Publications by authors named "Marina G Moschetta"

Mammary neoplasms are a heterogeneous form of disease, and in order to determine its course and biological features with more accuracy, investigations based on tumor phenotypes are required. The aim of the present study was to propose and validate a phenotypic classification for canine mammary tumors and to assess any association between clinicopathological characteristics, survival and prognosis. For the immunohistochemistry analysis, the primary antibodies against estrogen receptor-α, progesterone receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2)/neu and E-cadherin were used.

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Background: The angiogenesis process is regulated by many factors, such as Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1 (HIF-1) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF). Metformin has demonstrated its ability to inhibit cell growth and the LY294002 is the major inhibitor of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway that has antiangiogenic properties.

Methods: Canine mammary tumor cell lines CMT-U229 and CF41 were treated with metformin and LY294002.

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Background: NF-kB (nuclear factor kappa B) is a transcription factor composed of two subunits, p50 and p65, which plays a key role in the inflammatory process. Melatonin has oncostatic, antiangiogenic and antimetastatic properties, and some recent studies have indicated an inhibitory effect of melatonin on NF-kB in some types of cancer. This work aims to investigate the effects of melatonin treatment on the expression of NFkB in breast and liver cancer models.

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Mammary tumorigenesis can be modulated by melatonin, which has oncostatic action mediated by multiple mechanisms, including the inhibition of the activity of transcription factors such as NF-κB and modulation of interleukins (ILs) expression. IL-25 is an active cytokine that induces apoptosis in tumor cells due to differential expression of its receptor (IL-17RB). IL-17B competes with IL-25 for binding to IL-17RB in tumor cells, promoting tumorigenesis.

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Epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process by which epithelial cells acquire mesenchymal properties, generating metastases. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) is associated with this malignancy by having the ability to induce EMT. Metformin, has been shown to inhibit EMT in breast cancer cells.

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Background: ROCK-1 expression is associated with the malignant character of tumors, while inhibiting this molecule results in a significant suppression of tumor metastasis. Likewise, transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) is associated with this malignancy by having the ability to induce epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Metformin, a drug used in the treatment of diabetes, has previously been shown to inhibit EMT in breast cancer cells.

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Background: Cancer-associated fibroblast (CAFs) are the most abundant cells in the tumor microenvironment, able to secrete growth factors and act on tumor progression. Melatonin is associated with several mechanisms of action with oncostatics and oncoprotectors effects, and also participate in the reduction of synthesis of surrounding fibroblasts and endothelial cells in breast cancer.

Objective: The objectives of this study were to determine the effectiveness of melatonin in cell viability and expression of proteins involved in angiogenesis and inflammation in triplenegative mammary tumor cell line (MDA-MB-231) and in co-culture with CAFs.

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Inflammation results in the production of cytokines, such as interleukin- (IL-) 4 and IL-10 with immunosuppressive properties or IL-6 and TNF-α with procarcinogenic activity. Furthermore, NF-κB is the major link between inflammation and tumorigenesis. This study verified the interaction between active inflammatory cytokines in the tumor microenvironment and serum of female dogs with mammary tumors and their correlation with the clinicopathological characteristics and overall survival.

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Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been associated with metastasis and therapeutic resistance and can be generated via epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). Some studies suggest that the hormone melatonin acts in CSCs and may participate in the inhibition of the EMT. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the formation of mammospheres from the canine and human breast cancer cell lines, CMT-U229 and MCF-7, and the effects of melatonin treatment on the modulation of stem cell and EMT molecular markers: OCT4, E-cadherin, N-cadherin and vimentin, as well as on cell viability and invasiveness of the cells from mammospheres.

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The occurrence of metastasis, an important breast cancer prognostic factor, depends on cell migration/invasion mechanisms, which can be controlled by regulatory and effector molecules such as Rho-associated kinase protein (ROCK-1). Increased expression of this protein promotes tumor growth and metastasis, which can be restricted by ROCK-1 inhibitors. Melatonin has shown oncostatic, antimetastatic, and anti-angiogenic effects and can modulate ROCK-1 expression.

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Angiogenesis is the process of new blood vessel formation, regulated by a number of pro- and antiangiogenic factors and usually begins in response to hypoxia. Exogenous administration of melatonin has shown numerous anti-tumor effects and appears to inhibit tumor angiogenesis. However, many factors involved in the anti-angiogenic effect of melatonin are still under investigation.

