Deciphering the structural and chemical composition of breast cancer using FTIR spectroscopy

A critical factor to favor a good prognosis in breast cancer (BC) patients is early detection. Offering prompt diagnosis, treatment, and delaying or stopping the progression of the disease are the key aspects of breast cancer management. The use of FTIR spectroscopy on ex vivo breast samples can elucidate important biochemical information associated with the presence and progression of breast cancer. In this study, tissue microarrays of breast cancer biopsy samples (n = 378), and normal breast (n = 134) were analyzed using FTIR spectroscopy, principal component analysis (PCA) for feature extraction, and validation employing linear discriminant analysis (LDA). The differentiation between normal breast and breast cancer was successfully achieved with a sensitivity of 92% and specificity of 86%. Lipids and proteins spectral bands were identified as the main differentiators between normal and breast cancer. FTIR results also highlighted that chemical structural changes formed an important part of breast cancer evolution. Regardless of the heterogeneity of breast cancer, the use of multivariate analysis and FTIR spectroscopy offers a suitable and reliable tool for BC monitoring and diagnosis. The integration of spectroscopic techniques such as FTIR in cancer diagnosis and monitoring could add useful information enabling the diagnosis and management of breast cancer patients

Toxicological Assessment of Pseudospondias microcarpa (A. Rich.) Engl. Hydroethanolic Leaf Extract in Rats: Haematological, Biochemical, and Histopathological Studies

Pseudospondias microcarpa is used traditionally for treating various diseases. However, although parts of the plant are extensively used in African traditional medicine, no scientific study has been reported on its toxicity. Therefore, this study evaluated the acute and subacute toxicity studies of the ethanolic extract of P. microcarpa in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (120–150 g) were treated orally with the extract (30, 100, 300, 1000, and 3000 mg kg−1) or distilled water (10 ml kg−1) for 2 weeks and observed daily for general appearance and signs of toxicity. In addition, blood was collected for both biochemical and haematological assays. Sections of tissues from liver, kidney, spleen, brain, and stomach were also used for histopathological examination. Administration of the extract for 14 consecutive days caused no deaths, with an LD50 above 3000 mg kg−1. Except for lymphocytes (%) that showed a significant decrease (F5,23=3.93, P=0.013), all other haematological parameters remained unaffected by the extract. The extract at 100 mg kg−1 showed a significant decrease in the levels of triglyceride and very-low-density lipoproteins (both at P<0.05). Weight change as well as histological evaluation of the organs indicated no toxicity. The study demonstrates that an ethanolic extract of P. microcarpa given orally to rats is safe

Placental lesions and differential expression of pro-and anti-angiogenic growth mediators and oxidative DNA damage marker in placentae of Ghanaian suboptimal and optimal health status pregnant women who later developed preeclampsia

Background Angiogenic growth mediators (AGMs) and oxidative stress (OS) both play essential roles in normal placental vascular development and as such, placental alterations in these factors contribute to pre-eclampsia (PE). Suboptimal health status (SHS), an intermediate between health and disease, has been associated with imbalanced AGMs and OS biomarkers. Thus, SHS pregnant women may be at increased risk of developing PE and may present abnormal placental alteration and expression of AGMs and OS compared to optimal health status (OHS) pregnant women. We examined the histopathological morphology, immunohistochemical expression of AGMs antibodies and oxidative DNA damage marker in the placentae of SHS and OHS pregnant women who developed early-onset PE (EO-PE) and lateonset (LO-PE) compared to normotensive pregnancy (NTN-P). Methods This nested case-control study recruited 593 singleton normotensive pregnant women at baseline (10-20 weeks gestation) from the Ghanaian Suboptimal Health Status Cohort Study (GHOACS) undertaken at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Ghana. Sociodemographic, clinical and obstetrics data were collected, and a validated SHS questionnaire- 25 (SHSQ-25) was used in classifying participants into SHS (n = 297) and OHS (n = 296). Participants were followed until the time of PE diagnosis and delivery (32-42 weeks gestation). Blood samples were collected at the two-time points and were assayed for AGMs; soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt - 1), placental growth factor (PIGF), vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), and soluble endoglin (sEng), and OS biomarkers; 8- hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), 8-epiprostaglandinF2-alpha (8- epi-PGF2α) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) using ELISA. Placental samples were collected for histopathological and immunohistochemical analysis. Results Of the 593 pregnant women, 498 comprising 248 SHS and 250 OHS women returned for delivery and were included in the final analysis. Of the 248 SHS women, 56, 97 and 95 developed EO-PE, LO-PE and NTN-P, respectively, whereas 14, 30 and 206 of the 250 OHS mothers developed EO-PE, LO-PE and NTN-P, respectively. At baseline, SHS_NTN pregnant women had a significant imbalance in AGMs and OS biomarkers compared to OHS_NTN pregnant women (p \u3c 0.0001). At the time of PE diagnosis, SHS_NTN-P women who developed EO-PE, LO-PE, and NTN-P had lower serum levels of P1GF, VEGF-A and TAC and correspondingly higher levels of sEng, sFlt-1, 8-epiPGF2α, and 8-OHdG than OHS-NTN-P women who developed EO-PE and LO-PE, NTN-P (p \u3c 0.0001). A reduced placental size, increased foetal/placental weight ratio, and a significantly higher proportion of fibrinoid necrosis, infarction, villous fibrin, syncytial knots, calcification, chorangiosis, tunica media/vascular wall hypertrophy and chorioamnionitis was associated with the SHS group who developed PE (EO-PE \u3e LO-PE) more than OHS groups who developed PE (EOPE \u3e LO-PE) when all were compared to NTN-P (p \u3c 0.0001). The intensity of antibody expression of PIGF and VEGF-A were significantly reduced, whereas Flt-1, Eng and 8- OHdG were significantly increased in placentae from SHS-pregnant women who developed EO-PE \u3e LO-PE more than OHS- pregnant women who developed EO-PE \u3e LO-PE when all were compared to NTN-P ( p\u3c 0.0001). Conclusion Increased lesions, oxidative DNA damage, and imbalanced expression between pro-and anti-AGMs are associated more with SHS-embodied PE placentae rather than OHSembodied PE subtypes, thus potentially allowing differential evaluation of PE