Quantitative gene expression of ERG9 in model Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Chamomile extract for human cancer treatment

Over expression of squalene synthase gene causes induction of growth tumour and reduction of apoptosis. This gene which is conserved between Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast and humans, is named (ERG9). Aim: In this work, we studied the effect of Matricaria recutita extract on ERG9 gene (squalene synthase) expression in S.cerevisiae which was used as organism model in cancer therapy. Materials and Methods: S. cerevisiae was cultured in YPD medium plus 0,250, 1000 and 3000 µg/ml of Matricaria recutita extract and we evaluated the (ERG9) gene expression by Realtime RT-PCR method after 24 hours. Statistical analysis used: At least 3 independent experiments were done. Data were analyzed using One-way ANOVA and Dunnett’s test. A p-value of less than 0.01 was considered as significant. Results: We found that 250, 1000 and 3000 µg/ml of Matricaria recutita extract could reduce expression of ERG9 gene significantly (p<0.01). Interestingly, the expression of this gene was completely inhibited in 1000 and 3000 µg/ml concentrations. Conclusion: This study predicted that Matricaria recutita extract produced anti-cancer effects in humans, because it could inhibit the expression of an analogue key gene in this malignant disease. Further investigations should be made, to study its molecular mechanism of action at the mammal cell level

MiR-221/222 promote chemoresistance to cisplatin in ovarian cancer cells by targeting PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Cisplatin resistance is one of the main limitations in the treatment of ovarian cancer, and its mechanism has not been fully understood. The objectives of this study were to determine the role of miR-221/222 and its underlying mechanism in chemoresistance of ovarian cancer. We demonstrated that miR-221/222 expression levels were higher in A2780/CP cells compared with A2780 S cells. An in vitro cell viability assay showed that downregulation of miR-221/222 sensitized A2780/CP cells to cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity. Moreover, we found that knockdown of miR-221/222 by its specific inhibitors promoted the cisplatin-induced apoptosis in A2780/CP cells. Using bioinformatic analysis and luciferase reporter assay, miR-221/222 were found to directly target PTEN. Moreover, knockdown of miR-221/222 in A2780/CP cells significantly upregulated PTEN and downregulated PI3KCA and p-Akt expression. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that miR-221/222 induced cisplatin resistance by targeting PTEN mediated PI3K/Akt pathway in A2780/CP cells, suggesting that miR-221/222/PTEN/PI3K/Akt may be a promising prognostic and therapeutic target to overcome cisplatin resistance and treat ovarian cancer in the future

Antiproliferative effects of <em>Matricaria chamomilla on Saccharomyces cerevisiae</em>

Introduction: The Matricaria chamomilla plant is one of the most important plants used for the therapeutic purposes. More than 120 chemical constituents have been identified in Matricaria chamomile plant including 28 terpenoids and 36 flavonoids. This plant has a variety of therapeutic applications including the treatment of diabetes, eczema, wounds and gastrointestinal diseases. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast is a non-pathogenic organism that is used as a model for pathogenic yeasts in order to identify compounds with antifungal properties and also to identify functional mechanism of these compounds. The aim of this study is to investigate the antifungal effect of Matricaria chamomilla hydroalcoholic extract on S. cerevisiae yeast. Methods: In this study Matricaria chamomilla extract was prepared by maceration method. In order to study the extract effect on growth and survival rate of the yeast cell, the spectrophotometry and methylene blue staining methods were used. Excel and SPSS 11 softwares were used to determine amounts and to infer the difference between control and treatment samples. Results: Results obtained from spectrophotometry and analyses of methylene blue staining showed that the Matricaria chamomilla extract at the concentration of 3000 &mu;g/ml caused a significant decrease in the yeast growth and reduced the cells survival rate up to 48 (p&lt; 0.05). Conclusion: Results of this research confirm that the hydroalcoholic extract of Matricaria chamomilla has antiproliferative effect on Saccharomyces cerevisiae. </p

Correlation of del13q, del11q and Trisomy 12 with Laboratory and Clinical Features of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia in Iranian Patients

Background: There is a strong association between chromosomal abnormalities and laboratory features and clinical course of the B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL). The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency and correlation of cytogenetic aberrations with laboratory and clinical features of the disease. Methods: Clinical and laboratory features of 65 CLL patients were collected from their hospital profiles and their blood and/or bone marrow were examined by conventional cytogenetics and interphase FISH methods. Results: Conventional cytogenetic methods identified 27.7% chromosomal abnormalities in 65 patients. I-FISH analysis for del13q, del11q and trisomy 12 revealed abnormality in 75.4% of patients. The results showed that IFISH improved the detection rate of chromosomal abnormalities and it enhanced detection. Statistical analysis was performed on sex, age, family history, Rai stage and CD markers on trisomy 12, del 11q and del 13q subgroups. There was a high frequency of Ray stages I and II within del13q subgroup, Rai stages III and IV within del11q subgroup and Rai stage II within trisomy 12 subgroup. Mean of CD38 in patients with del 11q was significantly higher than mean of patients with trisomy 12 and del 13q. Conclusion: High level of CD38 and presence of del11q indicated a poor prognosis and low level of CD38 and presence of del13q was indicative of good prognosis in Iranian B-CLL patients. Trisomy 12 had an intermediate prognostic value

