Reduced Glutathione System: Role in Cancer Development, Prevention and Treatment (Review)

Reduced glutathione (GSH), a ubiquitous thiol-containing tripeptide, is unanimously recognized to play a central role in cell biology. It is highly implicated in the cellular defense against xenobiotics and naturally occurring deleterious compounds such as free radicals and hydroperoxides. Consequently, GSH is an essential actor in several human diseases including cancer and cardio-vascular diseases. Its implication in oncogenesis has led to the development of new strategies to improve both prevention and treatment of cancer. The present review proposes an in depth analysis or our current knowledge of the relations between GSH and cancer

The Potent Angioinhibin Agm-1470 Stimulates Normal but Not Human Tumoral Lymphocytes

peer reviewedBACKGROUND: AGM-1470 is a newly synthesized molecule developed as an analog of the potent anti-angiogenic fumagillin. Its efficacy in restraining tumor growth in vivo and the absence of major side effects have already led to phase I clinical trials in patients with solid cancers. However, neither the exact mechanisms of action of AGM-1470 nor its effects on the host of normal cells have been extensively studied. Recently, we showed that AGM-1470 enhanced the proliferation of B lymphocytes in the presence of T cells. Since AGM-1470 could potentially be used in patients with lymphoma, it was urgent to test the effect of the molecule on the proliferation of tumor lymphocytes. METHODS: The possible effect of AGM-1470 on the proliferation of normal or tumor lymphocytes was evaluated by thymidine-incorporated assays. Normal T and B lymphocytes were purified from human tonsils. The tumor lymphocytes used in the study were Molt 3, Molt 4 and Jurkatt cell lines for the T lineage and Daudi and Radji cell lines for the B lineage. RESULTS: As shown previously, AGM-1470 stimulates the proliferation of normal B lymphocytes through an action on normal T cells. THe angioinhibin was ineffective ont eh proliferation of both T and B transformed cells. Moreover, in the presence of the drug, tumor T cells co-cultured with normal B lymphocytes did not induce any increase in B cell proliferation, as previously observed with normal T lymphocytes. Inversely, tumor B cells co-cultured with normal T lymphocytes were insensitive to the drug. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that AGM-1470 is ineffective on lymphoid tumor cell proliferation and could potentially be safely administered to lymphoma patients