Antitumor Effects of L-citrulline on Hela Cervical Cancer Cell Lines.

AIM: Cervical cancer is the deadliest gynecological malignancy. This study aims to examine the anticancer effects of L-citrulline on HeLa cell culture. MATERIALS AND METHODS: HeLa cells were cultured in complete Eagle's minimum essential medium. HeLa cells were seeded in 96-well plates and incubated with L-citrulline. After incubation, MTT dye was added and incubated. Annexin- V technique was used to test the apoptosis. The activated caspases of HeLa cells by L-citrulline exposure were measured with the Caspase 3/7 technique. One-way variance analysis was conducted for statistical analysis by using GraphPad Prism 6.0 for Windows. RESULTS: L-citrulline showed its toxicity on HeLa cells in a dose-dependent manner in application times of 24 and 48 hours. The IC50 dose of L-citrulline was 0.19 and 0.16 mg/mL at 24 and 48 hours, respectively. When HeLa cells were exposed to an IC50 dose of L-citrulline for 24 hours, the percentages of the dead, early apoptotic, and late apoptotic cells were detected to be 0.75%, 23.05%, and 12.75%, respectively. The differences in the wideness of the scratch area were observed at the initial stage and after 24 hours of applying L-citrulline. CONCLUSION: L-citrulline showed its toxicity on HeLa cells in a dose-dependent manner. Based on Annexin and Caspase findings, it can be concluded that L-citrulline exerted a pro-apoptotic effect on HeLa cells in only a short exposure time. L-citrulline also showed a migration inhibitory effect. The findings of this study indicate L-citrulline to be worthy of investigation for its anticancer activities in vitro and in vivo, and as a candidate for cancer therapy.

Antitumor Effects of Turmeric on OVCAR-3 Ovarian Cancer Cell Lines.

INTRODUCTION: Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecological malignancy, usually not detected until the late stages. In vitro cell culture is a method used to study the behavior of cells in a controlled environment. Turmeric has attracted the attention of scientists due to its anticancer potential. METHODS: OVCAR-3 cells were cultured in RPMI medium with 100 units/mL-100 µg/mL of penicillin-streptomycin and 10% foetal bovine serum in a CO2 incubator. Turmeric extract was diluted in DMSO. Different concentrations of turmeric extract were prepared. Annexin-V staining was performed to test the translocation of phosphatidylserine to the outer side of the cell membrane as a clear indicator of apoptosis. RESULTS: Turmeric extract significantly reduced the viability of OVCAR-3 cells both within 24 and 48 hours of exposure. OVCAR-3 cells were treated with IC50 concentration of turmeric extract for 24 hours. 82.60% of cells were viable. The percentages of the dead, early apoptotic, and late apoptotic cells were detected to be 0.80%, 9.70%, and 6.90%, respectively. Untreated OVCAR-3 cells had migration ability. OVCAR-3 cells exposed to an IC50 concentration of turmeric extract for 24 hours did not close the scratch area. CONCLUSION: In this research, anticancer effects of turmeric have been demonstrated by different analysis methods.

The association of various obstetric and perinatal factors with retinopathy of prematurity.

PURPOSE: To analyze the effects of various obstetric and perinatal factors on the severity of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). METHODS: Infants born at ≤ 32 weeks of gestation, with less than 1500 g gestational weight and having at least stage 1 ROP, were reviewed. Group1A included treatment-requiring ROP (TR-ROP), and group 2A included the remaining patients not requiring treatment. Group 1B included stage 3 ROP cases, and group 2B included the remaining stage 2 or 1 ROP cases. Group 1C included cases with zone III disease, and group 2C the remaining. The control group (group C) was composed of premature infants without ROP. The multiple comparisons were made among groups 1A, 2A, and C; 1B, 2B, and C; 1C, 2C, and C. RESULTS: A total of 311 infants were included. Group 1A included 34 cases, group 1B 60, group 1C 51, and group C 98. Antenatal steroid administration, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), gestational weight (GW), gestational age (GA), sepsis, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) time, and invasive mechanical ventilation (MV) time were associated with TR-ROP, stage 3 ROP, and zone I, and II disease (p < 0.05). Pregestational diabetes mellitus (DM) was only associated with stage 3 ROP (p = 0.031). Gestational hypertension was only associated with zone I and II disease (p = 0.034). The use of low-molecular-weight heparin may be protective against stage 3 disease (p = 0.031). CONCLUSION: Antenatal steroid administration, GDM, GW, GA, sepsis, CPAP time, and invasive MV time were risk factors for TR-ROP and stage 3 ROP, while pregestational DM was only associated with stage 3 ROP.