Evaluating the effect of deprenyl on the differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells into dopamine producing neurons

Background : Bone marrow strormal cells (BMSCs) can be used as a valuable cells source for auto- graft in clinical applications involving regeneration of the central nervous system. BMSCs are adult stem cells with the potential of differentiation into other types of cells. Research has proved the effectiveness of deprenyl in the treatment of neurodegenerative process of parkinson and also the trophic effect on the neural cells in vitro. Deprenyl has proven as inhibitor of monoamine oxidase B (MAO B), resulting in an enhancement of the dopamine level. In the present study the effects of deprenyl on BMSCs is evaluated. Materials and Methods: to evaluate the differentiated capability of BMSCs into the neuroid cells, the dopamine level and activity of tyrosine hydroxylase antibody were assessed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and immunocytochemistry, respectively. Also, the real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used for the study of the expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene in BMSCs. Data were analyzed by one way-ANOVA and post hoc Tukey's test. Results : Molecular study indicated that the expression of the BDNF gene was increased in deprenyl-induced cells. Also, the immunocytochemical study of tyrosine hydroxylase and HPLC demonstrated that the deprenyl with concentration of 10-8 M has the potential of inducting the differentiation of BMSCs into dopaminergic cells and synthesis and secretion of dopamine

Evaluating the effect of lycopene on telomerase activity in the human leukemia cell line K562

Background: Telomerase has been proposed as a novel and potentially selective target in cancer therapy. Many plant-derived products can induce apoptosis via telomerase inhibition. Lycopene (a carotenoid pigment) has been found to exhibit the various biological effects on different types of cancer cells, but its effect on telomerase activity has not been investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the apoptosis-inducing effect of lycopene on human leukemia cell line K562, with particular emphasis on its effect on telomerase inhibition. Materials and Methods: Anti-proliferative effect of lycopene at different doses (0-20µm) and time intervals (24-72 h) on K562 cells was evaluated using the 3-(4, 5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. To measure apoptosis, the Hoechst 33342 staining method and flow cytometry were used. The telomerase activity was determined using the telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) and ELISA assay.Results: The treatment of the K562 cells with lycopene dose-dependently resulted in a significant inhibition of cell growth and telomerase activity compared to the untreated cells. Furthermore, a positive correlation was found between telomerase inhibition and the induction of apoptosis in lycopene-treated K562 cells. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest a novel mechanism in the anti-cancer activity of lycopene in human leukemia K562 cells and may provide a basis for the future development of anti-telomerase agents