The frequency of cytogenetic abnormalities in idiopathic oligospermia and azoospermia infertile men in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province: a cross-sectional study

Background and aims: Infertility is one of the main health issues in families worldwide. In addition, there is a complex correlation between genetics and infertility and chromosomal abnormalities are found in 8% of infertile males. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of cytogenetic abnormalities among idiopathic oligospermia and azoospermia infertile men who were treated in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the records of a total of 100 participants were evaluated retrospectively. The patients who were under careful physical and para-clinical (i.e., hormonal, ultrasound, and spermiogeram) examinations were enrolled in the study. Chromosomal analysis was carried out on the cultures of peripheral blood lymphocytes by Giemsa (G) banding. Eventually, 10 well-spread metaphases were analyzed by G-banding. Result: The chromosome abnormality frequency, the numerical type, and the structural type were 13%, 3%, and 10%, respectively. Among patients with azoospermia, two cases had Klinefelter syndrome with karyotype. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that structural abnormalities are more prevalent than numerical abnormalities in infertile men who were treated in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. This indicates the importance of cytogenetic examination and the relevance of its achievements to the patient’s management in infertility clinics. Therefore, the cytogenetic test is proposed for infertile men, in particular in those who endure azoospermia. Keywords: Chromosomal abnormality, Male infertility, Oligospermia, Azoospermi

Genetic variation of D9S1837 Marker located at TMC1 gene in Iranian population

زمینه و هدف: جهش‌های ژن TMC1 یکی از فراوان‌ترین دلایل ناشنوایی غیرسندرومی اتوزومی مغلوب در جمعیت‌های مختلف می‌باشد. با توجه به اندازه بزرگ این ژن و جهش‌های زیاد شناخته شده در آن، استفاده از مارکرهای چند شکل جهت تشخیص ناقلین و تشخیص پیش از تولد پیشنهاد می‌شود. در مطالعه حاضر، اطلاع‌دهندگی مارکر D9S1837 با توالی‌های تکراری CA، در پنج قوم مختلف جمعیت ایرانی مورد بررسی قرار گرفت. روش بررسی: در این مطالعه توصیفی- تحلیلی، جایگاه ژنی D9S1837 واقع در ژن TMC1 توسط واکنش زنجیره‌ای پلی‌مرازی (PCR) و سپس الکتروفورز ژل پلی‌اکریل‌آمید (PAGE) و در نهایت الکتروفورز فلورسنت موئینه تعیین ژنوتیپ گردید. فرکانس آللی، درجه‌ی هتروزیگوسیتی و نتایج حاصل از ژنوتیپ‌های 165 فرد سالم غیرخویشاوند توسط نرم‌افزار‌های GeneMarker HID ،Microsatellite Tools و GenePop محاسبه شد. یافته ها: نتایج حاصل از برنامه GenePop، 11 آلل در جمعیت ایرانی را نشان می‌دهد که بیشترین فراوانی مربوط به آلل 239 جفت باز با فراوانی 36/0 می‌باشد. هتروزیگوسیتی مارکر در همه‌ی اقوام بالای 70 می‌باشد که از میان آن ها قوم عرب وآذری بالاترین هتروزیگوسیتی به میزان 8/84 را در میان اقوام مختلف و کل جمعیت ایرانی را دارا می‌باشند. در نهایت مقدار ظرفیت اطلاعاتی چند شکلی (PIC) محاسبه شده گویای اطلاع‌دهندگی شدید مارکر D9S1837 در اقوام مورد بررسی جمعیت ایرانی می‌باشد. نتیجه گیری: بر اساس نتایج حاصل از این مطالعه، مارکر D9S1837 را می‌توان به عنوان یک ابزار بسیار اطلاع‌دهنده به منظور تشخیص مولکولی و تشخیص پیش از تولد مرتبط با ناشنوایی غیرسندرومی اتوزومی مغلوب وابسته به ژن TMC1 به روش آنالیز پیوستگی در جمعیت ایرانی معرفی نمود

