Preparation and characterisation of gallic acid loaded carboxymethyl chitosan nanoparticles as drug delivery system for cancer treatment

Gallic acid (GA) is a natural phenolic compound with antioxidant, anti-proliferative, and anticancer effects. However, the potential of GA as an anticancer agent is restricted by its poor absorption, rapid elimination, and low bioavailability. Nanostructure-drug carriers have opened up a new field in cancer therapy by improving the efficacy of drugs. In this work, we developed a nanoformulation of GA in carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC). The particle size, surface charge and molecular structure of the CMC NPs loaded and unloaded with GA were measured using TEM, DLS and FTIR spectroscopy, respectively. The dielectric parameters (permittivity ε′ and dielectric loss ε″) were measured in the frequency range (0.1 Hz–5 MHz) at room temperature. Additionally, the in-vitro anti-cancer effects of the GA, CMC NPs, and GA-CMC NPs were tested against human colon carcinoma (HCT-116), human breast carcinoma (MCF-7), and normal skin fibroblast cells (BJ1) using MTT assay. TEM confirmed that the NPs have a spherical morphology within the size range of 15 nm. DLS studies revealed NPs with a mean diameter of 31.06 nm. The zeta potential results indicated the high suspension stability of the prepared nanoformulation. The FTIR results indicated the interaction between GA and CMC NPs. The dielectric study showed a decrease within the ε″ and conductivity values of GA-CMC NPs which confirmed the successful encapsulation of GA within the CMC NPs. Cytotoxicity studies indicated that the GA-CMC NPs showed specific toxicity towards cancer cells and non-toxicity to normal cells. Overall, these results indicate that the GA-CMC NPs will be an efficient nanocarrier for delivering gallic acid to cancer cells.

Analysis of fibronectin expression in the bilharzial granulomas and of laminin in the transformed urothelium in schistosoma haematobium infested patients

The bilharzial granulomas and urothelial transformation are common findings in Schistosoma haematobium infested patients. We hypothesize that the distribution of extrinsic (fibronectin, FN) and intrinsic basement membrane (BM) proteins (laminin, LN) is altered during the evolution of these lesions.

METHODS

To test this hypothesis, 70 cystectomy specimens, entailing variable associations of normal and dysplastic urothelium (all cases), and bilharzial granulomas were examined for FN and LN protein expression.

RESULTS

The biharzial granulomas were formed of admixture of CD3+T cells, CD68+histiocytes and CD220B cells. The CD3+T cells and and CD68+histiocytes were the predominant cell populations. Increased deposition of FN occurred with the evolution from cellular (loose fibrillary network, 20 cases) to fibrocellualr (dense fibrillary network, 30 cases) to fibrotic (tight conglomerates, 20 cases) granulomas. Alternatively, BM staining for LN was linear and continuous underlying normal and metaplastic urothelium. In dysplastic urothelium (20 cases), it showed breaks in continuity.

CONCLUSIONS

Alterations of FN and LN occur during the development of the bilharzial granuloma and urothelial transformation.

Cytokines in leprosy, II. Effect of treatment on serum cytokines in leprosy

BACKGROUND

Multidrug therapy (MDT) causes a decrease in the bacterial burden in leprosy patients. Does the decrease in the antigenic stimulation of the immune system have an effect on cytokine production?

METHODS

The effect of treatment on serum cytokines was evaluated in 36 leprosy patients and 35 reactional leprosy patients and compared with that in 20 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique was used to measure serum levels of interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) before and after treatment. These cytokines represent T-helper 1 (TH1), T-helper 2 (TH2), and macrophage cytokines, respectively.

RESULTS

The studied serum cytokines were significantly reduced after 1 year of treatment in leprosy patients. The degrees of reduction were significantly positively correlated with a reduction in the bacterial index (BI) and morphologic index (MI). After 1 year of MDT (but not 6 months), paucibacillary (PB) patients showed a significant reduction in all the studied serum cytokines to levels comparable with those of healthy controls. Multibacillary (MB) patients also showed a significant reduction in all the studied serum cytokines, but the levels were still significantly higher than those of healthy controls. Leprosy patients with high levels of serum IL-1beta were more susceptible to the development of reactions after the initiation of treatment. Corticosteroid therapy of reactional patients resulted in a significant reduction in the studied serum cytokines to levels similar or lower than those of nonreactional leprosy patients. The dose of steroids showed a significant positive correlation with the amount of decrease in IL-1beta.

