Correlation between oxidative stress markers and cytokines in different stages of breast cancer.

This study aims to estimate the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) as oxidative stress marker and reduced glutathione (GSH) as antioxidant and correlate them to different inflammatory markers as interleukins (IL-6, IL-8, IL-10) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in different stages of breast cancer (BC). For the purpose of comparisons, 35 healthy subjects matched for age, sex and ethnic background were selected who have no history or clinical evidence of BC or any chronic disease and obvious abnormalities as a control group and 35 patients of different stages of BC were participated in the study. The cancer patients were diagnosed by specialists. Even the exact cause of the disease has not been identified but according to this study, 5% of the patients were having family history of the disease and 62% of the patients were having a BMI over 25. Over 60% of the patients were postmenopausal and all females participated in this study were nonsmokers. MDA level showed a significant increase when BC patients were compared to healthy subjects, this oxidative stress marker showed a significant increase with the increase of the stage of the disease. In contrast the level of the lipid peroxide scavenger GSH reduced with increasing the stage of the disease. The level of some cytokines showed a significant change between different stages and the control group. Correlation between MDA and GSH with these cytokines showed a positive correlation between all cytokines and the MDA level and a negative correlation between GSH and the cytokines. The results of this study suggests that BC stimulates the oxidative stress response and for that, different inflammatory cytokines will be produced and there is a pronounced relationship between oxidative stress parameters and these cytokines and the level of these cytokines are associated with aggressive tumors.

Bioactives from Marine Organisms and their Potential Role as Matrix Metalloproteinase Inhibitors.

Recent research has revealed the role of metalloproteinases in a number of severe pathological illnesses, including cardiac, cartilage, neurological, and cancer-related diseases that are fatal to humans. Metalloproteinases are a subclass of endopeptidases that comprise structurally identical enzymes known as Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs) that are solely involved in extracellular matrix degradation and play a significant regulatory function in tissue remodeling. Improper regulation and expression of MMPs have been linked to several life-threatening pathological conditions in humans. Hence there is an ever-growing interest in various research communities to identify and report the Matrix Metalloproteinase Inhibitors (MMPIs). In spite of several chemically synthesized MMPIs being available currently, several unpleasant side effects, un-successful clinical trials have made use of synthetic MMPIs as a risky strategy. Several natural product researchers have strongly recommended and reported many natural resources like plants, microorganisms, and animals as greater resources to screen for bioactives that can function as potential natural MMPIs. Marine environment is one of the vast and promising resources that harbor diverse forms of life known to synthesize biologically active compounds. These bioactive compounds from marine organisms have been reported for their unparalleled biological effects and have profound applications in cosmeceutical, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical research. Several research groups have reported an umpteen number of medicinally unmatched compounds from marine flora and fauna, thus driving researchers to screen marine organisms for natural MMPIs. In this review, our group has reported the potential MMPIs from marine organisms.