cancer). We also analyzed associations between serum miR-21 expression and breast cancer subtypes and patient prognosis. Recurrence and survival were analyzed by using the multivariate Cox proportional hazards model.ResultsExpression of miR-21 was significantly higher in breast cancer tissues compared with normal adjacent breast tissues (P<0.001). The 2-ΔΔCt values for serum miR-21 in breast cancer patients versus healthy controls were 9.12±3.43 and 2.96±0.73, respectively. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards model suggested that serum miR-21 expression was an independent poor prognostic factor for both recurrence (hazard ratio [HR]= 2.942; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.420-8.325; P=0.008) and disease-free survival (HR=2.732; 95% CI=1.038-7.273, P=0.003) in breast cancer.ConclusionsIncreased serum miR-21 expression level was correlated with poor prognosis of breast cancer patients, indicating that serum miR-21 may be a novel prognostic marker for recurrence and survival of breast cancer patients before resection.
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