Alcohol consumption modulates Candida albicans-induced oral carcinogenesis and progression.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the impact of low levels of alcohol consumption on the interaction of the oral cavity with Candida albicans, a species that is commonly found at higher levels in the oral cavities of regular alcohol consumers, patients with pre-malignant diseases, and patients with existing oral cancer (OC).

Methods: The gingival squamous cell carcinoma cell line, Ca9-22, was subjected to low-level ethanol exposure before co-culture with heat-inactivated C. albicans (HICA).

The two faces of autophagy in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Objective: To undertake a comprehensive review of the current knowledge and understanding of autophagy in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), focusing on putative roles in tumour suppression and survival along with the influence of this cell death pathway on the development of resistance to chemotherapeutic treatment.

Design: Several well utilised databases (PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar) were searched for the relevant literature using terms and keywords including but not limited too; autophagy and cancer, autophagy and OSCC, tumour survival, autophagy and oral microbiome, autophagy immunogenicity, OSCC chemoresistance.

Results: Up-regulation of autophagy has been shown to promote tumour cell survival in the tumour microenvironment while in healthy cells, autophagy induction acts to prevent severe DNA mutations that can lead to cancer.

Cisplatin induces autophagy-associated apoptosis in human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) mediated in part through reactive oxygen species.

Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. Chemoresistance is a critical problem in OSCC leading to therapeutic failure and tumour recurrence. Recently, autophagy has acquired an emerging interest in cancer as it has been shown to be frequently activated in tumour cells treated with chemotherapeutics.

The interplay of the oral microbiome and alcohol consumption in oral squamous cell carcinomas.

Oral cancer (OC) is among the top twenty occurring cancers in the world, with a mortality rate of 50%. A shift to a functionally inflammatory or a 'disease state' oral microbiome composition has been observed amongst patients with premalignant disorders and OC, with evidence suggesting alcohol could be exacerbating the inflammatory influence of the oral microorganisms. Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH, EC 1.

Iron chelators in cancer therapy.

Iron chelators have long been a target of interest as anticancer agents. Iron is an important cellular resource involved in cell replication, metabolism and growth. Iron metabolism is modulated in cancer cells reflecting their increased replicative demands.

The novel therapeutic potential of bovine α-lactalbumin made lethal to tumour cells (BALMET) and oleic acid in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).

Background: Since the serendipitous discovery of bovine α-lactalbumin made lethal to tumour cells (BAMLET)/human α-lactalbumin made lethal to tumour cells there has been an increased interest in the ability of the two components, oleic acid and α-lactalbumin, to form anti-cancer complexes. Here we have investigated the in-vitro efficacy of the BAMLET complex in killing oral cancer (OC) cells, determined the active component of the complex and investigated possible biological mechanisms.

Materials And Methods: Two OC cell lines (±p53 mutation) and one dysplastic cell line were used as a model of progressive oral carcinogenesis.

Methylxanthines Inhibit Primary Amine Oxidase and Monoamine Oxidase Activities of Human Adipose Tissue.

Methylxanthines including caffeine and theobromine are widely consumed compounds and were recently shown to interact with bovine copper-containing amine oxidase. To the best of our knowledge, no direct demonstration of any interplay between these phytochemicals and human primary amine oxidase (PrAO) has been reported to date. We took advantage of the coexistence of PrAO and monoamine oxidase (MAO) activities in human subcutaneous adipose tissue (hScAT) to test the interaction between several methylxanthines and these enzymes, which are involved in many key pathophysiological processes.

A core curriculum in the biological and biomedical sciences for dentistry.

Introduction: The biomedical sciences (BMS) are a central part of the dental curriculum that underpins teaching and clinical practice in all areas of dentistry. Although some specialist groups have proposed curricula in their particular topic areas, there is currently no overarching view of what should be included in a BMS curriculum for undergraduate dental programmes. To address this, the Association for Dental Education in Europe (ADEE) convened a Special Interest Group (SIG) with representatives from across Europe to develop a consensus BMS curriculum for dental programmes.

Can ethanol affect the cell structure? A dynamic molecular and Raman spectroscopy study.

The role that tobacco consumption plays in the etiology of oral cancer carcinogenesis, and of alcohol consumption acting as a co-factor, have been well established. However, in recent years, the contribution of alcohol consumption alone to oral cancer has been proposed. In fact, a high percentage of patients who develop oral cancer have both habits (tobacco and alcohol consumption), and other small patient groups only consume alcohol or do not have any other identifiable bad habits.

Salivary N-glycosylation as a biomarker of oral cancer: A pilot study.

