Antisense oligonucleotides directed against insulin-like growth factor-II messenger ribonucleic acids delay the progress of rat hepatocarcinogenesis

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a multistep complex process, caused by many of genetic alteration. Insulin-like growth factors and their receptor have been widely implicated to HCC. Insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II) is a mitogenic polypeptide, found in various fetal and neonatal tissues of humans and rats and expresses in HCC. Here we investigated anticancer potential of phosphorothioate antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) against three coding exons (exon-1/exon-2/exon-3) of IGF-II messenger ribonucleic acid in rat hepatocarcinogenesis model. Materials and Methods: During diethylnitrosamine and 2-acetylaminofluorene induced hepatocarcinogenesis, rats were treated with ASOs. Various biochemical and histological studies were conducted. Results: About 40% of carcinogen treated rats, which received two oligomers (against exon-1 or-3) did not show any hepatic lesion, hyperplastic nodule or tumor and remaining 60% of those rats showed lesion incidence and had about 59% and 55% reductions in the numbers of hepatic altered foci, respectively. Reductions in the total lesion-area when compared with carcinogen control rats were 64% and 53%, respectively for the animals treated with carcinogen and received the ASOs against exon-1/-3. Fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled ASO reached in the hepatocytes in 2 h. No predominant IGF-II overexpression was observed in case of rats treated with the two ASOs. Treatment of the antisense IGF-II oligomers in carcinogen treated rats show better hepatocellular integrity along with several preneoplastic/neoplastic marker isoenzyme/enzyme modulations. Conclusions: Two of the three antisense oligomer-types effectively controlled IGF-II overexpression, causing the delay of the development and/or progress of hepatic cancer in rats

Safety and immunogenicity of <i style="">Brucella</i> <i style="">abortus </i>strain RB51 vaccine in cross bred cattle calves in India

239-242Safety and immunogenicity of Brucella abortus RB51 vaccine has been evaluated in an organised dairy farm in India. All the cattle (n=29) vaccinated with strain RB51 ‘responded’ to the vaccine as demonstrated by iELISA using acetone killed strain RB51 antigen. The percentage responders at day 35, 60 and 90 post vaccination were 100%, 95% and 20%, respectively. Strain RB51 was able to elicit a good IFN- response from vaccinated animals. The post-vaccination time point analysis indicated that the cumulative IFN- response of whole blood from vaccinates stimulated with heat killed RB51 antigen was elicited in 80% of calves at 60 days post vaccination. Absence of strain RB51 in the secretions and excretion and lack of local or systemic reaction indicated the safety of the vaccine

Modulation of TLR 3, 7 and 8 Expressions in HCV Genotype 3 Infected Individuals: Potential Correlations of Pathogenesis and Spontaneous Clearance

Background. Hepatitis C virus is the major cause of chronic hepatitis worldwide which finally leads to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Toll like receptors (TLRs) play an important role in the course of many viral infections, but the role of TLRs in HCV pathogenesis has not been well elucidated so far. Objective. The aim of this study was to analyse the mRNA expression of TLRs 3, 7, and 8 in different stages of HCV infection including chronic, cirrhosis, interferon treated resolved, and relapsed cases. Methodology. Total RNA from whole blood was extracted and mRNA expression of TLRs 3, 7, and 8 genes was analyzed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR using β-Actin gene as an internal control. Results. This study consisted of 100 HCV infected individuals and twenty healthy controls. TLR 3 expression was found to be significantly elevated in individuals who had spontaneously cleared the virus (p<0.001), whereas TLR 7 was found to be 3.26 times more elevated in patients with cirrhosis of liver. In IFN induced individuals, TLR 8 expression levels were found to be 2.28-fold elevated as compared to control population. Conclusion. TLRs 3, 7, and 8 are prime biomarker candidates for HCV infection mRNA expression analysis which might improve current therapeutic approaches

Multi-antigen print immunoassay for seroepidemiological surveillance of bovine tuberculosis on Indian cattle farms

Bovine tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis is a zoonotic disease that is responsible for significant economic losses in many countries. The standard diagnostic method, the tuberculin test (TST) that is used in control programmes has serious shortcomings and, given the complex nature and the economic impact of the disease, a number of other diagnostic methods have been examined. The authors have attempted to characterise antibody response using the multi-antigen print immunoassay (MAPIA). A total of 511 serum samples were collected from farms in India on which bovine tuberculosis was prevalent and on farms with low incidence. These were tested using the MAPIA against a panel of five defined M. bovis recombinant antigens and two purified protein derivatives (bovine PPD and avian PPD) to study the seroprevalence of the disease on Indian cattle farms. Results indicated that the fusion protein of antigen CFP-10:MPB83 showed a positive response in 142 out of 298 serum samples from tuberculosis-prevalent farms, thereby indicating the serological dominance of the proteins post infection. The antigen selected could be used further in the development of a simple, rapid and accurate serological diagnostic test, paired with TST, for use in bovine tuberculosis control programmes