The Effects of Adjuvant Fermented Wheat Germ Extract on Cancer Cell Lines: A Systematic Review

The Role of Wheatgrass in Colorectal Cancer: A Review of the Current Evidence

The etiology of colon cancer is either genetic in nature or results from inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease; nevertheless, dietary habits play a crucial role in the disease. Wheatgrass is a dietary supplement that is rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants which contribute to health promotion in cardiovascular diseases, liver disease, blood diseases, diabetes, and inflammatory bowel diseases, as well as in several types of cancers, such as oral squamous cell cancer, cervical cancer, and breast cancer. In colorectal cancer (CRC), the prospect that wheatgrass possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties, and its use as an adjunctive therapy, have been minimally investigated and evidence is still limited. In this review, we compiled the available evidence pertaining to wheatgrass and its likely impact on CRC, described the pathways of inflammation in which wheatgrass could possibly play a role, and identified future research needs on the subject.

Introspection of the Etiopathological Mechanisms Underlying Noncarious Cervical Lesions: Analysis of the Different Theories and Their Impact on the Mineralized Structures of the Tooth

The noncarious cervical lesions (NCCLs) recognize an etiological framework of onset very different from the carious processes with etiology whose bacteria aggregated in a biofilm play a predominant role, leading in this way to the loss of the mineralized structure of the tooth. The pathological picture of the NCCLs, which manifests itself with a clinical picture of dental wear, differs from caries because it mainly recognizes a series of pathological processes, such as erosion, through the action of generally acidic chemical agents and abrasion, which is basically expressed through repeated mechanical trauma characteristic of tooth brushing. However, in the literature, there is no unanimous agreement in identifying only these two mechanisms, but there are some who propose a more marked role of anomalous occlusal loads, which would be unloaded on some teeth which, in addition to both erosive and abrasive mechanisms, would give rise to abfraction. Therefore, the aim of this review was to collect literature etio-pathological information and discuss the mechanisms underlying NCCLs.

The effects of Avemar treatment on feline immunodeficiency virus infected cell cultures

INTRODUCTION

In addition to standard highly active antiretroviral therapy protocols, complementary therapies using natural compounds are widely used by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected human patients. One such compound is the fermented wheat germ extract (FWGE), named Avemar.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this study, we investigate the effects of Avemar in a feline-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome model. MBM lymphoid cells were acutely infected by the American feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)-Petaluma (FIV-Pet) and the European FIV Pisa-M2 strains. FL-4 lymphoid cells, continuously producing FIV-Pet, served as a model for chronic infection. Crandell Rees feline kidney (CRFK) cells were infected by either FIV-Pet or feline adenovirus (FeAdV) as a model for transactivation and opportunistic viral infection. Cell cultures were treated pre- and post-infection with serial dilutions of spray-dried FWGE (Avemar pulvis, AP), a standardized active ingredient in commercial Avemar products. Residual FIV and FeAdV infectivity was quantified.

RESULTS

In a concentration-dependent manner, AP inhibited replication of FIV strains in MBM and CRFK cells by 3-5 log. Low AP concentration prevented FIV-Pet release from FL-4 cells. Higher concentrations destroyed virus-producing cells with cytopathic effects resembling apoptosis. AP strongly inhibited FeAdV production inside CRFK cells but not in HeLa cells. Adenovirus particles are then released via the disintegration of CRFK cells.

DISCUSSION

This report is the first to describe the antiviral effects of Avemar. Further studies are required to confirm its in vitro and in vivo effects and to investigate the potential for its use as a nutraceutical in FIV-infected felines or HIV-infected humans.

CONCLUSION

Avemar, as a single nutraceutical, inhibits FIV replication and destroys retrovirus carrier cells. An important conclusion is that prolonged Avemar treatment might reduce the number of retrovirus-producing cells in the host.

