Gamma-tocotrienol alters protein expression of HepG2 cell line

Gamma-tocotrienol (GTT) has been shown to exhibit significant antitumor activity in a variety of tumor cells. Previous findings have demonstrated that GTT had antiprolifera-tive effects on a liver cancer cell line (HepG2) with an IC50 value of 170μM. In this study, two dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) was used to determine changes in protein expression in HepG2 cell line following treatment with GTT. The ultimate aim is to identify the possible molecular mechanisms involved in GTT antitumor activity. This study is focused on obtaining a 2DE protein profile for HepG2 cell line with and without GTT treatment. In the preliminary analysis of the resulting 2DE profiles, 18 protein spots were found to be differentially expressed in cells treated with GTT. This observa-tion is confirmed by extending the analysis to a larger sample size. By studying the effects of GTT treatment on differential protein expression in HepG2 cells the underly-ing mechanisms involved in the antitumor activity of GTT may be elucidate

Significant association between parathyroid hormone and uric acid level in men

Kok-Yong Chin,1 Soelaiman Ima Nirwana,1 Wan Zurinah Wan Ngah21Department of Pharmacology, 2Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaBackground: Previous reports of patients undergoing parathyroidectomy and of patients receiving teriparatide as antiosteoporotic treatment have suggested a plausible relationship between parathyroid hormone (PTH) and uric acid. However, similar data at population level were lacking. The current study aimed to determine the relationship between PTH and uric acid in a group of apparently healthy Malaysian men.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 380 Malay and Chinese men aged 20 years and above, residing in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. Their body anthropometry was measured, and their fasting blood samples were collected for biochemical analysis. The relationship between PTH and uric acid was analyzed using regression analysis.Results: Increased serum PTH level was significantly associated with increased serum uric acid level (β=0.165; P=0.001). Increased PTH level was also significantly associated with the condition of hyperuricemia in the study population (odds ratio [OR], 1.045; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.017–1.075; P=0.002). All analyses were adjusted for age, body mass index, vitamin D, total calcium, inorganic phosphate, blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels.Conclusion: There is a significant positive relationship between PTH level and uric acid level in Malaysian men. This relationship and its clinical significance should be further investigated in a larger longitudinal study. Keywords: hyperuricemia, Asian, cross-sectional study, uric acid, urat

Gamma-Tocotrienol Pretreatment Reduces DNA Damage in Lymphocytes of Normal Subjects and Patients with Down's Syndrome

Abstract The degeneration process associated with Down syndrome (DS) has been partly attributed to the excess hydrogen peroxide formation as a result of excess expression of SOD gene. The increased production of hydroxyl radicals result in damage to macromolecules including the DNA. In this study we evaluated the effect of gamma-tocotrienol (GTT), a subfamily of vitamin E, on DNA damage as measured by the single gel electrophoresis (otherwise known as the comet assay) in lymphocytes of normal and DS subjects. We also studied whether gamma-tocotrienol can reduce DNA damage when the DNA repair phase of the cell cycle is inhibited with caffeine. Blood samples were taken from 11 normal and 8 DS children aged 1-7 years old. The lymphocytes were harvested and then cultured in RPMI folate free medium for 72 h before treatment with 20 uM GTT or 5 mM caffeine. For the study on gamma-tocotrienol pretreatment on caffeine treated cells, the lymphocytes were incubated with GTT for 2 h before the addition of caffeine into the culture medium. Results showed that GTT significantly reduced basal DNA damage as well as when DNA repair was inhibited in lymphocytes taken from DS and normal subjects suggesting a potential role of GTT in the treatment and management of DS patients