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Dos Santos AP, Cardoso TN, Waisse S, Bonamin LV. Homeopathy in Experimental Cancer Models: A Systematic Review. HOMEOPATHY 2020; 110:76-85. [PMID: 33348419 DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1716369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Complementary and alternative medicine, including homeopathy, is widely used to improve well-being among cancer patients and reduce adverse effects of conventional treatment. In contrast, there are few studies on the use of homeopathic medicines to treat the disease itself. Yet, evidence of possible effectiveness of homeopathic high dilutions in experimental cancer models has been published during the past 20 years. AIM The aim of the study was to perform a systematic review of fundamental research studies on homeopathic high dilutions in cancer. METHODS Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline, we conducted a literature search in the database PubMed for original publications, from 2000 to 2018 and in English, on in vitro and in vivo experimental cancer models testing homeopathic high dilutions. RESULTS Twenty-three articles met the inclusion criteria-14 in vitro, eight in vivo, and one in vitro plus in vivo experimental models. Most studies were from India. Research prominently focused on cytotoxic effects involving apoptotic mechanisms. Intrinsic aspects of homeopathy should be considered in experimental designs to emphasize the specificity of such effects. CONCLUSION Fundamental research of homeopathy in cancer is still at an early stage and has mainly been performed by a few groups of investigators. The results point to an interference of well-selected homeopathic medicines with cell cycle and apoptotic mechanisms in cancer cells. However, these findings still need independent reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreza Pereira Dos Santos
- Research Center, Universidade Paulista, UNIP, Graduate Program in Environmental and Experimental Pathology, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Thayná Neves Cardoso
- Research Center, Universidade Paulista, UNIP, Graduate Program in Environmental and Experimental Pathology, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Silvia Waisse
- Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, PUC-SP, Graduate Program in History of Science, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Leoni Villano Bonamin
- Research Center, Universidade Paulista, UNIP, Graduate Program in Environmental and Experimental Pathology, São Paulo, Brazil
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In vitro long-term culture of isolated ovine preantral follicles: Influence of ethanol on steroid production, oocyte meiotic resumption, and metabolomic profile. Res Vet Sci 2020; 135:432-441. [PMID: 33218694 DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2020.10.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2019] [Revised: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Ethanol is used routinely to dilute cell culture media supplements with little or no water solubility. This study evaluates the effect of low concentration of ethanol on the follicular development, oocyte maturation, hormone production, gene expression, and metabolomics profile of spent culture medium after long-term culture of isolated ovine preantral follicles. For this, follicles were cultured for 18 days in α-Minimum Essential Medium+ alone (control treatment) or supplemented with 100 ng/mL recombinant bovine FSH (rbFSH treatment) or with 0.2%-v/v ethanol (ethanol treatment). Ethanol treatment increased the percentage of degenerated follicles and oocytes significantly, however, it showed the highest estradiol secretion. Also, the rate of meiosis resumption was higher in ethanol treatment than Control treatment. Ethanol treatment decreased the mRNA levels of B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2), BCL2 associated X, Aquaporin 3, Connexin 43, Inhibin Subunit Beta A, kit ligand, Heat Shock Protein (HSP A1A) significantly when compared to the Control treatment. However, mRNA levels of cytochrome P450 family 19, and FSH receptors were significantly higher in ethanol treatment than in the Control treatment. The levels of some metabolites, which are likely amino acids, lipids, an analog of Cyclic guanosine monophosphate, and a derivative of phosphoinositol phosphate metabolism, had higher relative concentrations in ethanol and rbFSH treatments than the Control treatment. In conclusion, ethanol addition augmented the follicular and oocyte degeneration rates but increased the estradiol production and the meiotic resumption. Furthermore, the follicular metabolomic profile was similar between ethanol and rbFSH treatments being both treatments; however, different from the Control treatment.
