Genetic analysis of human papilloma virus 16 E6/E7 variants obtained from cervical cancer cases in Chhattisgarh, a central state of India

The E6 gene polymorphism of Human papillomavirus 16 in relation to the risk of cervical cancer in Tunisian women

Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) is the most prevalent HPV type worldwide and in Tunisia and the major carcinogenic HPV type found in cervical precancers and cancers. Previous studies have reported that genetic diversity of HPV16-E6 oncoprotein might be associated with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia progression. In this study we aimed to investigate the prevalence of HPV-16 E6 variants in precancerous lesions in Tunisian population to assess potential correlation with disease severity. Positive HPV cervical samples were obtained from the Laboratory of Anatomy Pathology of Pasteur Institute of Tunis. Cytological study was performed to identify cervical precancerous lesions. HPVs were typed using Reverse Line Hybridization. Only samples with HPV-16 single infection were selected for HP16-E6 genetic diversity investigation. HPV-16 E6 gene amplification was performed by PCR using specific primers and sequenced by Sanger Sequencing. The multiple alignment of generated sequences was performed using MEGAX software. Phylogenetic tree was constructed using Maximum Likehood method. The ternary complex of E6, E6AP and p53 core domain was used to perform in silico point mutations and thermodynamic calculations to assess stability and binding affinity. Genetic analysis of Tunisian E6-HPV16 sequences showed the presence of three lineages: European (A), African (C) and Asian American (D). Interestingly, the EUR variants were identified as the dominant lineage of HPV-16 and HPV-16 E6 350 G (L83V) was the most detected mutation in precancerous lesions. Modelling data showed that African variants induced the largest destabilizing effect on E6 structure and decreasing thereby in the affinity toward E6AP. Therefore, women infected with European variants are associated with low and high intraepithelial lesions. The findings give useful information for personalized decision algorithms of intra-epithelial cervical neoplasia in Tunisian women.

Ellagic Acid from Hull Blackberries: Extraction, Purification, and Potential Anticancer Activity

Ellagic acid (EA) is present at relatively high concentrations in many berries and has many beneficial health effects, including anticancer properties. To improve the development and utilization of blackberry fruit nutrients, we divided Hull blackberry fruits into five growth periods according to color and determined the EA content in the fruits in each period. The EA content in the green fruit stage was the highest at 5.67 mg/g FW. Single-factor tests and response surface methodology were used to optimize the extraction process, while macroporous resin adsorption and alkali dissolution, acid precipitation, and solvent recrystallization were used for purification. The highest purity of the final EA powder was 90%. The anticancer assessment results determined by MTT assay showed that EA inhibited HeLa cells with an IC50 of 35 μg/mL, and the apoptosis rate of the cells increased in a dose-dependent manner, with the highest rate of about 67%. We evaluated the changes in the mRNA levels of genes related to the EA-mediated inhibition of cancer cell growth and initially verified the PI3K/PTEN/AKT/mTOR pathway as the pathway by which EA inhibits HeLa cell growth. We hope to provide a theoretical basis for the deep exploration and utilization of this functional food.