Aromatic amino acids play a harmonizing role in prostate cancer: A metabolomics-based cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer (PCa) is a common health problem worldwide. The rate of this disease is likely to grow by 2021. PCa is a heterogeneous disorder, and various biochemical factors contribute to the development of this disease. The metabolome is the complete set of metabolites in a cell or biological sample and represents the downstream end product of the omics. Hence, to model PCa by computational systems biology, a preliminary metabolomics-based study was used to compare the metabolome profile pattern between healthy and PCa men. OBJECTIVE: This study was carried out to highlight energy metabolism modification and assist the prognosis and treatment of disease with unique biomarkers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional research, 26 men diagnosed with stage-III PCa and 26 healthy men with normal PSA levels were enrolled. Urine was analyzed with proton nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H-NMR) spectroscopy, accompanied by the MetaboAnalyst web-based platform tool for metabolomics data analysis. Partial least squares regression discriminant analysis was applied to clarify the separation between the two groups. Outliers were documented and metabolites determined, followed by identifying biochemical pathways. RESULTS: Our findings reveal that modifications in aromatic amino acid metabolism and some of their metabolites have a high potential for use as urinary PCa biomarkers. Tryptophan metabolism (p < 0.001), tyrosine metabolism (p < 0.001), phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis (p < 0.001), phenylalanine metabolism (p = 0.01), ubiquinone and other terpenoid-quinone biosynthesis (p = 0.19), nitrogen metabolism (p = 0.21), and thiamine metabolism (p = 0.41) with Q 2 (0.198) and R 2 (0.583) were significantly altered. CONCLUSION: The discriminated metabolites and their pathways play an essential role in PCa causes and harmony.

Effect of Rosa canina Distilled Water on Tamoxifen-treated Male Wistar Rats.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: In spite of therapeutic effect of tamoxifen on the breast cancer, it has some side effects on the liver including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. In this study the effects of Rosa canina distilled water on the tamoxifen-induced fatty liver and oxidative stress status in male rats were investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty four adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups of 6: 1st group: Untreated control rats (C), 2nd group (T): The rats received tamoxifen, 3rd group (T+R): Rats received tamoxifen and Rosa canina distilled water and 4th group (R): Rats received only Rosa canina distilled water. Tamoxifen at 1 mg kg-1/day was injected subcutaneously for 7 days and the rats received orally Rosa canina distilled water at 1 mL/rat/daily for 14 days. At the end of the study, animals were studied for serum biochemical parameters (glucose, lipid profile, BUN, creatinine, uric acid, urea, ALT, AST, ALP, total protein, bilirubin, oxidative stress indices, sperm analysis and histology of the liver. The data were analyzed with SPSS software version 20 and expressed as Mean±SD. RESULTS: Rosa canina distilled water improved liver enzyme and renal function indices which disturbed due to tamoxifen treatment. While tamoxifen enhanced lipid peroxidation, Rosa canina distilled water reduced it. In addition, tamoxifen reduced the mobility, morphology and viability of sperms, but the Rosa canina distilled water enhanced the sperm parameters. Histological results also confirmed the adverse effect of tamoxifen and the favorable impact of the Rosa canina distilled water on the liver structures of animals. CONCLUSION: Rosa canina distilled water could modulate tamoxifen-induced fatty liver as well as improving the sperm parameters.

Prevention of EHEC infection by chitosan nano-structure coupled with synthetic recombinant antigen.

One of highly effective methods for prevention and control of Entrohemorragic Esherichia coli (EHEC) infections is to use vaccination against extremely immunogenic part of attachment factors. In this study rEIT (EspA, Intimin, Tir) was produced in bacteria and then encapsulated with chitosan nanoparticle as a candidate nanovaccine. A chimeric trivalent recombinant protein which was previously found to provide reasonable immunogenicity against E.coli O157:H7 was used as a base. Mice immunized orally with chitosan based nanoparticle containing rEIT antigen. The rEIT-specific immune responses (IgG and IgA) were measured by indirect ELISA. In challenging tests different groups of immunized mice were infected orally with E.coli O157:H7. The results showed that the recombinant nanovaccine candidate could induce the strong humoral and mucosal immune responses and protect the mice from live EHEC O157:H7 challenge. Higher titers of serum anti rEIT IgG were achieved after the last immunization in all of the groups. Comparison of the amount of IgA titers in serum and feces showed higher values for the latter. In vitro study of binding inhibition assay on Caco-2 cell monolayers by pre-incubated antisera with EHEC bacteria, showed that immunized mice antibody could reduce adhesion properties of E. coli O157:H7. In a challenging study with EHEC bacteria, reduction in number of colonies was observed in all of the immunized groups for over two weeks. Results from the present study prove that nanovaccine candidate with rEIT can reduce signs and symptoms of EHEC infections. This novel approach can be a new strategy for inducing immunity against E. coli O157:H7. This study suggests the use of oral -injection combined vaccination routes comparing to other methods available in order to achieve higher humoral and mucosal immunogenicity levels.

Antioxidant properties and inhibitory effects of Satureja khozestanica essential oil on LDL oxidation induced-CuSO(4) in vitro.

OBJECTIVE: To assess various antioxidative activities of Satureja khozestanica essential oil (SKE) and its effect on oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL) induced by CuSO4 in vitro by monitoring the formation of conjugated dienes and malondialdehyde (MDA). METHODS: The formation of conjugated dienes, lag time and MDA were measured. Inhibition of this Cu-induced oxidation was studied in the presence of several concentrations of SKE. Also total antioxidant activity and free radical scavenging of SKE were determinated. RESULTS: It was demonstrated that SKE was able to inhibit LDL oxidation and decrease the resistance of LDL against oxidation. The inhibitory effects of SKE on LDL oxidation were dose-dependent at concentrations ranging from 50 to 200 µg/mL. Total antioxidant capacity of SKE was (3.20±0.40) nmol of ascorbic acid equivalents/g SKE. The SKE showed remarkable scavenging activity on 2, 2-diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl, IC50 (5.30±0.11) ng/mL. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that SKE is a source of potent antioxidants and prevents the oxidation of LDL in vitro and it may be suitable for use in food and pharmaceutical applications.

MicroRNAs as markers for neurally committed CD133+/CD34+ stem cells derived from human umbilical cord blood.

Neural differentiation of the CD133+/CD34+ subpopulation of human umbilical cord blood stem cells was investigated, and neuro-miR (mir-9 and mir-124) expression was examined. An efficient induction protocol for neural differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells together with the exclusion of retinoic acid in this process was also studied. Transcription of some neural markers such as microtubule-associated protein-2, beta-tubulin III, and neuron-specific enolase was evaluated by real-time PCR, immunocytochemistry, and western blotting. Increased expression of neural indicators in the treated cells confirmed the appropriate neural differentiation, which supported the high efficiency of our defined neuronal induction protocol. Verified high expression of neuro-miRNAs along with neuronal specific proteins not only strengthens the regulatory role of miRNAs in determining stem cell fate but also introduces these miRNAs as novel indicators of neural differentiation. These data highlight the prominent therapeutic potential of hematopoietic stem cells for use in cell therapy of neurodegenerative diseases.