[Ethanolic extract cytotoxic effect of Zingiber afficinale in breast cancer [MCF7] cell line]

Biological activities of Zingiber afflicieale plants have been reported as possessing anticancer, antibacterial, anti ulcer, antifungal, and insecticidal properties. However, its antitumor effects haven't been studied in cancer cell lines. The aim of this study was to investigate the antitumor effect of zingiber afficieale on breast cancer cell lines. This experimental study was conducted in 2010 at Mashhad University of medical Sciences. Breast cancer cell line [MCF7] and normal connective tissue cell line [L929] were cultured in DMEM medium. Ethanolic extract of Zingiber afficinale was prepared and cell lines were treated with different concentration of extract [5000 to 78 micro g]. Cell viability was measured by MTT assay after 24, 48, and 72 hours. The collected data were statistically analyzed by SPSS software. The effects of Zingiber afficinale on cell viability were observed after 48 hours on cell lines. Ginger doses in 2500 micro g concentration inhibited 50% of cell growth [IC50] in cell lines after 48 hours. Our study revealed that fresh ginger extract has cytotoxic effects on tumor cells, but it doesn't have any cytotoxic effect on normal cells. It seems that ginger could be considered as a promising chemotherapeutic agent in cancer treatment

[Study of polymorphism of CYP2D6*4 gene in susceptibility to breast cancer]

Breast cancer is the most frequent malignancy among women worldwide. Polymorphisms in Xenobiotic Metabolizing Enxymes [XEMs] and drugs such as P450 [CYP2D6] may increase susceptibility to breast cancer. Little is known about the association of CYP2D6*4 [1894 G to A] polymorphism and susceptibility to breast cancer. This study aimed to investigate the possible relationship of the CYP2D6 *4 gene polymorphism and breast cancer. One hundred women with confirmed breast cancer and 100 healthy women were the subject of this study. Subjects were assessed for the gene polymorphism of CYP2D6*D by a PCR-RFLP assay at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in 2009. The collected data were analyzed by the SPSS using chi-square test and Fisher exact test. No correlation was found between CYP2D6*4 gene polymorphism and breast cancer [P=0.299]. Our results demonstrated that CYP2D6 *4 mutant displays a non-significant increased risk for breast cancer

[-vitro evaluation of periodontal dressing plus calcium hydroxide on L929 fibroblast cells]

In most cases, after the surgical procedures were completed, the area was covered with a surgical pack. Dentin hypersensitivity is one of the common problems after periodontal surgeries. Calcium Hydroxide is an inexpensive and available material used for desensitizing. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxicity of mixture of calcium hydroxide and periodontal dressing on L929 fibroblasts. In this study Rat fibroblasts were used. For preparing extracts, we added 0, 1, 5 and 10 mg of calcium hydroxide to 1 gr of periodontal dressing. Then, they were placed in autoclave followed by 5[cc] of basal media [DMEM].A control group consisting of L929 fibroblasts plus basal media was also considered. After 24, 48 and 72 hours incubation, we examined the numbers [quantity] as well as the morphology of the cells [quality]. For quantitative evaluation [MTT assay] after adding Tetrazolium salt to cells, we read the optical density of each plate using ELISA reader. The data were analyzed statistically using chi-square and Kruskal wallis test. All of the plates had the same quality but the cells in the control group showed more proliferation. All of the plates had plenty of vital and normal fibroblasts but in comparison with the control group the cells had developed less proliferation. Statistical test analysis of the data showed a significant difference between the optical density of the experimental plates and the control group indicating that the number of vital cells in control group was significantly greater than the test groups. Because the number of active vital cells in the plates with periodontal dressing was equal to other plates but less than control group, it can be concluded that the cytotoxic effects in the different plates were related to periodontal dressing, not Calcium hydroxide