3D fluid-dynamic ovarian cancer model resembling systemic drug administration for efficacy assay.

Recently, 3D in vitro cancer models have become important alternatives to animal tests for establishing the efficacy of anticancer treatments. In this work, 3D SKOV-3 cell-laden alginate hydrogels were established as ovarian tumor models and cultured within a fluid-dynamic bioreactor (MIVO®) device able to mimic the capillary flow dynamics feeding the tumor. Cisplatin efficacy tests were performed within the device over time and compared with (i) the in vitro culture under static conditions and (ii) a xenograft mouse model with SKOV-3 cells, by monitoring and measuring cell proliferation or tumor regression, respectively, over time.

Reformulation and food combination as strategies to modulate glycaemia: the case of apple pomace containing biscuits administered with apple juice to healthy rats.

Conventional (CB) and apple-pomace-reformulated (RB) biscuits were administered to healthy rats. Although the areas under curve (AUC) of glucose concentration were comparable between samples, differences in the glycaemic profile of CB and RB were observed. RB caused an initial steeper increase in glycaemia but a shift in the glycaemic peak from 45 to 60 min, as compared to CB.

Interactions between plant-derived oestrogenic substances and the mycoestrogen zearalenone in a bioassay with MCF-7 cells.

Human and animal diets may contain several non-steroidal oestrogenic compounds which originate either from plants (phytoestrogens) or from fungi that infect plants (mycoestrogens such as zearalenone (ZEN)). Phytoestrogens may compete with ZEN in binding to the oestrogen receptor β and thereby may counteract the oestrogenic activity of ZEN. Using a modified version of the E-screen assay, plant-derived oestrogenic substances were tested for their proliferative or anti-proliferative effect on oestrogen-dependent MCF-7 cells.

An Animal Model for the Juvenile Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis.

Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) are the hepatic manifestations of the metabolic syndrome; worrisome is the booming increase in pediatric age. To recreate the full spectrum of juvenile liver pathology and investigate the gender impact, male and female C57Bl/6 mice were fed with high fat diet plus fructose in the drinking water (HFHC) immediately after weaning (equal to 3-years old human), and disease progression followed for 16 weeks, until adults (equal to 30-years old human). 100% of subjects of both genders on HFHC diet developed steatosis in 4weeks, and some degree of fibrosis in 8weeks, with the 86% of males and 15% of females presenting a stage 2 fibrosis at 16weeks.