Converting Red Blood Cells to Efficient Microreactors for Blood Detoxification.

A simple method to convert red blood cells (RBCs) into efficient microreactors is reported. Triton X-100 is employed at finely tuned concentrations to render RBCs highly permeable to substrates, while low concentrations of glutaraldehyde are used to stabilize cells. The ability for blood detoxification of these microreactors is demonstrated.

Penetrating the Blood-Brain Barrier: Promise of Novel Nanoplatforms and Delivery Vehicles.

Multifunctional nanoplatforms combining versatile therapeutic modalities with a variety of imaging options have the potential to diagnose, monitor, and treat brain diseases. The promise of nanotechnology can only be realized by the simultaneous development of innovative brain-targeting delivery vehicles capable of penetrating the blood-brain barrier without compromising its structural integrity.

Label-free global serum proteomic profiling reveals novel celecoxib-modulated proteins in familial adenomatous polyposis patients.

Celecoxib, a selective inhibitor of cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2), was efficacious in clinical prevention trials of patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and sporadic colorectal cancer. To identify as yet poorly defined molecular determinants of celecoxib efficacy, a multidimensional serum fractionation approach was used coupled with nanospray tandem mass spectrometry to perform label-free global proteomic profiling of serum samples from the FAP/celecoxib prevention trial. Subsequently, the application of an algorithm for large-scale biomarker discovery on comparative serum proteomic profiles of pre- and post-celecoxib treatment samples identified 83 potentially celecoxib-responsive proteins from various cellular compartments, biological processes and molecular functions. Celecoxib modulation of some of these proteins was confirmed in serum samples of FAP patients and colorectal cancer cell lines by Western blotting. Thus, using a shotgun procedure to rapidly identify important celecoxib-modulated proteins, this pilot study has uncovered novel systemic changes some of which are highly relevant for carcinogenesis and vascular biology. Validation of selected markers, especially those involved in key signaling networks and those considered molecular indicators of cardiovascular pathology, in larger celecoxib clinical trials is expected to provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of celecoxib and the efficacy/toxicity issues related to its use as a chemopreventive agent.

Protective effect of Cox-2 allelic variants on risk of colorectal adenoma development in African Americans.

BACKGROUND: Recent evidence indicates that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the Cox-2 gene may modulate the risk of colorectal adenoma development. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We explored possible associations between Cox-2 polymorphisms and risk of adenoma development in an African American case-control study comprising 72 cases of advanced adenomas and 146 polyp-free controls. An exhaustive approach of genotyping 13 haplotype-tagging SNPs (ht SNPs) distributed over the entire COX-2 gene was used. RESULTS: Statistically significant inverse associations were observed between the heterozygous genotypes at the 5229 G>T polymorphism in intron 5 [odds ratio (OR)=0.42; confidence interval (CI)=0.19-0.92; p=0.03] and at the 10935 A>G polymorphism in the 3' flanking region downstream from the poly A signals (OR=0.39; CI=0.18-0.83;p=0.01) and the risk for colorectal adenoma development. CONCLUSION: The data from our pilot study suggest that allelic variants of the COX-2 gene significantly influence the risk of adenoma development in the African American population.

Altered gene expression profiles define pathways in colorectal cancer cell lines affected by celecoxib.

It is well established that celecoxib, a selective inhibitor of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and a tested chemopreventive agent, has several COX-2-independent activities. In an attempt to better understand COX-2-independent molecular mechanisms underlying the chemopreventive activity of celecoxib, we did global transcription profiling of celecoxib-treated COX-2-positive and COX-2-deficient colorectal cancer cell lines. Celecoxib treatment resulted in significantly altered expression levels of over 1,000 to 3,000 transcripts in these cell lines, respectively. A pathway/functional analysis of celecoxib-affected transcripts, using Gene Ontology and Biocarta Pathways and exploring biological association networks, revealed that celecoxib modulates expression of numerous genes involved in a variety of cellular processes, including metabolism, cell proliferation, apoptotic signaling, cell cycle check points, lymphocyte activation, and signaling pathways. Among these processes, cell proliferation and apoptotic signaling consistently ranked as the highest-scoring Gene Ontology terms and Biocarta Pathways in both COX-2 expresser and nonexpresser cell lines. Altered expression of many of the genes by celecoxib was confirmed by quantitative PCR and at the protein level by Western blotting. Many novel genes emerged from our analysis of global transcription patterns that were not previously reported to be affected by celecoxib. In the future, in-depth work on selected genes will determine if these genes may serve as potential molecular targets for more effective chemopreventive strategies.

Proteomic profiling identifies cyclooxygenase-2-independent global proteomic changes by celecoxib in colorectal cancer cells.

