Effects of Hypoxia, Surrounding Fibroblasts, and p16 Expression on Breast Cancer Cell Migration and Invasion

Proliferation inhibition and apoptosis of liver cancer cells treated by blue light irradiation

Blue light (BL) irradiation has been a potentially efficient treatment for many kinds of tumors. In this study, a BL irradiation (centered at 453 nm in wavelength) was proposed to treat the common human liver cancer cell lines of SMMC-7721 and HepG2, examined by means of flow cytometry, western blot, fluorescence microscope assay. In comparison to control groups, the apoptosis and proliferation inhibition of both BL-treated cells are expressively enhanced by mitochondrial apoptosis. The mechanism of apoptosis is related to the more production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by BL and the corresponding changes in the expression of apoptosis-related Bcl-2, Bax and Bad proteins. In addition, the migration rate of the cancer cells could be reduced after BL irradiation. These results demonstrate that introducing BL irradiation is helpful to establish an effective and low toxicity strategy for the clinical treatment of liver tumors.

Association between genetic variants at 9p21 locus with risk of breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent tumor in women and genetic factors are among the main risk factors contributing to this malignancy. Chromosome 9p21 contains important regulatory non-coding RNAs and is associated with multiple malignancies including BC. The current meta-analysis aimed to investigate the association between genetic variants within the 9p21 locus and risk of breast cancer. A literature search was performed using PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, MEDLINE, Scopus and Clinical key databases. Nine studies containing 23,726 subjects were eligible for the final analysis and specific odds ratios (OR) and confidence intervals (95% CI) were evaluated to assess the strength of the associations. In the pooled analysis, there was an association between the genetic variations in 9p21 locus (CDKN2A/2B) with risk of breast cancer with a standard OR of 1.22 (95% CI: 1.04-1.45, P = 0.016; random-effects model), supporting the significance of this locus as a novel risk factor for breast cancer patients. In conclusion, our results showed that 9p21 region is positively associated with risk of BC and its polymorphisms may be a candidate marker for BC susceptibility.

The 9p21 locus: A potential therapeutic target and prognostic marker in breast cancer

Breast cancer is an important cause of cancer related mortality in women. Despite extensive efforts to identify valid biomarkers for risk stratification, there are relatively few with proven clinical utility. It is recognized that genetic factors play a major role in determining susceptibility to breast cancer. Recent genome-wide-association-studies and gene expression analysis have demonstrated that a locus on chromosome 9p21, which contains three genes; CDKN2B (encoding p15ink4b), CDKN2A (encoding p16ink4a and p14ARF) and the 3' end of CDKN2BAS (an antisense noncoding RNA in the INK4 locus [ANRIL]) are associated with an increased risk of this malignancy. ANRIL has a post transcriptional modulatory activity, which has been shown to perturb the expression of nearby genes and may play an important role in coordinating tissue remodeling through regulation of cell proliferation, apoptosis, aging, extra-cellular matrix remodeling, and inflammatory response. However, the role of ANRIL is not well understood in breast cancer. Hypermethylation of the p14^ARF and p16^INK4a genes is found in some tumor types. Nevertheless, further studies are necessary to confirm the clinical utility of these putative markers in risk stratification, or assessing prognosis. In this review, we have summarized the prognostic and therapeutic potential of the p14^ARF and p16^INK4a genes in patients with breast cancer.

Clinical value of miR-425-5p detection and its association with cell proliferation and apoptosis of gastric cancer

Researches have shown that miR-425-5p expression altered in lung, esophageal, and glial cancer. Similarly, in our previous study, we found miR-425-5p expression was up-regulated in GC cells and could promote gastric cancer (GC) cell invasion and metastasis. However, the functional mechanism and the prognostic significance of miR-425-5p in GC remain unclear. Therefore, the present study examined miR-425-5p expression in GC tissues and also evaluated miR-425-5p of the therapeutic and prognostic value. Moreover, with interference of miR-425-5p expression in cell lines, we investigated the molecular mechanism of miR-425-5p and the expression level was higher in GC tissues comparing with that in gastric tumor-adjacent mucosa. These results suggested that miR-425-5p over-expression may be associated with depth of invasion and TNM stages and can be a prognostic marker of poor outcome. After inhibition of miR-425-5p expression in MKN45 cells, the cell activity was weakened. The number of G0/G1 cells increased while G2/M and S cells decreased, and the cell apoptotic rates elevated (P<0.05). Some proliferation and apoptosis related genes were altered (P<0.05). Consequently, miR-425-5p can be considered as a marker of poor prognosis and it is probably involved in GC cell proliferation and apoptosis by regulating some of the genes which participate these processes.

Low temperature plasmas as emerging cancer therapeutics: the state of play and thoughts for the future

The field of plasma medicine has seen substantial advances over the last decade, with applications developed for bacterial sterilisation, wound healing and cancer treatment. Low temperature plasmas (LTPs) are particularly suited for medical purposes since they are operated in the laboratory at atmospheric pressure and room temperature, providing a rich source of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS). A great deal of research has been conducted into the role of reactive species in both the growth and treatment of cancer, where long-established radio- and chemo-therapies exploit their ability to induce potent cytopathic effects. In addition to producing a plethora of RONS, LTPs can also create strong electroporative fields. From an application perspective, it has been shown that LTPs can be applied precisely to a small target area. On this basis, LTPs have been proposed as a promising future strategy to accurately and effectively control and eradicate tumours. This review aims to evaluate the current state of the literature in the field of plasma oncology and highlight the potential for the use of LTPs in combination therapy. We also present novel data on the effect of LTPs on cancer stem cells, and speculatively outline how LTPs could circumvent treatment resistance encountered with existing therapeutics.