Effects of Fermented Wheat Germ Extract on Oral Cancer Cells: An In Vitro Study

Oral carcinoma is one of the most aggressive cancers, and despite the advances in the therapy, its mortality is still high. An attention in cancer treatment has focused on natural compounds due to their potential beneficial effects on human health. In this study, the effects of dietary supplement Fermented Wheat Germ Extract (FWGE) on oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) cells were investigated In Vitro using three cell lines (HSC-3, SAS, SCC-25) with variable aggressiveness. The cell viability was significantly decreased by the treatment with high concentration of FWGE in every cell line. Regarding migration and invasion, HSC-3 and SCC-25 cells were most sensitive to FWGE since their movement was significantly reduced with 5 and 10 mg/ml FWGE, while SAS was inhibited only with 10 mg/ml FWGE. Chemotherapeutic compounds (cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil) significantly reduced all OTSCC cells viability. Importantly, combination of these drugs with 10 mg/ml FWGE significantly decreased the cell viability compared to the treatment with the chemotherapeutics or FWGE alone. Based on these In Vitro experiments, the use of FWGE seems to improve the anticancer effects on OTSCC cells. Further In Vivo and clinical studies should be conducted to verify the positive effects of FWGE for OTSCC patients.

Fermented Wheat Germ Extract (FWGE) as a Treatment Additive for Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer: A Pilot Clinical Trial

Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is a devastating and incurable disease. Combined therapy using conventional anticancer drugs and a proprietary medical nutriment, fermented wheat germ extract (FWGE), also known as Avemar, has been suggested as a treatment for progressing prostate cancer (PCa) patients, who have become resistant to first line hormonal therapy (gonadotropin releasing hormone, GnRH). The primary aim of this study was to test if this combined therapy would slow down disease progression in CRPC patients. We tested the nontoxic, readily available, inexpensive FWGE, together with the conventional treatment, GnRH analogue, in 36 CRPC patients. Although this is a pilot study, with the drawback of a statistically small sample size, some anticancer clinical activity of FWGE could be seen in the CRPC patients, as measured by prostate specific antigen doubling time (PSADT). We found that the intake of GnRH with FWGE for at least 4 months, improved the overall health as well as the quality of life (QOL) in 4 patients (11%) and was instrumental in extending the PSADT in about 17 (out of 26) patients (65.4%), six of whom were significant. Since no mentionable adverse events were noticed, this treatment may permit the postponement of chemotherapy for these patients.

Ethyl acetate subfractions from ethanol extracts of fermented oats (Avena sativa L.) exert anti-cancer properties in vitro and in vivo through G2/M and S Phase arrest and apoptosis

Background: Cancer is a major public problem and poses a long-term impact on patients' life, work, and study. Oats are widely recognized as healthy food and fermented oats were rich in the higher contents of polyphenols. However, the role of fermented oats in cancer remains elusive.

Methods: The effect of ethyl acetate subfractions (EASs) from ethanol extracts of oats fermented by Rhizopus oryzae 3.2751 on cancer cells was verified by series experiments in vitro and in vivo. The cell viability, colony formation, cell cycle, apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and western blot were determined in vitro. The toxicity of EASs and xenograft mouse model were performed in vivo.

Results: MTT assay indicated that EASs interference suppressed the proliferation of four human cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner without a significant impact on two normal cells. EASs (0.2, 0.4, and 0.8 μg/mL) resulted in the G2/M and S phase arrest, apoptosis, depolarization of MMP, and ROS generation in HepG2 cells by flow cytometry. p53, JNK, caspase-9, and caspase-3 were activated and the expression of Bax was promoted, while the expression of Bcl-2 was reduced in HepG2 cells exposed to EASs via western blot. Furthermore, the in vivo study using a xenograft mouse model demonstrated that EASs attenuated the tumor growth with low systemic toxicity.

Conclusions: EASs exhibited anti-cancer activities in vitro and in vivo via cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. This finding suggests that polyphenol-enriched composition from fermented oats might become a promising candidate for impeding the development and progression of liver cancer.

