The effect of low-level laser irradiation (In-Ga-Al-AsP - 660 nm) on melanoma in vitro and in vivo

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>It has been speculated that the biostimulatory effect of Low Level Laser Therapy could cause undesirable enhancement of tumor growth in neoplastic diseases. The aim of the present study is to analyze the behavior of melanoma cells (B16F10) <it>in vitro </it>and the <it>in vivo </it>development of melanoma in mice after laser irradiation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We performed a controlled <it>in vitro </it>study on B16F10 melanoma cells to investigate cell viability and cell cycle changes by the Tripan Blue, MTT and cell quest histogram tests at 24, 48 and 72 h post irradiation. The <it>in vivo </it>mouse model (male Balb C, n = 21) of melanoma was used to analyze tumor volume and histological characteristics. Laser irradiation was performed three times (once a day for three consecutive days) with a 660 nm 50 mW CW laser, beam spot size 2 mm², irradiance 2.5 W/cm²and irradiation times of 60s (dose 150 J/cm²) and 420s (dose 1050 J/cm²) respectively.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were no statistically significant differences between the <it>in vitro </it>groups, except for an increase in the hypodiploid melanoma cells (8.48 ± 1.40% and 4.26 ± 0.60%) at 72 h post-irradiation. This cancer-protective effect was not reproduced in the <it>in vivo </it>experiment where outcome measures for the 150 J/cm²dose group were not significantly different from controls. For the 1050 J/cm²dose group, there were significant increases in tumor volume, blood vessels and cell abnormalities compared to the other groups.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>LLLT Irradiation should be avoided over melanomas as the combination of high irradiance (2.5 W/cm²) and high dose (1050 J/cm²) significantly increases melanoma tumor growth <it>in vivo</it>.</p

Use of SSR and retrotransposon-based markers to interpret the population structure of native grapevines from Southern Italy

Native grapevines are the quintessential ele- ments of Southern Italy winemaking, and genomic char- acterization plays a role of primary importance for preservation and sustainable use of these unexploited genetic resources. Among the various molecular techniques available, SSR and retrotransposons-based markers result to be the most valuable for cultivars and biotypes distinc- tiveness. A total of 62 accessions including 38 local grape cultivars were analyzed with 30 SSR, four REMAP and one IRAP markers to assess their genetic diversity and obtain a complete genomic profiling. The use of VrZAG79, VrZAG112, VVS2, VVMD25 and VVMD5 combined with retrotransposon-based markers proved to be the most dis- criminating and polymorphic markers for the rapid and unambiguous identification of minority grapevines from Campania region, which is considered one of the most appreciated Italian districts for wine production. Results revealed 58 SSR marker-specific alleles, 22 genotype- specific SSR alleles, and four REMAP and IRAP private bands. Cases of synonymy and homonymy were discov- ered. In conclusion, we provided evidences that the inte- grating SSR and retrotransposon-based markers is an effective strategy to assess the genetic diversity of autochthonous grapes, allowing their easy identification