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Aguiar FLN, Gastal GDA, Alves KA, Alves BG, Figueiredo JR, Gastal EL. Supportive techniques to investigate in vitro culture and cryopreservation efficiencies of equine ovarian tissue: A review. Theriogenology 2020; 156:296-309. [PMID: 32891985 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2020.06.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
During the reproductive lifespan of a female, only a limited quantity of oocytes are naturally ovulated; therefore, the mammalian ovary possesses a substantial population of preantral follicles available to be handled and explored in vitro. Hence, the manipulation of preantral follicles enclosed in ovarian tissue aims to recover a considerable population of oocytes of high-value animals for potential application in profitable assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs). For this purpose, the technique of preantral follicle in vitro culture (IVC) has been the most common research tool, achieving extraordinary results with offspring production in the mouse model. Although promising outcomes have been generated in livestock animals after IVC of preantral follicles, the quantity and quality of embryo production with those oocytes are still poor. In recent years, the mare has become an additional model for IVC studies due to remarkable similarities with women and livestock animals regarding in vivo and in vitro ovarian folliculogenesis. For a successful IVC system, several factors should be carefully considered to provide an optimum culture environment able to support the viability and growth of preantral follicles enclosed in ovarian tissue. The cryopreservation of the ovarian tissue is another important in vitro manipulation technique that has been used to preserve the reproductive potential in humans and, in the future, may be used in highly valuable domestic animals or endangered species. Several improvements in cryopreservation protocols are necessary to support the utilization of ovarian tissue of different species in follow-up ARTs (e.g., ovarian fragment transplantation). This review aims to provide an update on the most current advances regarding supportive in vitro techniques used in equids to evaluate and manipulate preantral follicles and ovarian tissue, as well as methodological approaches used during IVC and cryopreservation techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- F L N Aguiar
- Department of Animal Science, Food and Nutrition, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA; Laboratory of Manipulation of Oocytes and Preantral Follicles (LAMOFOPA), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil; Department of Veterinary Medicine, Sousa Campus, Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Paraíba, Sousa, Paraíba, Brazil.
| | - G D A Gastal
- Department of Animal Science, Food and Nutrition, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA; National Institute of Agricultural Research, INIA La Estanzuela, Colonia, Uruguay
| | - K A Alves
- Department of Animal Science, Food and Nutrition, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA; Laboratory of Manipulation of Oocytes and Preantral Follicles (LAMOFOPA), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil; Postgraduate Program of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - B G Alves
- Department of Animal Science, Food and Nutrition, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA; Laboratory of Manipulation of Oocytes and Preantral Follicles (LAMOFOPA), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil; Animal Bioscience Postgraduate Program, Federal University of Goiás, Jataí, Goiás, Brazil
| | - J R Figueiredo
- Laboratory of Manipulation of Oocytes and Preantral Follicles (LAMOFOPA), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
| | - E L Gastal
- Department of Animal Science, Food and Nutrition, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA.
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Gonçalves JP, Potrich FB, Ferreira Dos Santos ML, Costa Gagosian VS, Rodrigues Rossi G, Jacomasso T, Mendes A, Bonciani Nader H, Brochado Winnischofer SM, Trindade ES, Camargo De Oliveira C. In vitro attenuation of classic metastatic melanoma‑related features by highly diluted natural complexes: Molecular and functional analyses. Int J Oncol 2019; 55:721-732. [PMID: 31364728 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2019.4846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2018] [Accepted: 04/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Metastasis is responsible for the majority of deaths among patients with malignant melanoma. Despite recent advances, the majority of current and modern therapies are ineffective and/or financially unfeasible. Thus, in this study, we investigated two low‑cost highly‑diluted natural complexes (HDNCs) that have been shown to be effective