Anti-Cancer Effect of Angelica Sinensis on Women’s Reproductive Cancer

Objective: Danggui, the root of Angelica Sinensis, has traditionally been used for the treatment of women’s reproductive disorders in China for thousands of years. This study was to determine whether Danggui have potential anti-cancer effect on women’s cancer and its potential mechanism. Methods: Danggui was extracted by ethanol. The Cell Titer 96® Aqueous Non-Radioactive Cell Proliferation Assay was used to compare the effects of Danggui on human breast (MCF-7 and 7368) and cervical (CaSki and SiHa) cancer cells with its effects on normal fibroblasts (HTB-125). A revised Ames test was used to test for antimutagenicity. The standard strains of Salmonella typhimarium (TA) 100 and 102 were used in the test. Methyl methane sulfonate (MMS) and UV light were used as positive mutagen controls and ethanol and double distilled water (DDW) as controls. The SAS statistical software was used to analyze the data. Results: Danggui was found to be much more toxic to all cancer cell lines tested than to normal fibroblasts. There was a significant negative dose-effect relationship between Danggui and cancer cell viability. Average viability of MCF-7 was 69.5%, 18.4%, 5.7%, 5.7%, and 5.0% of control for Danggui doses 0.07, 0.14, 0.21, 0.32, and 0.64 ug/ul, respectively, with a Ptrend < 0.0001. Half maximal inhibitory dose (ID50) of Danggui for cancer cell lines MCF-7, CaSki, SiHa and CRL-7368 was 0.10, 0.09, 0.10 and 0.07 ug/ul, respectively. For the normal fibroblasts, ID50 was 0.58 ug/ul. At a dose of 0.32 ug/ul, Danggui killed over 90% of the cells in each cancer cell line, but at the same dose, only 12.3 % of the normal HTB-125 cells were killed. Revertants per plate of TA 100 decreased with the introduction of increasing doses of Danggui extracts with a Ptrend < 0.0001 when UV light was used as a mutagen. There was no difference in revertants per plate between ethanol and DDW control groups. Conclusions: Danggui could be used as a safe and effective adjuvant therapy to prevent and treat breast and cervical cancers. Anti-cancer effects may be due to its anti-mutagenicity. Danggui should be investigated as a potential adjuvant anti-cancer therapy for women’s cancer treatment and prevention of recurrence. Key words: Angelica Sinensis, Danggui, cancer, women’s reproductive disorders

Milk stimulates growth of prostate cancer cells in culture

Concern has been expressed about the fact that cows' milk contains estrogens and could stimulate the growth of hormone-sensitive tumors. In this study, organic cows' milk and two commercial substitutes were digested in vitro and tested for their effects on the growth of cultures of prostate and breast cancer cells. Cows' milk stimulated the growth of LNCaP prostate cancer cells in each of 14 separate experiments, producing an average increase in growth rate of over 30%. In contrast, almond milk suppressed the growth of these cells by over 30%. Neither cows' milk nor almond milk affected the growth of MCF-7 breast cancer cells or AsPC-1 pancreatic cancer cells significantly. Soy milk increased the growth rate of the breast cancer cells. These data indicate that prostate and breast cancer patients should be cautioned about the possible promotional effects of commercial dairy products and their substitutes.

Cytoprotective properties of a fullerene derivative against copper

To delineate the complexity of the response of cells to nanoparticles we have performed a study on HT-29 human colon carcinoma cells exposed first to a fullerene derivative C(60)(OH)(20) and then to physiological copper ions. Our cell viability, proliferation, and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production assays clearly indicated that C(60)(OH)(20) suppressed cell damage as well as ROS production induced by copper, probably through neutralization of the metal ions by C(60)(OH)(20) in the extracellular space, as well as by adsorption and uptake of the nanoparticles surface-modified by the biomolecular species in the cell medium. This double-exposure study provides new data on the effects of nanoparticles on cell metabolism and may aid the treatment of oxidant-mediated diseases using nanomedicine.

