Cell viability %.

<p>The histograms show how changes the viability in MCF7 cell lines after MTZ, vit C, and their combination treatment for 48 h. Experiments were in triplicate. On the x-axis are showed the different drugs concentrations (DC): 1 (MTZ: 0.07 µM; vit C: 0.09 mM), 2 (MTZ: 0.15 µM; vit C: 0.19 mM), 3 (MTZ: 0.29 µM; vit C: 0.38 mM), 4 (MTZ: 0.58 µM; vit C: 0.75 mM), 5 (MTZ: 1.17 µM; vit C: 1.5 mM), 6 (MTZ: 2.34 µM; vit C: 3 mM), 7 (MTZ: 4.68; vit C: 6 mM), 8 (MTZ: 9.36; vit C: 12 mM) for MCF7 and 1(MTZ: 0.04 µM; vit C: 0.03 mM), 2 (MTZ: 0.75 µM; vit C: 0.06 mM), 3 (MTZ: 0.15 µM; vit C: 0.13 mM), 4 (MTZ: 0.3 µM; vit C: 0.25 mM), 5 (MTZ: 0,6 µM; vit C: 0.5 mM), and 6 (MTZ: 1,2 µM; vit C: 1 mM), 7 (MTZ:2,4; vit C: 2 mM), 8 (MTZ: 4,8; vit C: 4 mM) for MDA-MB231; on the y-axis: the viability percentage is presented as means ± standard deviation. Moreover, we indicate with “a” or “b” if the difference between cell viability after co-treatment and vit c or MTZ is statistically significant (with p-value<0.05).</p

Percentage of live, early apoptotic, late apoptotic, and dead cells expressed as mean ±standard deviation by the Muse Annexin V and Dead Cell assay in MCF7 and in MDA-MB231 cells.

<p>Percentage of live, early apoptotic, late apoptotic, and dead cells expressed as mean ±standard deviation by the Muse Annexin V and Dead Cell assay in MCF7 and in MDA-MB231 cells.</p

Cell percentages in G0/G1, S and G2/M phases in MCF7 and in MDA-MB231 cells.

<p>Cell percentages in G0/G1, S and G2/M phases in MCF7 and in MDA-MB231 cells.</p

H2AX and PI3K expression activation percentages for each cell population (inactive, active and not-expressing) compared to the total cell population.

<p>We report mean values ± standard deviation and indicate with * (p-value<0.05) if the activation difference in treated and untreated cells is statistically significant.</p><p>H2AX and PI3K expression activation percentages for each cell population (inactive, active and not-expressing) compared to the total cell population.</p

MTZ and vit C co-treatment induced a synergistic anti-proliferative effect compared to treatment with drugs administered individually as demonstrated by median drug effect analysis calculating the combination index (CI) and the dose redaction index (DRI) with CalcuSyn software.

<p>“r” is the linear correlation coefficient.</p><p>MTZ and vit C co-treatment induced a synergistic anti-proliferative effect compared to treatment with drugs administered individually as demonstrated by median drug effect analysis calculating the combination index (CI) and the dose redaction index (DRI) with CalcuSyn software.</p

Cytokinome Profile of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and/or Chronic Hepatitis C Infection

<div><p>Both type 2 diabetes (T2D) and chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection are associated with increased risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Cytokines are known to play an important role not only in the mechanisms of insulin resistance and glucose disposal defects but also in the pathological processes occurring in the liver during viral infection. We evaluated the serum levels of many cytokines, chemokines, adipokines and growth factors in patients with type 2 diabetes, CHC, CHC-related cirrhosis, CHC and type 2 diabetes and CHC-related cirrhosis and type 2 diabetes by BioPlex assay. The obtained data evidenced that the serum levels of some proteins are significantly up-regulated in all the patients or in those with only one disease and are often higher, even if in different amounts, when both diseases are associated. In particular, our results can be useful for the clinical monitoring of patients because they give specific information in regard to the progression from CHC to LC and CHD to LCD. Moreover, some molecules have shown significant correlations with clinical/biochemical data, suggesting the possibility to define mini-panels that can be used as specific markers for the different disease staging. However, our observations demonstrate that an integrated approach is much more powerful than isolated measurements to evaluate specific stages of these two complex pathologies (type 2 diabetes and chronic CHC hepatitis) alone or when they are concomitant in a patient. In fact it has emerged as an accurate, simple, specific, noninvasive, reproducible and less expensive method that, in future, could be included in routine clinical practice to monitor the association of type 2 diabetes and/or CHC to liver cirrhosis and, possibly, to cancer, and to improve the prognosis of these diseases.</p> </div

Biochemical characteristics of all patients.

§<p>n.d.  =  not detected.</p><p>We report the number of patients to which some parameters refer. For clinical data the mean value and the related control range, evaluated in healthy donors, are shown.</p

Mean concentrations of significant cytokines.

<p>We report the mean levels of the molecules evaluated in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and CHC-related cirrhosis (LC) (A), and with CHC hepatitis and type 2 diabetes (CHD) and CHC-related cirrhosis and type 2 diabetes (LCD) (B). The legends evidence the different colors used for the analyzed groups.</p

Significant correlations between cytokines and clinical/biochemical data in all patients.

<p>We report in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), chronic hepatitis C (CHC), CHC-related cirrhosis (LC), CHC hepatitis and type 2 diabetes (CHD) and CHC-related cirrhosis and type 2 diabetes (LCD) the cytokines and the clinical/biochemical data that correlate between them.</p

Significant cytokines in some patient groups.

<p>We report the significant molecule levels from controls and patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), chronic hepatitis C (CHC), CHC-related cirrhosis (LC), CHC hepatitis and type 2 diabetes (CHD) and CHC-related cirrhosis and type 2 diabetes (LCD), evaluated by 21-Plex panel, are plotted with box-and-whisker graphs. The boxes extend from the 25th to the 75th percentile, and the line in the middle is the median. The error bars extend down to the lowest value and up to the highest.</p