CONCLUSIONS

MDT caused a reduction in serum cytokines correlated with a reduction in the bacterial burden. It is advisable to continue MDT for PB patients for 1 year. Serum IL-1beta levels may have a prognostic value for the susceptibility of leprosy patients to the development of reactions.

Cytokines in leprosy, I. Serum cytokine profile in leprosy

BACKGROUND

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease characterized by a broad spectrum of clinical forms depending on the patient's immune response, in particular cell-mediated immune response.

METHODS

Cytokines can play a role in the cell-mediated immune response. Serum levels of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R), interleukin-10 (IL-10), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 55 untreated leprosy patients and 35 reactional leprosy patients, in addition to 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls.

RESULTS

Leprosy patients showed significantly higher serum levels of the studied cytokines (except IL-2) compared with healthy controls. When the two poles were compared, tuberculoid leprosy (TT) patients showed significantly higher levels of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha with significant negative correlations with the bacterial index (BI), whereas lepromatous leprosy (LL) patients showed significantly higher serum levels of IL-2R, IL-10, and IL-1beta with significant positive correlations with the BI. Both type I and type II reactional patients showed significantly higher serum IFN-gamma, IL-2R, and IL-1beta, in addition to IL-10 in type II reactional patients, compared with nonreactional leprosy patients. When compared with each other, type I reactional patients showed increased levels of IFN-gamma, whereas type II reactional patients showed increased levels of IL-10.

CONCLUSIONS

In leprosy patients, both IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha are immunoprotective, whereas IL-2R, IL-10, and IL-1beta are immunosuppressive. Our results indicate that type I reaction, with increased levels of IFN-gamma, is a cell-mediated immune response, whereas type II reaction, with increased levels of IL-10, is essentially an immune complex disease.

Prognostic significance of p53 immunostaining in epithelial ovarian cancer

PURPOSE

To evaluate the prognostic significance of p53 expression in epithelial ovarian cancer, including a subset of stage I patients, and to look for correlations between p53 expression and other disease parameters, including stage, grade, age, histologic subtype, second-look results, ploidy, and percent S phase.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We analyzed p53 expression in 284 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer using immunohistochemical techniques in paraffin-embedded specimens. There were 36 patients with stage I disease, 20 with stage II disease, 186 with stage III disease, and 42 with stage IV disease.

RESULTS

p53 immunoreactivity was present in 177 cases (62%). p53 expression was associated with grade 3 to 4 disease (P = .003). The following factors were associated with a decrease in overall survival in a univarate analysis: stage III or IV disease (P = .0001), grade 3 or 4 disease (P = .0001), age above the median (P = .0002), and p53 reactivity (P = .04). In a multivariate analysis, stage, grade, and age retained independent prognostic significance. In the subset of 36 stage I patients, p53 positively approached statistical significance (P = .10) as a negative prognostic factor in a univariate analysis.

CONCLUSION

Abnormalities of p53 expression occur commonly in epithelial ovarian cancer. Although associated with decreased survival in a univariate analysis, this biologic marker did not retain independent prognostic significance in a multivariate analysis. p53 expression should be studied in a larger cohort of early-stage patients, where accurate prognostic information is needed to direct therapy.

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen in epithelial ovarian cancer: relation to results at second-look laparotomy and survival

We determined the proliferative index (PI) of 92 previously untreated advanced epithelial ovarian cancers using PCNA/cyclin immunostaining and image analysis quantitation. In this retrospective study, there was a relationship between tumor PI and 5-year survival. For patients with a tumor PI greater than the median, the estimated 5-year survival was 44%; for patients with a tumor PI below the median, the estimated 5-year survival was 15% (P = 0.003). This may partly reflect sensitivity to chemotherapy, as those patients with more rapidly proliferating tumors were more likely to achieve a pathologic complete response to platinum-based therapy.