against malignant melanoma in a murine model in vivo. The aim of this study was to determine the mechanisms through which these HDNCs directly affect melanoma cells, either alone or in an artificial tumor microenvironment, suppressing the metastatic phenotype, thus explaining previous in vivo effects. For this purpose, HDNC in vitro treatments of B16‑F10 melanoma cells, alone or in co‑culture with Balb/3T3 fibroblasts, were carried out. Molecular biology techniques and standard functional assays were used to assess the changes in molecule expression and in cell behaviors related to the metastatic phenotype. Melanoma progression features were found to be regulated by HDNCs. Molecules related to cell adhesion (N‑cadherin, β1‑integrin and CD44), and migration, extracellular matrix remodeling and angiogenesis were modulated. The cell migratory, invasive and clonogenic capacities were reduced by the HDNCs. No loss of cell proliferation or viability were observed. On the whole, the findings of this study indicate that HDNCs directly reprogram, molecularly and functionally, melanoma cells in vitro, modulating their metastatic phenotype. Such findings are likely to be responsible for the attenuation of tumor growth and lung colonization previously observed in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenifer Pendiuk Gonçalves
- Laboratory of Inflammatory and Neoplastic Cells/Laboratory of Sulfated Polysaccharides Investigation, Cell Biology Department, Section of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Paraná, CEP 81530‑980 Curitiba‑PR, Brazil
| | - Francine Bittencourt Potrich
- Laboratory of Inflammatory and Neoplastic Cells/Laboratory of Sulfated Polysaccharides Investigation, Cell Biology Department, Section of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Paraná, CEP 81530‑980 Curitiba‑PR, Brazil
| | - Maria Luiza Ferreira Dos Santos
- Laboratory of Inflammatory and Neoplastic Cells/Laboratory of Sulfated Polysaccharides Investigation, Cell Biology Department, Section of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Paraná, CEP 81530‑980 Curitiba‑PR, Brazil
| | - Viviana Stephanie Costa Gagosian
- Laboratory of Inflammatory and Neoplastic Cells/Laboratory of Sulfated Polysaccharides Investigation, Cell Biology Department, Section of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Paraná, CEP 81530‑980 Curitiba‑PR, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Rodrigues Rossi
- Laboratory of Inflammatory and Neoplastic Cells/Laboratory of Sulfated Polysaccharides Investigation, Cell Biology Department, Section of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Paraná, CEP 81530‑980 Curitiba‑PR, Brazil
| | - Thiago Jacomasso
- Laboratory of Inflammatory and Neoplastic Cells/Laboratory of Sulfated Polysaccharides Investigation, Cell Biology Department, Section of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Paraná, CEP 81530‑980 Curitiba‑PR, Brazil
| | - Aline Mendes
- Biochemistry Department, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo ‑ SP 04023‑062, Brazil
| | - Helena Bonciani Nader
- Biochemistry Department, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo ‑ SP 04023‑062, Brazil
| | - Sheila Maria Brochado Winnischofer
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Section of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Paraná, CEP 81530‑980 Curitiba‑PR, Brazil
| | - Edvaldo S Trindade
- Laboratory of Inflammatory and Neoplastic Cells/Laboratory of Sulfated Polysaccharides Investigation, Cell Biology Department, Section of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Paraná, CEP 81530‑980 Curitiba‑PR, Brazil
| | - Carolina Camargo De Oliveira
- Laboratory of Inflammatory and Neoplastic Cells/Laboratory of Sulfated Polysaccharides Investigation, Cell Biology Department, Section of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Paraná, CEP 81530‑980 Curitiba‑PR, Brazil
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Mbemya GT, de Sá NAR, Guerreiro DD, de Sousa FGC, Nguedia SN, Alves BG, Santos FW, Pessoa ODL, Comizzoli P, Figueiredo JR, Rodrigues APR. Early ovine preantral follicles have a potential to grow until antral stage in two-step culture system in the presence of aqueous extract of Justicia insularis. Reprod Domest Anim 2019; 54:1121-1130. [PMID: 31145489 DOI: 10.1111/rda.13477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Accepted: 05/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine whether preantral follicles cultured in vitro for 7 days within ovine ovarian cortical strips could be isolated at the secondary follicles (SF) and grown until antral stage during an additional 6 days period of in vitro culture in the presence of aqueous extract of Justicia insularis. Fresh ovarian fragments from 16 adult sheep were fixed for histological analysis (Control 1) or in vitro cultured individually in α-MEM+ supplemented with 0.3 mg/ml