Red raspberries have antioxidant effects that play a minor role in the killing of stomach and colon cancer cells

Berries and berry extracts possess properties that make them important in the prevention of cancer. The high antioxidant levels of these extracts play a role, but components of the berries can have other effects on cell replication and survival. We chose to test the hypothesis that (i) although the antioxidant capacity of raspberry extracts is important for inhibiting the proliferation of tumor cells, other characteristics of the berry extracts are responsible for a major part of their antiproliferative activity, and that (ii) the relative importance of the antioxidant effect can depend on the cell type being studied. The aim of this study was to assess the relative roles of low pH and high antioxidant levels in the killing of 3 cell types by an aqueous extract from Meeker red raspberries. Stomach, colon, and breast cancer cells were treated with berry extract and with HCl and ascorbic acid solutions of the same pH. A dilution of 7.5% ascorbic acid solution, of the same pH and slightly higher antioxidant concentration than the berry extract, killed less than 10% of the stomach and colon cancer cells. In contrast, the berry extract at this same dilution killed more than 90% of these cells. Antioxidants played a more significant role in the killing of breast cancer cells, however. For these cells, approximately 50% of the killing could be attributed to antioxidant effects. We conclude that the antioxidant effect plays a minor role in the killing of 2 gastrointestinal cell types, but its role in inactivating a breast cancer cell line is much more significant. No evidence of apoptosis was observed, and caspase activation did not contribute to cell killing by the extract.

Anticancer Effects of Four Varieties of Muscadine Grape

The initiating event in carcinogenesis is a somatic mutation. During progression of the disease, additional mutations accumulate as the transformed cells develop the ability to proliferate and metastasize. These mutations can be produced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated through metabolism, or environmental insult. Metastasis involves tissue degradative enzymes, many of which are members of the matrix metalloproteinase family. Hence, substances that can neutralize ROS, inhibit mutagenesis, or block activity of the matrix metalloproteinases should prove to be anticarcinogenic. This study was performed to evaluate the possible anticarcinogenic characteristics of muscadine grapes. These grow wild in the southeast United States and have not been subjected to extensive breeding, as have most commercially cultivated fruits. The extracts tested were from pomace remaining after wine production. This is usually discarded, but the results obtained in this study indicate that pomace water extracts could be used as sources for purification of anticarcinogenic compounds. Four varieties of muscadine grape were tested for their abilities to affect mutagenesis by the metabolically activated carcinogen 2-aminoanthracene. Each extract was also assayed for antioxidant activity and for its ability to inhibit activity of matrix metalloproteinases-2 and -9. Each of the four extracts showed significant inhibition of 2-aminoanthracene mutagenesis, high antioxidant activity, and the ability to inhibit activities of both metalloproteinases, implying that these extracts could be good inhibitors of carcinogenesis. Two of the extracts showed little activity when tested for their effects on mutagenesis by the direct-acting mutagen methyl methanesulfonate.

Determination of Carbon Nanotube Density by Gradient Sedimentation

Density gradient centrifugation is a high-resolution technique for the separation and characterization of large molecules and stable complexes. We have analyzed various nanotube structures by preparative centrifugation in sodium metatungstate-water solutions. Bundled, isolated and acid-treated single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs) and multiwall nanotubes (MWNTs) formed sharp bands at well-defined densities. The structure of the material in each band was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Our data suggest respective densities of 1.87, 2.13, 1.74, and 2.1 g/cm(3) for bundled, isolated, and acid-treated SWNTs and MWNTs. These measured results compare well with their calculated densities.

Unmasking the truth behind endocrine disruptors

The increase in reproductive cancers and developmental problems over the past 70 years has led researchers to suspect environmental influences as a root cause. Evidence from wildlife and laboratory studies suggests that exposure to endocrine disruptors (EnDs) may be the cause. An EnD is a foreign substance or mixture that alters the function of the endocrine system. They can be found in food, water, soil, or air. Research into their possible role provides an opportunity to decrease modifiable risk factors.

Antimutagenic Activity of Berry Extracts

Plants are proven sources of useful anti-tumor and chemopreventative compounds. Hence, identification of phytochemicals useful in dietary prevention and intervention of cancer is of paramount importance. The initial step in the formation of cancer is damage to the genome of a somatic cell producing a mutation in an oncogene or a tumor-suppressor gene. Fresh juices and organic solvent extracts from the fruits of strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry were evaluated for their ability to inhibit the production of mutations by the direct-acting mutagen methyl methanesulfonate and the metabolically activated carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene. Juice from strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry fruit significantly inhibited mutagenesis caused by both carcinogens. Ethanol extracts from freeze-dried fruits of strawberry cultivars (Sweet Charlie and Carlsbad) and blueberry cultivars (Tifblue and Premier) were also tested. Of these, the hydrolyzable tannin-containing fraction from Sweet Charlie strawberries was most effective at inhibiting mutations.

