Anti-CEA tagged iron nanoparticles for targeting triple-negative breast cancer.

Systemic therapy is generally required for breast cancer. However, treatment toxicity and side effects are a concern, especially for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a subtype that usually develops resistance to chemotherapy. To overcome this issue, new nanoformulations capable of targeting cancer cells have been developed and alternative biomarkers have been explored as target molecules for TNBC management.

Venomic and pharmacological activity of Acanthoscurria paulensis (Theraphosidae) spider venom.

In the present study we conducted proteomic and pharmacological characterizations of the venom extracted from the Brazilian tarantula Acanthoscurria paulensis, and evaluated the cardiotoxicity of its two main fractions. The molecular masses of the venom components were identified by mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) after chromatographic separation (HPLC). The lethal dose (LD(50)) was determined in mice.

Anti-CEA loaded maghemite nanoparticles as a theragnostic device for colorectal cancer.

Nanosized maghemite particles were synthesized, precoated (with dimercaptosuccinic acid) and surface-functionalized with anticarcinoembryonic antigen (anti-CEA) and successfully used to target cell lines expressing the CEA, characteristic of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. The as-developed nanosized material device, consisting of surface decorated maghemite nanoparticles suspended as a biocompatible magnetic fluid (MF) sample, labeled MF-anti-CEA, was characterized and tested against two cell lines: a high-CEA expressing cell line (LS174T) and a low-CEA expressing cell line (HCT116). Whereas X-ray diffraction was used to assess the average core size of the as-synthesized maghemite particles (average 8.

Metformin (dimethyl-biguanide) induced DNA damage in mammalian cells.

Metformin (dimethyl-biguanide) is an insulin-sensitizing agent that lowers fasting plasma-insulin concentration, wherefore it's wide use for patients with a variety of insulin-resistant and prediabetic states, including impaired glucose tolerance. During pregnancy it is a further resource for reducing first-trimester pregnancy loss in women with the polycystic ovary syndrome. We tested metformin genotoxicity in cells of Chinese hamster ovary, CHO-K1 (chromosome aberrations; comet assays) and in mice (micronucleus assays).

Interaction of bracken-fern extract with vitamin C in human submandibular gland and oral epithelium cell lines.

The consumption of bracken-fern (Pteridium aquilinum) as food is associated with a high incidence of cancer in humans and animals. Thus far, the carcinogenic effects of bracken-fern consumption could be related to chromosome aberrations verified in animal and in human peripheral lymphocytes. We tested the in vitro effects of vitamin C (10 and 100 microg/ml) on the reversibility of DNA damage caused by bracken-fern on human submandibular gland (HSG) cells and on oral epithelium cells (OSCC-3) previously exposed to bracken-fern extract.

Bracken-fern extracts can be clastogenic or aneugenic depending on the tissue cell assay.

The consumption of bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum) as food is associated with a high incidence of cancer in humans and animals. We investigated the cytogenetic effects of bracken-fern extracts (hexane extract-HE, ethanol extract-EE, hot water extract-HWE and cold water extract-CWE) on chromosomes of peritoneal and bone-marrow cells of Swiss mice. In peritoneal cells, all four treatments (HE, EE, HWE and CWE) induced structural chromosome aberrations, but the EE also induced numerical chromosome aberrations.