The Impact of Fermented Wheat Germ Extract on Porcine Epithelial Cell Line Exposed to Deoxynivalenol and T-2 Mycotoxins

The effect of fermented wheat germ extract (FWGE) (Immunovet®) was evaluated with cotreatments with deoxynivalenol (DON) and T-2 toxin (T-2). These mycotoxins are produced by Fusarium mold species. The effects of FWGE on IPEC-J2 with DON and T-2 have not been studied until now. The IPEC-J2 porcine, nontumorigenic cell line was selected to investigate the outcome of the individually and simultaneously added compounds, as it has in vivo-like properties. The cells were treated for 24 h with the selected solutions; then, the IPEC-J2 cells were allowed to regenerate in a culture medium for an additional 24 h. In our results, DON and T-2 significantly increased the adverse impacts on cell viability and integrity of the cell monolayer. To elucidate the extent of oxidative stress, extracellular H₂O₂ concentrations and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured. FWGE appeared to be beneficial to IPEC-J2 cells given the separately and significantly decreased ROS levels. 1% and 2% FWGE could significantly reduce mycotoxin-induced oxidative stress. In conclusion, the results demonstrate that FWGE exerted protective effects to counteract the oxidative stress-provoking properties of applied fusariotoxins in the nontumorigenic IPEC-J2 cell line.

Extracellular Vesicles Reflect the Efficacy of Wheatgrass Juice Supplement in Colon Cancer Patients During Adjuvant Chemotherapy

Introduction

Colorectal cancer (CC) is the third most common type of cancer, accounting for 10% of all cancer cases. Adjuvant chemotherapy is recommended in stages II–III CC. Wheatgrass juice (WGJ) from wheat seeds has high nutritional values, may induce synergistic benefits to chemotherapy and may attenuate chemotherapy-related side effects. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are subcellular membrane blebs. EVs include exosomes (generated in the endosome, in size <150 nm) and microvesicles (shed from the plasma cell membrane) provide information on their parental cells and play a role in intercellular communication. We aimed to elucidate the effects of chemotherapy administration with supportive treatment of WGJ on CC patients’ EVs characteristics.

Methods

EVs were isolated from the blood samples of 15 healthy controls (HCs) and 50 CC patients post-surgery, treated by chemotherapy, with or without additional daily WGJ. Blood samples were taken before, during, and at the end of chemotherapy. EVs were characterized by size, concentration, membrane antigens and cytokine content using nanoparticle-tracking analysis, western blot, flow cytometry, and protein array methods.

Results

EVs were found to be similar by size and concentration with reduced levels of exosome markers (CD81) on samples at the end of combined treatment (chemotherapy and WGJ). Higher levels of endothelial EVs, which may indicate impairment of the vascular endothelial cells during treatment, were found in CC patients treated by chemotherapy only compared to those with chemotherapy and daily WGJ. Also, EVs thrombogenicity was lower in patients added WGJ compared to patients who had only chemotherapy (levels of tissue factor p = 0.029 and endothelial protein C receptor p = 0.005). Following treatments, levels of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFR-1) and the majority of growth-factors/pro-inflammatory cytokines were higher in EVs of patients treated by chemotherapy only than in EVs obtained from patients with the combined treatment.

Conclusion

Daily consumption of WGJ during chemotherapy may reduce vascular damage and chemotherapy-related thrombogenicity, growth factors and cytokines, as reflected by the characteristics of patient’s EVs.

