Results from 11C-metformin-PET scans, tissue analysis and cellular drug-sensitivity assays questions the view that biguanides affects tumor respiration directly.

The anti-diabetic biguanide drugs metformin (METF) and phenformin (PHEN) may have anti-cancer effects. Biguanides suppress plasma growth factors, but nonetheless, the view that these mitochondrial inhibitors accumulate in tumor tissue to an extent that leads to severe energetic stress or alleviation of hypoxia-induced radioresistance is gaining ground. Our cell studies confirm that biguanides inhibits cell proliferation by targeting respiration, but only at highly suprapharmacological concentrations due to low drug retention. Biodistribution/PET studies of 11C-labeled metformin (11C-METF) revealed that plasma bioavailability remained well below concentrations with metabolic/anti-proliferative in vitro effects, following a high oral dose. Intraperitoneal administration resulted in higher drug concentrations, which affected metabolism in normal organs with high METF uptake (e.g., kidneys), but tumor drug retention peaked at low levels comparable to plasma levels and hypoxia was unaffected. Prolonged intraperitoneal treatment reduced tumor growth in two tumor models, however, the response did not reflect in vitro drug sensitivity, and tumor metabolism and hypoxia was unaffected. Our results do not support that direct inhibition of tumor cell respiration is responsible for reduced tumor growth, but future studies using 11C-METF-PET are warranted, preferably in neoplasia's originating from tissue with high drug transport capacity, to investigate the controversial idea of direct targeting.

Genetic and environmental influence on DNA strand break repair: a twin study.

Accumulation of DNA damage deriving from exogenous and endogenous sources has significant consequences for cellular survival, and is implicated in aging, cancer, and neurological diseases. Different DNA repair pathways have evolved in order to maintain genomic stability. Genetic and environmental factors are likely to influence DNA repair capacity. In order to gain more insight into the genetic and environmental contribution to the molecular basis of DNA repair, we have performed a human twin study, where we focused on the consequences of some of the most abundant types of DNA damage (single-strand breaks), and some of the most hazardous lesions (DNA double-strand breaks). DNA damage signaling response (Gamma-H2AX signaling), relative amount of endogenous damage, and DNA-strand break repair capacities were studied in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 198 twins (94 monozygotic and 104 dizygotic). We did not detect genetic effects on the DNA-strand break variables in our study.

Age and gender effects on DNA strand break repair in peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Exogenous and endogenous damage to DNA is constantly challenging the stability of our genome. This DNA damage increase the frequency of errors in DNA replication, thus causing point mutations or chromosomal rearrangements and has been implicated in aging, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, efficient DNA repair is vital for the maintenance of genome stability. The general notion has been that DNA repair capacity decreases with age although there are conflicting results. Here, we focused on potential age-associated changes in DNA damage response and the capacities of repairing DNA single-strand breaks (SSBs) and double-strand breaks (DSBs) in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Of these lesions, DSBs are the least frequent but the most dangerous for cells. We have measured the level of endogenous SSBs, SSB repair capacity, γ-H2AX response, and DSB repair capacity in a study population consisting of 216 individuals from a population-based sample of twins aged 40-77 years. Age in this range did not seem to have any effect on the SSB parameters. However, γ-H2AX response and DSB repair capacity decreased with increasing age, although the associations did not reach statistical significance after adjustment for batch effect across multiple experiments. No gender differences were observed for any of the parameters analyzed. Our findings suggest that in PBMCs, the repair of SSBs is maintained until old age, whereas the response to and the repair of DSBs decrease.

Nuclear and mitochondrial DNA repair in selected eukaryotic aging model systems.

Knowledge about the different mechanisms underlying the aging process has increased exponentially in the last decades. The fact that the basic mechanisms involved in the aging process are believed to be universal allows the use of different model systems, from the simplest eukaryotic cells such as fungi to the most complex organisms such as mice or human. As our knowledge on the aging mechanisms in those model systems increases, our understanding of human aging and the potential interventions that we could approach rise significantly. Among the different mechanisms that have been implicated in the aging process, DNA repair is one of the processes which have been suggested to play an important role. Here, we review the latest investigations supporting the role of these mechanisms in the aging process, stressing how beneficial the use of different model systems is. We discuss how human genetic studies as well as several investigations on mammalian models and simpler eukaryotic organisms have contributed to a better understanding of the involvement of DNA repair mechanisms in aging.

Differential age-related changes in mitochondrial DNA repair activities in mouse brain regions.

Aging in the brain is characterized by increased susceptibility to neuronal loss and functional decline, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations are thought to play an important role in these processes. Due to the proximity of mtDNA to the main sites of mitochondrial free radical generation, oxidative stress is a major source of DNA mutations in mitochondria. The base excision repair (BER) pathway removes oxidative lesions from mtDNA, thereby constituting an important mechanism to avoid accumulation of mtDNA mutations. The complexity of the brain implies that exposure and defence against oxidative stress varies among brain regions and hence some regions may be particularly prone to accumulation of mtDNA damages. In the current study we investigated the efficiency of the BER pathway throughout the murine lifespan in mitochondria from cortex and hippocampus, regions that are central in mammalian cognition, and which are severely affected during aging and in neurodegenerative diseases. A regional specific regulation of mitochondrial DNA repair activities was observed with aging. In cortical mitochondria, DNA glycosylase activities peaked at middle-age followed by a significant drop at old age. However, only minor changes were observed in hippocampal mitochondria during the whole lifespan of the animals. Furthermore, DNA glycosylase activities were lower in hippocampal than in cortical mitochondria. Mitochondrial AP endonuclease activity increased in old animals in both brain regions. Our data suggest an important regional specific regulation of mitochondrial BER during aging.