Vitamin D deficiency was found to be tightly linked to many health problems including metabolic syndrome, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. In our study, we tested the possible antidiabetic effects of one of vitamin D analogs, alfacalcidol, solely or in a combination with metformin on type 2 diabetic rats. Type 2 diabetic model rats were induced by feeding high-fat diet for 4 weeks followed by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. In addition to the control group, the diabetic rats were divided into four groups: untreated, metformin-treated, alfacalcidol-treated, and combination-treated group (metformin + alfacalcidol) for 4 weeks. The level of fasting blood glucose, fasting serum insulin, homeostatic model of insulin resistance, serum lipid profile, liver enzymes, calcium, phosphorus, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D were also determined. Besides, sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) and vitamin D receptors (VDR) gene expression at mRNA and protein levels were evaluated. The level of significance was fixed at P ≤ 0.05 for all statistical tests. Alfacalcidol, solely or combined with metformin, significantly ameliorated glucose homeostasis and lipid profile parameters (P < 0.001) with a neutral effect on calcium and phosphorus levels. Significant downregulation of mRNA expression of SREBP-1c in the liver, white as well as brown adipose tissues (P < 0.001) and different patterns of mRNA expression of VDR gene in pancreas and white adipose tissue were observed in rats treated with alfacalcidol solely or in combination with metformin. Vitamin D analogs can modulate glucose parameters and lipid metabolism in a diabetic rat model and it provides additional protective effects when combined with metformin.
This study investigates the possible prognostic role of serum metastasin messenger RNA (mRNA) in breast carcinoma as a non-invasive screening tool, and determines metastasin mRNA in the serum of breast cancer patients with high sensitivity (85%) and specificity (100%). A significant difference (P = 0.05) was observed between serum metastasin mRNA and the number of involved lymph nodes. Patients with higher expression of serum metastasin showed poor survival (six times worse) than those with lower levels. Patients negative for serum metastasin mRNA suffered recurrences, while those positive for serum metastasin mRNA suffered distant metastases. The results of this study suggest that serum metastasin mRNA represents an important survival marker in breast carcinoma.
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