Inhibition of metalloproteinase activity by fruit extracts

While the metalloproteinase enzymes are essential for development and remodeling of tissues, aberrant over expression of these enzymes contributes to several pathologic conditions. In particular, metalloproteinase over expression in cancer plays a significant role in metastasis by providing a mechanism for invasion and spread. The data presented here indicate that water extracts of raspberries, blackberries and muscadine grapes inhibit the activities of metalloproteinases 2 and 9. This inhibition could contribute to the suppression of carcinogenesis by diets high in fruit content.

Anticarcinogenic Activity of Strawberry, Blueberry, and Raspberry Extracts to Breast and Cervical Cancer Cells

Freeze-dried fruits of two strawberry cultivars, Sweet Charlie and Carlsbad, and two blueberry cultivars, Tifblue and Premier were sequentially extracted with hexane, 50% hexane/ethyl acetate, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and 70% acetone/water at ambient temperature. Each extract was tested separately for in vitro anticancer activity on cervical and breast cancer cell lines. Ethanol extracts from all four fruits strongly inhibited CaSki and SiHa cervical cancer cell lines and MCF-7 and T47-D breast cancer cell lines. An unfractionated aqueous extract of raspberry and the ethanol extract of Premier blueberry significantly inhibited mutagenesis by both direct-acting and metabolically activated carcinogens.

Human peripheral mononuclear cell responses to UV damage are affected by radiation-induced changes in plasma

To evaluate the effects of environmental or therapeutic stress adequately, it is important to study cells or tissues under conditions that simulate as closely as possible the in vivo environment. To determine whether the responses of irradiated cells are significantly affected by radiation-induced changes in plasma, human mononuclear cells were isolated from peripheral blood and cultured in their autologous plasma. Freshly isolated cells were irradiated in phosphate-buffered saline. The plasma was irradiated separately. Irradiation of the plasma suppressed mitogen-induced DNA synthesis in unirradiated cells. For cells that were UV-damaged and subsequently stimulated with mitogen, DNA synthesis was enhanced by irradiation of the plasma. Medium in which irradiated cells had previously been incubated enhanced DNA, synthesis in unirradiated cells that had been mitogen stimulated but did not affect the UV-induced shutoff of DNA synthesis in replicating cells or unscheduled DNA synthesis in irradiated cells.

The effect of ethidium bromide on mobility of DNA fragments in agarose gel electrophoresis

Ethidium Bromide (EtBr) is sometimes added to running buffer during the separation of DNA fragments by agarose gel electrophoresis. It is used because upon binding of the molecule to the DNA and illumination with a UV light source, the DNA banding pattern can be visualized. The mode of binding of EtBr is intercalation between the base pairs. This binding changes the charge, weight, conformation, and flexibility of the DNA molecule. Since DNA molecules are sized by their relative movement through a gel compared to a molecular weight standard, mobility measurements can be critical to size determinations. After running two identical gels, one without EtBr and one with 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 or 1.0 microgram/mL EtBr in the running buffer, the mobilities of lambda HindIII DNA fragments were compared. The mobility of DNA was always less in the gels with EtBr. Using the reptation theory equation, which describes the mobility of DNA molecules through gel, changes in frictional coefficients were calculated. It was determined that the change in frictional coefficients brought about by the addition of EtBr is directly proportional to the fraction of base pairs of a fragment bound to EtBr. This change in friction is greatest in the largest fragments, which suggests that the stiffening of the molecule by the EtBr binding is the cause for the decreased mobility.

Suppressed DNA repair capacity of peripheral lymphocytes in pregnant women

The ability to repair potentially carcinogenic lesions was measured for peripheral lymphocytes isolated from women in the first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy and 6 weeks post-partum. Freshly isolated lymphocytes were damaged with 254 nm ultraviolet radiation and allowed to perform repair in their autologous plasma. DNA repair capacity during pregnancy was over 50% lower than that measured 6 weeks post-partum. No significant difference in repair capacity was observed among the three trimesters. Mitogen-stimulated DNA synthesis was also measured for cells cultured in their autologous plasma. There was no significant difference in thymidine incorporation between cells collected during pregnancy (1.02 +/- 0.17 cpm/10(6) cells) and cells collected 6 weeks post-partum (1.45 +/- 0.94 cpm/10(6) cells). The results are, however, consistent with alterations in the immune response during pregnancy.