Celecoxib, a selective inhibitor of the enzyme cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), has been shown to be a promising chemoprevention agent. The chemopreventive efficacy of celecoxib is believed to be a consequence of its COX-2-dependent and COX-2-independent effects on a variety of cellular processes including proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and immunosurveillance. In an attempt to identify proteomic markers modulated by celecoxib that are independent of its inhibitory effect on COX-2, the colorectal cancer cell line HCT-116, a nonexpresser of COX-2, was treated with celecoxib. We used the powerful, state-of-the-art two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis technology coupled with mass spectrometric sequencing to compare global proteomic profiles of HCT-116 cells before and after treatment with celecoxib. Among the differentially expressed proteins identified following celecoxib treatment were proteins involved in diverse cellular functions including glycolysis, protein biosynthesis, DNA synthesis, mRNA processing, protein folding, phosphorylation, redox regulation, and molecular chaperon activities. Our study presents a comprehensive analysis of large-scale celecoxib-modulated proteomic alterations, at least some of which may be mechanistically related to the COX-2-independent chemopreventive effect of celecoxib.

Plasma proteomic profiling: search for lung cancer diagnostic and early detection markers.

Environmental and occupational exposure to asbestos is among the established risk factors for lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. This link between exposure to asbestos and the excessive death rate from lung cancer was evident in a study of former workers of an asbestos pipe insulation manufacturing plant in Tyler, TX. We performed comparative proteomic profiling of plasma samples that were collected from nine patients within 12 months before death and their age-, race- and exposure-matched disease-free controls on strong anion exchange chips using surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. A distance-dependent K-nearest neighbor (KNN) classification algorithm identified spectral features of m/z values 7558.9 and 15103.0 that were able to distinguish lung cancer patients from disease-free individuals with high sensitivity and specificity. The high correlation between the intensities of these two peaks (r=0.987) strongly suggests that they are the doubly and singly charged ions of the same protein product. Examination of these proteomic markers in the plasma samples of subjects from >5 years before death from lung cancer suggested that they are related to the early development of lung cancer. Validation of these biomarkers would have significant implications for the early detection of lung cancer and better management of high-risk patients.

Effect of a 4-month tea intervention on oxidative DNA damage among heavy smokers: role of glutathione S-transferase genotypes.

Glutathione S-transferase (GST), a member of the phase II group of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes, has been intensively studied at the levels of phenotype and genotype. The GST mu 1 (GSTM1) and GST theta 1 (GSTT1) genes have a null-allele variant in which the entire gene is absent. The null genotype for both enzymes has been associated with many different types of tumors. The aim of this study was to determine the possible differences in increased oxidative stress susceptibility to smoking within the GSTM1 and GSTT1 genotypes and the impact of high tea drinking on this. We designed a Phase II randomized, controlled, three-arm tea intervention trial to study the effect of high consumption (4 cups/day) of decaffeinated green or black tea, or water on oxidative DNA damage, as measured by urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), among heavy smokers over a 4-month period and to evaluate the roles of GSTM1 and GSTT1 genotypes as effect modifiers. A total of 133 heavy smokers (100 females and 33 males) completed the intervention. GSTM1 and GSTT1 genotype statuses were determined with a PCR-based approach. Multiple linear regression models were used to estimate the main effects and interaction effect of green and black tea consumption on creatinine-adjusted urinary 8-OHdG, with or without adjustment for potential confounders. Finally, we studied whether the effect of treatment varied by GSTM1 and GSTT1 status of the individual. Although there were no differences in urinary 8-OHdG between the groups at baseline, the between-group 8-OHdG levels at month 4 were statistically significant for GSTM1-positive smokers (P = 0.05) and GSTT1-positive smokers (P = 0.02). GSTM1-positive and GSTT1-positive smokers consuming green tea showed a decrease in urinary 8-OHdG levels after 4 months. Assessment of urinary 8-OHdG after adjustment for baseline measurements and other potential confounders revealed significant effect for green tea consumption (P = 0.001). The change from baseline was significant in both GSTM1-positive (t = -2.99; P = 0.006) and GSTT1-positive (P = 0.004) green tea groups, but not in the GSTM1-negative (P = 0.07) or GSTT1-negative (P = 0.909) green tea groups. Decaffeinated black tea consumption had no effect on urinary 8-OHdG levels among heavy smokers. Our data show that consumption of 4 cups of tea/day is a feasible and safe approach and is associated with a significant decrease in urinary 8-OHdG among green tea consumers after 4 months of consumption. This finding also suggests that green tea intervention may be effective in the subgroup of smokers who are GSTM1 and/or GSTT1 positive.