Anticancer activity of ethanolic extract of propolis on AGS cell line

Introduction: Propolis is a natural product derived from various plant resins collected by honeybees, and has been used as a folk medicine for centuries. Propolis has been reported to exhibit a broad spectrum of activities including antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, and anticancer properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) obtained from Dinaran area (Iran) on AGS human gastric cancer cell line. Methods: The ethanolic extract of samples was obtained by ethanol 96 and pure extract was dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and used for experiments. The cytotoxic effects of various concentrations of EEP on AGS cells were investigated by MTT assay test after 24, 48, and 72 hours and compared with control cells. Results: The EEP inhibited the growth and proliferation of AGS human gastric cancer cell line. The antiproliferative effects were revealed in a dose and time-dependent manner. The IC50 values were recorded as 60, 30, and 15 (&mu;g/ml) in treatment times of 24, 48 and 72 hours, respectively. Conclusion: These findings indicated that the native EEP has strong antiproliferative effects against cancerous AGS cells. Thus, propolis and related products may provide a novel approach to the chemoprevention and treatment of human gastric cancer.</p

Association of interleukin-4 polymorphisms with multiple sclerosis in southeastern Iranian patients

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Immune system related factors are important in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Interleukin 4 (IL-4) as a helper T cell (2TH) cytokine is involved in the regulation of immune responses. Hence, this study was designed to explore the association between MS and polymorphisms in the -590 region of IL-4. DESIGN AND SETTING: A descriptive study at Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsnajan from September 2009 to August 2010. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Blood samples were collected from 100 MS patients and 150 healthy controls on EDTA precoated tubes. DNA was extracted and analyzed for IL-4 polymorphisms using restricted fragment length polymorphism in patients and controls. Demographic data were also collected by a questionnaire that was designed specifically for this study. RESULTS: We observed a significant difference in the C/C, T/C, and T/T genotypes of the -590 region of IL-4 between patients with MS and healthy controls (P <.001). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that functional polymorphisms of IL-4 possibly play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of MS

MiR-218 as a multifunctional regulator of oncogenic processes in different solid tumors

MicroRNAs are highly conserved small non-coding regulatory RNAs that involve in post transcriptional regulating of gene expression during different cellular mechanisms. Aberration of miR-218 expression during tumorigenesis of different solid tumors has been reported by numerous studies. In current systematic review article, by using the terms “miR-218” and “cancer” we first searched for English language articles in the PubMed database, published from 1993 to April 2014. Then by a comprehensive review of related articles, we provided some new insights that highlight novel features and functions of miR-218 in initiation and progression of solid tumors. The majority of these studies propose a tumor suppressing role for miR-218 considering the fact that it is significantly down-regulated in tumor tissues compared with normal specimens. Despite accumulating body of evidence regarding tumor suppressor functions of miR-218 in solid tumors; more intensive reviewing about available miR-218 recent original studies and interpretation of existing data, revealed the multifunctional role of miR-218 in these kinds of malignancies by targeting different corresponding target genes. Take all together, MiR-218 targets different cellular processes in cancer cells and its expression pattern is in an important association with various states and features of tumors. It seems that miR-218 can increase the speed of cell cycle and cell division in lower sample grades and along with progression of cancer cells it's function changes to stabilization the cancer cells and not allowing them to invade. thats why it often shows up-regulation in lower grades and down-regulation in metastatic phase. Therefore, it seems of great importance to check samples stage, grade, lymph node metastasis status and other tumor features before evaluation of miR-218 as a prognostic or diagnostic biomarker. © 2016, Iranian Neurogenetics Society. All rights reserved

Association between Interleukin-10-1082G/A and Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha 308 G/A Gene Polymorphisms and Respiratory Distress Syndrome in Iranian Preterm Infants

Cytokine polymorphisms may contribute to the prevalence of respiratory distress syndrome. The present study was done to investigate the frequency of interleukin-(IL-) 10 and tumor necrosis factor-(TNF-) alpha gene polymorphisms and their association with the risk of RDS in preterminfants. One-hundred and nineteen patients with RDS and 119 healthy preterm infants were enrolled. PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to determine the frequency of IL-10 and TNF-alpha genotypes at -1082 A and -308 A, respectively. One-hundred and nineteen out of 238 infants had RDS (50%). The age of the mothers and gestational age ranged 17-45 (mean: 28.6 +/- 5.3) years and 24-34 (mean: 34.3 +/- 2.38) weeks, respectively. Totally, 23 deaths were recorded in the RDS group. Incidence of TNF-alpha-308 A/A and TNF-alpha-308 G/A was 84% and 16%, respectively. TNF-a-308 G/G was not found in both groups. Prevalence of IL-10-1082 G/G and IL-10-1082 G/A variants was 65.5% and 34.5%, respectively. IL-10-1082 A/A was not found in both groups. The incidence of the allele G in the IL-10-1082 polymorphism was lower in RDS group (P < 0.05). We found that the risk of RDS was correlated to sex, gestational age, and IL-10-1082