An assay for monitoring response to therapy in cancer patients

Immunosuppression is characteristic of patients with advanced malignant neoplasms. However, none of the simple assays for immunocompetence have been found to provide results which correlate with the patients' responses to therapy. The data reported here indicate that this may be because there are artifacts in data from earlier studies which have obscured such a correlation. A simple assay which removes previously unrecognized sources of error is shown to generate data which correlate well with patient responses. In this assay, lymphocytes collected from patients with malignant solid tumors were stimulated with mitogen in their autologous plasma. The amount of radioactive thymidine incorporated during replicative deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis was corrected to remove sources of error ignored in the previous studies. A significant improvement in mitogen-stimulated synthesis was observed within two months for patients entering remission. For patients not responding to therapy, there was a progressive deterioration in mitogen-responsiveness.

Correlates of plasma cortisol and DNA repair in human peripheral lymphocytes: suppression of repair in women taking estrogen

We have examined the relationship between total plasma cortisol concentration and DNA repair capacity in human peripheral lymphocytes cultured in vitro; the data indicate that high concentrations of cortisol (> 20 micrograms/dl) inhibit DNA repair. The inhibitory effect can be abrogated by the addition of RU38486, a cortisol antagonist. In addition, we compared plasma cortisol concentration and in vitro DNA repair capacity in 52 healthy individuals. Females on therapeutic estrogen (oral contraceptive or estrogen replacement therapy) had significantly elevated plasma cortisol and suppression of DNA repair capacity.

Tanning salon exposure suppression of DNA repair capacity and mitogen-induced DNA synthesis

Mitogen responsiveness and the capacity to repair genetic damage were measured in lymphocytes collected from young, healthy, adult Caucasians immediately before exposure in commercial tanning salons and again 24 h after exposure. For every individual studied, tanning exposure produced significant inhibition of phytohemagglutinin-induced mitogenesis or of the ability to repair DNA lesions by unscheduled DNA synthesis. The results imply that such exposure could: (1) pose a significant hazard for individuals who are already immunosuppressed (e.g. cancer patients, AIDS patients or carriers of latent HIV) and (2) increase the carcinogenic effects of environmental mutagens.

Electrophoretic separation of nucleic acids: evaluation by video and photographic densitometry

The separation of DNA by gel electrophoresis provides a rapid method for determining size distributions of DNA in solution. Densitometric scanning of photographs of gels has been the standard method of analysis of agarose gels. However, analysis of photographs is complicated by the non-linear response of photographic film. Charged-coupled device video cameras have become popular for quantitative densitometry and we have used a charge-coupled device camera to image agarose gels to quantitate DNA damage. We compare video and photographic densitometry for quantitation of ultraviolet radiation (UV)-induced DNA damage and find that the two methods give equivalent results.

Quantitative fluorescence of DNA-intercalated ethidium bromide on agarose gels

Techniques for analyzing DNA distributions on agarose gels are examined by both two-dimensional and one-dimensional methods. It is demonstrated that very large errors in DNA concentration occur in such analyses unless (i) the electrophoresis is performed in a careful, reproducible manner, (ii) the films are calibrated with an internal standard, (iii) high resolution densitometry is used for analyzing the films, and (iv) appropriate background controls are used to determine the baselines for integration. Two-dimensional scanning produces more accurate results than one-dimensional scanning, but in cases where the bands are relatively uniform, the one-dimensional analysis gives good results. A technique for determining accurate distributions is described.

Quantitative assay for evaluating immunocompetence and DNA repair capacity

Incorporation of radioactive thymidine into newly synthesized DNA is the basis of an assay frequently used to study immunosuppression in cancer patients. It has also been used to measure the amount of excision repair performed by non-replicating cells damaged by carcinogens. For human lymphocytes (and probably other cell types), these assays are unreliable as they are currently being performed. We report a modified assay that allows accurate comparisons of the immunocompetence and DNA repair capacity of different individuals. With this assay, cells can be studied in their autologous plasma and the role of biological response modifiers can be assessed.

