Gender differences in gemcitabine (Gemzar) efficacy in cancer cells: effect of indole-3-carbinol.

Pancreatic cancer has a poor prognosis, mainly due to lack of effective therapies. This study demonstrated the ability of dietary agent, indole-3-carbinol (I3C), to lower the LD(50) of gemcitabine (Gemzar) in decreasing growth of both male (MiaPaca2) and female (SU86.86) pancreatic cancer cells.

Age and gender affect DNMT3a and DNMT3b expression in human liver.

DNA methylation is catalyzed by a family of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) including the maintenance enzyme DNMT 1 and de novo methyltransferases DNMT 3a and DNMT 3b. Elevated levels of DNMTs have been found in cancer cells and in several types of human tumors. A polymorphism found in DNMT3b has been associated with increased risk for several cancers.