The Role of TIMP-2 Gene in Skin Cancer

Background and purpose: Skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer. Several studies suggest a high incidence of skin cancer in most countries. TIMP-2 is the tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase and exist in both cancer and normal cells. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of TIMP-2 gene in patients with skin cancer and evaluating the association between the expression of this gene and the disease progression. Materials and methods: In this study 60 FFPE samples of skin cancer (n=30) and noncarcinoma cases (n=30) were collected from Tehran Milad Hospital. The cancer patients aged 30 to 80 years old. RNA was extracted using RNX solution, and then cDNA synthesis was carried out by Oligo dT and Random Hexamer primers and MMulV enzyme. The gene expression was evaluated by Real-time PCR. Results: The TIMP-2 gene expression in carcinoma samples increased 1.13 folds compared to normal tissue samples. Also a direct correlation was seen between tumor size and TIMP-2 gene expression. In fact the gene expression in tumors= 2 cm was more than 6.72 compared with normal samples (P<0.0005). The mean expression levels of TIMP-2 gene in tumors<1 cm and 1-2 cm were 0.57 and 1.003, respectively (P< 0.001). Moreover, the TIMP-2 gene expression was found to be higher in male. Conclusion: According to current findings, expression of TIMP-2 gene has a considerable role in skin cancer development. In other words, the gene expression increases by increase in tumor size and patients age. So, it seems that TIMP-2 gene expression could be a reliable biomarker for evaluation of skin cancer in early stages

Preparation and Physicochemical Characterization of Biodegradable mPEG-PCL Core-Shell Micelles for Delivery of Artemisinin

Background: Artemisinin is a sesquiterpene lactone chemical extract from Artemisia annua, is poorly resolvable in water and a fast-acting blood active in treating the acute attack of malaria. Methods: Artemisinin was encapsulated within mPEG-PCL micelles with a single-step nano-precipitation method, leading to formation of ART/ mPEG-PCL micelles. mPEG-PCL copolymers was characterized in vitro by HNMR, FTIR and DSC techniques. Copolymers with artemisinin were self-assembled into micelles in aqueous solution. The consequential micelles were further characterized by various techniques such as DLS and AFM. Results: The results exhibited the successful formation of spherical artemisinin-loaded micelles. The artemisinin-loaded micelles showed high loading efficiency. The encapsulation efficiency of artemisinin was 63±2.31%. In vitro release of artemisinin from artemisinin-entrapped micelles followed remarkably sustained release profile. Conclusion: The results indicated that the successful formulation of artemisinin loaded mPEG-PCL micelles can improve the drug delivery of artemisinin. The results showed that nanomicelles can be promising drug delivery systems for sustaining release of artemisinin