Comparison of apoptotic bodies’ count & mitotic index in oral squamous cell carcinoma with regional lymph node involvement

Background & objectives: In early stages of oral cancers, 20-40 per cent of cases have occult metastasis in cervical lymph nodes. Biologic imbalance between cellular proliferation and death culminates in metastasis. The importance of cell cycle dysregulation in relation to lymph node involvement in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has not been established yet. The aim was to determine the association between apoptotic bodies count and mitotic index in relation to regional lymph node involvement in OSCC. Methods: Thirty two methyl green-pyronin stained slides from paraffin-embedded sections of OSCC were evaluated for apoptotic bodies count and mitotic index in relation to regional lymph node involvement using light microscopy. Number of apoptotic bodies and mitotic figures were counted in 10 randomly selected hot spot areas (×400). Average count of apoptotic bodies and mitotic figures were determined and compared with regard to the presence/absence of lymph node involvement. Results: The count of apoptotic bodies in cases without metastasis to the regional lymph node was significantly higher than in cases with regional lymph node involvement. The mitotic index was not significantly different between groups in terms of regional lymph node involvement (P=0.24). No significant correlation was found between the apoptotic bodies count (r=?0.094, P=0.72) and mitotic index (r=?0.08, P=0.75) to the number of regional lymph nodes involved. Interpretation & conclusions: Based on the results, it is suggested that apoptotic cell count can be a good parameter for showing the possibility of regional lymph node involvement in people with OSCC who do not have clinical symptoms of lymph node involvement.

A novel hydrazide compound exerts anti-metastatic effect against breast cancer

BACKGROUND: There are currently a number of barriers hindering the successful treatment of breast cancer, including the metastatic spread of cancer cells. In looking for new anticancer agents, we reported two novel hydrazide derivatives with anti-cancer activity in human breast cancer cells. The current study aims to explore the therapeutic potential of the most effective one, N'-((5-nitrothiophen-2-yl)methylene)-2-(phenylthio)benzohydrazide (compound B), on metastatic breast cancer, which is resistant to available chemotherapeutics. METHODS: 4T1 mammary carcinoma cells were inoculated into the fat pad mammary of 5-7-week-old female BALB/c mice and then the effective compound was intraperitoneally administered for 4 weeks. Proliferation index and angiogenesis in tumor and lung tissues were examined with immunohistochemistry. In vitro assessments were also carried out to evaluate the effect of the compound on invasion of MDA-MB-231 cells. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated that this effective derivative significantly inhibited invasion of MDA-MB-231 cells in vitro as shown by Matrigel assay and quantitative real-time method for MMP-9 expression after 48 h of treatment. Daily administration of the compound suppressed the growth of primary tumor and its metastasis to lung, which was confirmed by H&E experiment at a dose of 1 mg/kg in a well-known metastatic model of 4T1 breast cancer in syngeneic BALB/c mice. These outcomes were supported by the immunohistochemical examinations of the tumor and lung tissues of mice. Tumors and lungs in mice treated with the effective compound showed a reduced proliferation index and a smaller microvessel density compared to the control. CONCLUSION: This study highlights an anti-metastatic role for a novel hydrazide derivative in both in vitro and in vivo models of breast cancer.

Effects of nitric oxide modulating activities on development of enteric nervous system mediated gut motility in chick embryo model.

The enteric nervous system (ENS) arises from the enteric neural crest-derived cells (ENCCs), and many molecules and biochemical processes may be involved in its development. This study examined the effects of modulating embryonic nitric oxide (NO) activity on the intestinal motility induced by ENS. One-hundred-and-twenty fertilized chicken eggs were assigned to three main groups and incubated at 37°C and 60% humidity. The eggs were treated with NG-nitro-Larginine methyl ester (L-NAME), sodium nitroprusside (SNP), L-arginine (L-Arg) or vehicle from days 3 (1st group), 7 (2nd group) and 10 (3rd group) of incubation and continued up to day 18. On day 19, the embryos were sacrificed, the jejunal and colorectal segments were taken and the intestinal motility was assessed using isolated organ system. The intestinal motility was recorded normally and following cholinergic, adrenergic and non-adrenergic non-cholinergic (NANC) stimulations. The ENS structure was assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Rhythmic intestinal contractions were seen in all treatment groups, but inhibition of NO in the LNAME- treated embryos caused significant decrease (p<0.01) in the frequency and amplitude of the contraction. The responsiveness to adrenergic, cholinergic and NANC stimulations was also significantly decreased (p<0.05). The GFAP expression was significantly (p<0.05) reduced in the L-NAME-treated embryos. This study showed that the inhibition of NO caused a deficient development of the ENS, leading to a decrease in the frequency and amplitude of the intestinal contractions and reduced the responsiveness to adrenergic, cholinergic and NANC signalling.