J. insularis (Step 1) for 7 days. Part of the fragments then were fixed for histological analysis (in vitro culture group). Remaining fragments were exposed stepwise to increasing trehalose concentrations before immediate isolation of SF and viability assessment (Control 2) or after 6 days of culture in α-MEM++ supplemented with 0.3 mg/ml J. insularis (Step 2). In Step 1, percentage of follicular activation was 80%. In Step 2, a significant increase (p < 0.05) in follicular diameter and antrum formation within 6 days in vitro culture of isolated follicles was achieved. The total antioxidant capacity from both steps significantly increase (p < 0.05) from day 2 to day 6. Confocal analysis of oocytes showed 57.14% oocytes with homogeneous distribution and 42.86% with peri-cortical distribution. In conclusion, SF can be successfully isolated from sheep ovarian cortex after 7 days of culture and are capable of surviving and forming an antral cavity if cultured in vitro for an additional 6 days in the presence of 0.3 mg/ml J. insularis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gildas Tetaping Mbemya
- Laboratory of Manipulation of Oocyte and Ovarian Preantral Follicles (LAMOFOPA), Faculty of Veterinary (FAVET), State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Naiza Arcângela Ribeiro de Sá
- Laboratory of Manipulation of Oocyte and Ovarian Preantral Follicles (LAMOFOPA), Faculty of Veterinary (FAVET), State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Denise Damasceno Guerreiro
- Laboratory of Manipulation of Oocyte and Ovarian Preantral Follicles (LAMOFOPA), Faculty of Veterinary (FAVET), State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Francisca Geovania Canafístula de Sousa
- Laboratory of Manipulation of Oocyte and Ovarian Preantral Follicles (LAMOFOPA), Faculty of Veterinary (FAVET), State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Sylvain Njina Nguedia
- Laboratory of Manipulation of Oocyte and Ovarian Preantral Follicles (LAMOFOPA), Faculty of Veterinary (FAVET), State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Benner Geraldo Alves
- Laboratory of Biology of Reproduction, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Francielli Weber Santos
- Laboratory of Reproduction Biotechnology (Biotech), State of University of Pampa, Uruguaiana, Brazil
| | | | - Pierre Comizzoli
- Center for Species Survival, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, Virginia, USA
| | - José Ricardo Figueiredo
- Laboratory of Manipulation of Oocyte and Ovarian Preantral Follicles (LAMOFOPA), Faculty of Veterinary (FAVET), State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula Ribeiro Rodrigues
- Laboratory of Manipulation of Oocyte and Ovarian Preantral Follicles (LAMOFOPA), Faculty of Veterinary (FAVET), State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
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Supplementation of in vitro culture medium with FSH to grow follicles and mature oocytes can be replaced by extracts of Justicia insularis. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0208760. [PMID: 30532263 PMCID: PMC6286020 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0208760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2018] [Accepted: 11/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study evaluated the effect of supplementing in vitro culture medium with J. insularis compared to FSH on isolated secondary follicles and in vitro maturation of oocytes from those follicles. Secondary follicles were isolated from sheep ovaries and individually cultured for 18 days in α-MEM+ (Control), α-MEM+ supplemented with 100 ng/mL recombinant bovine follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) or with 0.3, 1.25, or 2.5 mg/mL of J. insularis extract (JI0.3, JI1.25, and JI2.5, respectively). Culture medium collected every 2 days was used to measure ROS levels. At the end of the culture period, cumulus oocytes complex (COCs) were collected and matured in vitro. Follicular walls were used for mRNA quantitation. JI0.3 led to a higher (P < 0.05) percentages of intact follicles than other groups after 18 days of culture. While follicular diameter remained unchanged from Day 6 onwards with JI0.3 and FSH, percentages of antral cavity formation were higher (P < 0.05) with JI0.3 at Day 6 than in all other treatments. No differences were observed between controls and treatment groups regarding ROS levels and mRNA expression of genes. Viability of resulting oocytes was higher (P < 0.05) in JI0.3 compared to FSH. Interestingly, in control experiment, supplementation of maturation medium with JI0.3 led to higher (P < 0.05) percentages of metaphase II compared to controls. Although more validations will be needed, it seems that this natural extract could be used as a cheap and easily available alternative to commercial FSH.
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