Reliable biomarkers for oral cancer (OC) remain scarce, and routine tests for the detection of precancerous lesions are not routine in the clinical setting. This study addresses a current unmet need for more sensitive and quantitative tools for the management of OC. Whole saliva was used to identify and characterize the nature of glycans present in saliva and determine their potential as OC biomarkers.

Structure-activity relationships, biological evaluation and structural studies of novel pyrrolonaphthoxazepines as antitumor agents.

Microtubule-targeting agents (MTAs) are a class of clinically successful anti-cancer drugs. The emergence of multidrug resistance to MTAs imposes the need for developing new MTAs endowed with diverse mechanistic properties. Benzoxazepines were recently identified as a novel class of MTAs.

Raman spectroscopic analysis of oral cells in the high wavenumber region.

Raman spectroscopy can provide a molecular-level signature of the biochemical composition and structure of cells with submicrometer spatial resolution and could be useful to monitor changes in composition for early stage and non-invasive cancer diagnosis, both ex-vivo and in vivo. In particular, the fingerprint spectral region (400-1800cm) has been shown to be very promising for optical biopsy purposes. However, limitations for discrimination of dysplastic and inflammatory processes based on the fingerprint region have been demonstrated.

Oral cancer: Deregulated molecular events and their use as biomarkers.

Oral Cancer (OC) is a subset of head and neck cancer (HNC) with an annual worldwide incidence of 275,000 cases. OC remains a significant burden worldwide in terms of diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. Despite desirable outcomes in early diagnosed OCs and treatment advances most OCs are detected in advanced stages.

Induction of apoptosis in oral squamous carcinoma cells by pyrrolo-1,5-benzoxazepines.

Oral cancer (OC) is a largely asymptomatic disease, resulting in one of the highest mortality rates of any cancer. OC is currently ranked as the sixth most common cancer in the world, according to a recent World Health Organization analysis, and its prevalence is increasing, both in western and developing regions. Depending on the stage of OC, treatment strategies include surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, or a combination thereof.

Raman micro-spectroscopy for rapid screening of oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Raman spectroscopy can provide a molecular-level fingerprint of the biochemical composition and structure of cells with excellent spatial resolution and could be useful to monitor changes in composition for dysplasia and early, non-invasive cancer diagnosis (carcinoma in situ), both ex-vivo and in vivo. In this study, we demonstrate this potential by collecting Raman spectra of the nucleoli, nuclei and cytoplasm from oral epithelial cancer (SCC-4) and dysplastic (pre-cancerous, DOK) cell lines and from normal oral epithelial primary cell cultures, in vitro, which were then analysed by principal component analysis (PCA) as a multivariate statistical method to discriminate the spectra. Results show significant discrimination between cancer and normal cell lines.

Characterization of the in vitro binding and inhibition kinetics of primary amine oxidase/vascular adhesion protein-1 by glucosamine.

Background: Primary-amine oxidase (PrAO) catalyzes the oxidative deamination of endogenous and exogenous primary amines and also functions, in some tissues, as an inflammation-inducible endothelial factor, known as vascular adhesion protein-1. VAP-1 mediates the slow rolling and adhesion of lymphocytes to endothelial cells in a number of inflammatory conditions, including inflammation of the synovium.

Methods: Glucosamine binding to the enzyme was assessed spectrofluorometrically and the kinetics of inhibition of PrAO were determined spectrophotometrically through the use of direct or coupled assays, in the presence of different substrates.

From caffeine to fish waste: amine compounds present in food and drugs and their interactions with primary amine oxidase.

Tissue bound primary amine oxidase (PrAO) and its circulating plasma-soluble form are involved, through their catalytic activity, in important cellular roles, including the adhesion of lymphocytes to endothelial cells during various inflammatory conditions, the regulation of cell growth and maturation, extracellular matrix deposition and maturation and glucose transport. PrAO catalyses the oxidative deamination of several xenobiotics and has been linked to vascular toxicity, due to the generation of cytotoxic aldehydes. In this study, a series of amines and aldehydes contained in food and drugs were tested via a high-throughput assay as potential substrates or inhibitors of bovine plasma PrAO.

Interaction of L-lysine and soluble elastin with the semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase in the context of its vascular-adhesion and tissue maturation functions.

The copper-containing quinoenzyme semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (EC 1.4.3.

Monoamine oxidases: certainties and uncertainties.

A great deal has been learned about the behaviour of monoamine oxidase in the 75 years since it was first discovered, but there is still a great deal left to understand. This review concentrates on the dynamic aspects of our knowledge of the interactions of MAO with substrates and inhibitors and how it may collaborate with other enzymes, with particular emphasis on aspects that remain to be clarified.

Semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidases: enzymes with quite a lot to do.

The semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidases (SSAO) (EC 1.4.3.