The Pentose Phosphate Pathway Dynamics in Cancer and Its Dependency on Intracellular pH

The Pentose Phosphate Pathway (PPP) is one of the key metabolic pathways occurring in living cells to produce energy and maintain cellular homeostasis. Cancer cells have higher cytoplasmic utilization of glucose (glycolysis), even in the presence of oxygen; this is known as the "Warburg Effect". However, cytoplasmic glucose utilization can also occur in cancer through the PPP. This pathway contributes to cancer cells by operating in many different ways: (i) as a defense mechanism via the reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) to prevent apoptosis, (ii) as a provision for the maintenance of energy by intermediate glycolysis, (iii) by increasing genomic material to the cellular pool of nucleic acid bases, (iv) by promoting survival through increasing glycolysis, and so increasing acid production, and (v) by inducing cellular proliferation by the synthesis of nucleic acid, fatty acid, and amino acid. Each step of the PPP can be upregulated in some types of cancer but not in others. An interesting aspect of this metabolic pathway is the shared regulation of the glycolytic and PPP pathways by intracellular pH (pHi). Indeed, as with glycolysis, the optimum activity of the enzymes driving the PPP occurs at an alkaline pHi, which is compatible with the cytoplasmic pH of cancer cells. Here, we outline each step of the PPP and discuss its possible correlation with cancer.

Possible Uses of Plants of the Genus Asphodelus in Oral Medicine

Among the many plants used in traditional medicine we have the plants of the genus Asphodelus, which are present in the Mediterranean area in North Africa and South East Asia, and have been used by indigenous peoples until recently for various pathologies, including: Psoriasis, alopecia areata, acne, burns, nephrolithiasis, toothache, and local inflammation. The scientific literature over the last five years has investigated the various effects of the metabolites extracted from plants of the genus Asphodelus, paying attention to the diuretic, antihypertensive, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects, and it also has begun to investigate the antitumor properties on tumor cell lines. Studies have been identified through bibliographic research on electronic databases. A total of 574 records were identified on the PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and EBSCO databases. After having proceeded to the screening of the articles with the application of the eligibility criteria (all the articles pertaining to the issue Asphodelus), we arrived at a number of 163 articles, and then after the elimination of overlaps, to 82 articles. There are 11 articles which investigate the possible uses of plants of the genus Asphodelus in oral medicine. In oral medicine, the possible uses investigated by the scientific literature are for the treatment of neoplastic (melanoma and oral cancer), viral (herpetic viruses), and microbial diseases (candida, bacteriosis, leishmaniasis), and in the affection of the skin.

The Association between Tooth Loss and Alzheimer's Disease: a Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis of Case Control Studies

Alzheimer's disease is classified as a neurodegenerative condition, a heterogeneous group of illnesses characterized by the slow and progressive loss of one or more functions of the nervous system. Its incidence tends to increase gradually from 65 years of age, up to a prevalence of 4% at age 75. The loss of dental elements is more prevalent in this population and might negatively affect the masticatory capacity, quality of life, and pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. This study investigated problems related to oral health and the loss of dental elements in elderly patients suffering from Alzheimer's and considered whether local inflammatory processes could affect the etiopathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify a link between the causes leading to tooth loss and the onset/progression of Alzheimer's disease. We also studied whether there is a higher incidence of tooth loss (primary outcome) and edentulism (secondary outcome) among Alzheimer's patients. We searched records in electronic databases such as PubMed, EBSCO, and Web of Science using the following keywords: Alzheimer's Disease AND periodontal, Alzheimer's Disease AND periodontitis, dementia AND (periodontitis OR periodontal) "Alzheimer's Disease" AND "tooth" OR "dental loss," "dementia" AND "edentulous," "Alzheimer's Disease" AND "edentulous," "dementia" AND "tooth" OR "dental loss." The records were screened, and after applying the eligibility and inclusion criteria, nine articles were left, six of which were analyzed for the primary outcome (loss of dental elements) and six for the secondary outcome (tooth loss). Results from this meta-analysis revealed that Alzheimer's disease patients have an increased risk of dental loss (hazard ratio (HR) 1.52, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.00-2.30, p = 0.05) and edentulous condition (HR 2.26, 95% CI 1.70-3.01, p < 0.001). A quantitative analysis of the included studies indicated that patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease are characterized by a greater number of lost dental elements and general edentulism compared to the control groups.