Treatment with anti-FcεRIα antibody exacerbates EAE and T-cell immunity against myelin.

Objective: To investigate the effects of targeting the high-affinity receptor for immunoglobulin E (FcεRI), that plays a central role in allergic responses and is constitutively expressed on mast cells and basophils, in clinical disease and autoimmune T-cell response in experimental MS.

Methods: Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) was induced in C57BL/6 mice by immunization with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein 35-55. Anti-FcεRI α-chain antibody was administered intraperitoneally.

Targeted doxorubicin delivery by chitosan-galactosylated modified polymer microbubbles to hepatocarcinoma cells.

Targeted drug delivery is a main issue in cancer treatment. Taking advantage of recently developed polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based microbubbles, which are characterized by chemical versatility of the polymeric surface thereby allowing coating with different ligands, we set up a strategy for the targeted delivery of the anticancer agent doxorubicin to hepatocarcinoma cells. Such microbubbles are exceptionally efficient ultrasound scatterers and thus represent also an option as potential ultrasound contrast agents.

4-oxo-N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide: two independent ways to kill cancer cells.

Background: The retinoid 4-oxo-N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide (4-oxo-4-HPR) is a polar metabolite of fenretinide (4-HPR) very effective in killing cancer cells of different histotypes, able to inhibit 4-HPR-resistant cell growth and to act synergistically in combination with the parent drug. Unlike 4-HPR and other retinoids, 4-oxo-4-HPR inhibits tubulin polymerization, leading to multipolar spindle formation and mitotic arrest. Here we investigated whether 4-oxo-4-HPR, like 4-HPR, triggered cell death also via reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and whether its antimicrotubule activity was related to a ROS-dependent mechanism in ovarian (A2780), breast (T47D), cervical (HeLa) and neuroblastoma (SK-N-BE) cancer cell lines.

Molecular cytogenetic characterization of stem-like cancer cells isolated from established cell lines.

There is indication that tumor growth is sustained by subpopulation of cells with stem-like features but little is known on their genomic characterization and their genetic stability. We report a detailed molecular cytogenetic characterization using Spectral Karyotyping and fluorescent in situ hybridization of parental serum-cultured adherent cells and their sphere-growing stem-like counterpart before and after differentiation from six cell lines established from solid tumors. Our findings indicate increased cytogenetic complexity in sphere-growing stem-like and their differentiated adherent cells compared to parental adherent component suggesting the existence within cell lines of heterogeneous and genetically unstable subpopulations of cells endowed with stem-like features.

Hyaluronic-acid butyric esters as promising antineoplastic agents in human lung carcinoma: a preclinical study.

New promising compounds, derived from the esterification of hyaluronic acid with butyric acid, were investigated in vitro on a non-small cell lung carcinoma cell line (NCI-H460) and an its metastatic subclone (NCI-H460M). All new compounds exerted a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on both cell lines, which expressed CD44, the specific surface receptor for hyaluronic acid, in a very high percentage of cells (90%). HE1, the most effective of these compounds, was 10-fold more effective than sodium butyrate (NaB) in inhibiting cell proliferation.