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Mammary tumors are the most common type of tumor in dogs, with approximately half of these tumors being malignant. Hypoxia, characterized by oxygen levels below normal, is a known adverse factor to cancer treatment. The hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) is a central regulator of the pathophysiological response of mammalian cells to low oxygen levels.

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Mammary neoplasias are the most common tumors observed in female dogs. Identification of these tumors is valuable in order to identify beneficial therapeutic agents as alternative treatments for this tumor type. Oral administration of melatonin appears to exert an oncostatic effect on mammary neoplasia and may have a possible mechanism of action through its interaction with estrogen receptors on epithelial cells.

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Background: Oral cancer is the most common type of head and neck cancer and its high rate of mortality and morbidity is closely related to the processes of angiogenesis and tumor metastasis. The overexpression of the pro-angiogenic genes, HIF-1α and VEGF, and pro-metastatic gene, ROCK-1, are associated with unfavorable prognosis in oral carcinoma. Melatonin has oncostatic, antiangiogenic and antimetastatic properties in several types of neoplasms, although its relationship with oral cancer has been little explored.

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Background: Glutathione (GSH) is one of the most important agents of the antioxidant defense system of the cell because, in conjunction with the enzymes glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and glutathione S transferase pi (GSTpi), it plays a central role in the detoxification and biotransformation of chemotherapeutic drugs. This study evaluated the expression of GSH and the GSH-Px and GSTpi enzymes by immunohistochemistry in 30 canine mammary tumors, relating the clinicopathological parameters, clinical outcome and survival of the bitches. In an in vitro study, the expression of the genes glutamate cysteine ligase (GCLC) and glutathione synthetase (GSS) that synthesize GSH and GSH-Px gene were verified by qPCR and subjected to treatment with doxorubicin, to check the resistance of cancer cells to chemotherapy.

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The genome of mammals is characterized by a large number of non-LTR retrotransposons, and among them, the CAN SINEs are characteristics of the canine species. Small amounts of DNA freely circulate in normal blood serum and high amounts are found in human patients with cancer, characterizing it as a candidate tumor-biomarker. The aim of this study was to estimate, through its absolute expression, the number of copies of CAN SINE sequences present in free circulating DNA of female dogs with mammary cancer, in order to correlate with the clinical and pathological characteristics and the follow-up period.

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The expression of prognostic markers in cancer has become important in diagnostic routine and research. A high mitotic rate compromises the individual cell access to oxygen and nutrients, due to reduced blood supply. Cells undertake adaptive measures such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), expressed under the control of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α).

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The use of prognostic markers for breast cancer allows therapeutic strategies to be defined more efficiently. The expression of glutathione (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) in tumor cells has been evaluated as a predictor of prognosis and response to cytotoxic treatments. Its immunoexpression was assessed in 63 women diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma in a retrospective study.

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Mammary gland tumors in female dogs are an excellent model for the clinic-pathological, diagnostic and prognostic investigation of mammary neoplasias. Prognostic and predictive markers are effective in research and routine diagnosis. Interleukins play a fundamental role in cancer, with a particular function in tumor growth, invasion and metastatic potential.

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Background: The manifestation of cholelithiasis after bariatric surgery may depend on genetic factors related to lipid metabolism, including apolipoprotein E (APOE) and cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) gene polymorphisms.

Methods: We investigated the association between APOE HhaI and CETP TaqIB polymorphisms [PCR-RFLP] and occurrence of cholelithiasis over up to 8 months of follow-up after gastroplasty to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in 220 patients distributed in Group 1 (G1) 114 with cholelithiasis postoperatively and Group 2 (G2) 106 without cholelithiasis, including biochemical and anthropometric profiles analyses.

Results: In our series, the allelic and genotypic distributions of CETP TaqIB and APOE HhaI polymorphisms were similar in both groups (P > 0.

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Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer in women worldwide. Prognostic markers are important for diagnosis, allowing therapeutic strategies to be defined more efficiently. The expression of the glutathione S-transferase pi isoenzyme (GSTpi) in tumor cells has been evaluated as a predictor of prognosis and in response to cytotoxic treatments.

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