Effect of ultraviolet radiation on the Bacillus subtilis phages SPO2, SPP1 and phi 29 and their DNAs

A comparative study of the effects of ultraviolet radiation on three Bacillus subtilis phages is presented. Phages phi 29, SPP1 and SPO2c12 or their DNAs were irradiated by UVC (254 nm) and quantum yields for inactivation were calculated. For each phage, the purified DNA was found to be more sensitive than the intact virus when assayed in a uvr+ host. The data imply that this is because transfecting DNA is repaired less efficiently than DNA of the intact phage; rather than because of differences in sensitivity to lesion production. Even though phi 29 has the smallest target size of the three phages, phi 29 and its DNA are the most sensitive. Phages SPO2 and SPP1 code for gene products which complement the repair system of the host. The transfecting DNA of phage SPP1 is extremely sensitive to UV damage when assayed in a uvr-host. This is attributed to the fact that in transfection SPP1 DNA must undergo recombination for productive infection to occur. The recombination process strongly interferes with the repair of damaged DNA.

Serum effects on DNA repair in human cells

Freshly isolated human lymphocytes were used to determine how serum supplements affect cellular capacity to repair UV damage. Repair capacity was always found to be greatest in medium supplemented with autologous plasma. Variability in repair capacity among individuals was greater in serum supplemented medium than in unsupplemented medium. Thus, in vitro cellular responses will most accurately represent in vivo responses if autologous serum factors are present in the culture medium. This is of particular importance in studies attempting to correlate DNA repair capacity with age or susceptibility to carcinogenesis.

Sensitivity of carcinogen-treated DNA to inactivation by ultraviolet radiation

The DNA of bacteriophage SPO2c12 was treated with methylmethane sulfonate (MMS), beta-propiolactone (BPL), 2-anthramine (AA) or benzo[a]pyrene (BP) and then exposed to 254-nm radiation. Competent Bacillus subtilis host cells were transfected with DNA subjected to the carcinogen-UV treatment or with DNA treated with carcinogen only. Survival curves were obtained for loss of plaque-forming ability as a function of UV dose. The UV sensitivity of DNA treated with MMS, BPL or AA was not significantly different from that of untreated DNA. The results indicate that in competent B. subtilis the pathways for repair of alkylating agent damage and for repair of UV damage are probably different.

Inhibition of unscheduled DNA synthesis in human lymphocytes by chemical carcinogens

Freshly isolated human peripheral lymphocytes were treated with an alkylating agent immediately after collection and subsequently treated with UV radiation. This system was used because it represents a method for assaying damage in cells immediately after their removal from the host. The amount of UV-induced repair was measured as unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) by incorporation of [3H]deoxythymidine into the cellular DNA. The alkylating agents beta-propiolactone (BPL) and methyl methane-sulfonate (MMS) inhibited UDS at concentrations of 0.08 mM and 0.6 mM, respectively. Lower concentrations had no effect. Lymphocytes allowed to remain in culture medium after treatment with the alkylating agents did not recover the ability to perform UV-induced UDS even when cells were irradiated 48 h after carcinogen treatment. The decrease in UV-induced UDS resulting from alkylating agent treatment could not be attributed to cell death.

Sedimentation of multicomponent viruses: evaluation of sedimentation coefficient ratios

Ratios of the sedimentation coefficients for alfalfa mosaic virus components are shown to be independent of the virus concentration and the density of the solvent. Different numbers of components are observed in solvents of different density. This implies that in sedimentation velocity experiments an estimate of the number of components of a multicomponent virus should involve centrifugation in solvents of different density. For some viruses, estimates of the sedimentation coefficients of individual components can be obtained from the coefficient ratios observed in unfractionated solutions and the sedimentation coefficient of the most easily purified component.

The effects of temperature and ultraviolet irradiation on multiplication of bacteriophage phi29

The effects of temperature and of ultraviolet radiation on the multiplication of bacteriophage phi29 were studied. Samples of phi29 that had been irradiated to surviving fractions of 0.44 or 0.10 were propagated at 37 degrees C, 42 degrees C and 43.5 degrees C. Latent periods and burst sizes were obtained from one-step growth curves. At a particular temperature, as the dose delivered to the virus was increased, the latent period was extended and the burst size was decreased. For unirradiated virus, the burst size was the same at 42 degrees C as at 37 degrees C, but decreased dramatically at 43.5 degrees C. For virus subjected to a particular dose, the burst size decreased as the temperature was raised. A statistical technique for improving the reliability of parameters obtained from one-step growth curves is presented.