Jentashapir Journal of Cellular and Molecular Biology
Volume:11 Issue: 2, Jun 2020

Exosomes are emerging as a novel therapeutic avenue which is exploring. These naturally made nanoparticles are mainly used by cells to communicate. Given that they are composed of a lipid layer and the macromolecules that they carry inside, including lipids, proteins, and microRNA, can be considered as good candidates for drug and gene delivery. However, the source of exosomes to be used in the clinic needs to be investigated, as they are naturally made by cells, and they quickly can move through the body without being recognized by the immune system. In this review, we tried to bring the recent breakthroughs for exosome isolation, characterization, and therapeutic use. We discussed the origin of exosomes, their composition, and their potential for clinical use as a targeted gene and drug delivery systems.

Gamma irradiation has been recognized as a reliable and safe method for improving the bio-components of plants.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of irradiated chicory root extract on liver necrosis.

Twenty-four adult male Wistar rats were divided equally into six treatment groups: Group I) Control, Group II) CCl4, Group III) CCl4 + irradiated chicory root extract, Group IV) CCl4 + chicory root extract, Group V) irradiated chicory root extract, and Group VI) chicory root extract. Animals were treated for four weeks. At the end of the study, catalase, SOD, lipid peroxidation, ALT, AST, histopathology, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) were evaluated.

The results showed that the elevated levels of LPO, ALT, and AST in the CCl4 group decreased due to irradiated chicory and chicory root extract. Also, molecular changes and abnormalities in liver tissue improved due to irradiated chicory and chicory root extract. Moreover, the results showed that irradiated chicory roots were more effective than non-irradiated chicory.

In conclusion, gamma-ray can increase the bioactive components of chicory root and is more effective in the scavenging of free radicals that cause liver necrosis in CCl4-treated rats.

Although there are improvements in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment methods, some breast tumor cells still are resistant to current therapies. Thus, there are attempts all over the world to find an effective way with more toxicity to tumor cells and less to normal cells. In recent years, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), due to their native tumor homing property, have been introduced as expression vectors for anticancer proteins, such as TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL). However, most tumor cells are resistant to TRAIL or show low sensitivity to it. Thus, it is necessary to find a way to increase the sensitivity of cancer cells and decrease their resistance. One of these ways is combination therapy with herbal drugs.

This study aimed to investigate the combination of sub-toxic doses of aqueous extract of Berberis vulgaris (AEBV) and MSC-TRAIL on MCF-7 cells as a human breast cancer cell line.

Experiments were set based on in vitro cell culture. Combination therapy was carried out in transwell co-culture plates. The cell viability was determined by the MTT assay. The cell cycle was measured using the Propidium Iodide (PI) staining flow cytometry method. All experiments were performed in triplicate. The data were analyzed by One-way ANOVA test using SPSS software.

MCF-7 cells were relatively resistant to MSC-TRAIL and AEBV alone, while a sub-toxic concentration of AEBV (0.5 mg/mL) combined with MSC-TRAIL significantly increased death in MCF-7 cells, showing a synergistic effect.

Over the past decades, little attention is paid to using herbal remedies to improve various diseases, especially cancer. Moringa oleifera (MO) is one of the herbs with numerous medicinal properties.

The current study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxicity effects of methanolic leaf extract on human liver cancer HepG2 cell lines.

First methanolic extract of Moringa oleifera flavonoid compounds were measured, and then quercetin was identified as one of the flavonoid compounds in methanolic leaf extract by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). HepG-2 cell line were treated with (0, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 µg/mL) methanolic extract of MO, quercetin (50 µg/mL), and doxorubicin (1 µg/mL). After 48 hours, the cytotoxic activity of various concentrations of MO methanolic extract against the liver cancer cell line was assessed using an MTT assay.

In this study, the total flavonoids and quercetin in the leaves of MO was, respectively, 3.69 (mg/g) and 0.064 (mg/g) of dry weight. Methanolic leaf extract demonstrated a significant effect (IC50 = 12.89 µg/mL) on HepG2 cell lines.

Evaluation of cytotoxicity effects showed that HepG2 viability methanolic extract was concentration-dependent and decreased with increasing concentration of the extract. Comparison of the effect of the extract with doxorubicin and pure quercetin showed that the effect of the concentration of 70 µg/mL methanolic extract and pure quercetin and doxorubicin on liver cancer cells were similar. Also, the results showed that methanolic leaf extract has cytotoxic effects on the HepG-2 cell line and inhibits the growth of liver cancer cells.

Hydroxyl CoA Dehydrogenase (HADH) is one of the key enzymes in fatty acid β-oxidation. Recently, Hydroxyl CoA Dehydrogenase gene mutation and knockdown were found to be correlated with hyperinsulinemia and central nervous system diseases. As the HADH is one of the critical enzymes in the β-oxidation pathway, the interconnection between HADH and tumorigenicity still is unclear. So, we used Short hairpin RNA (ShRNA) to knock down short-chain hydroxyl CoA dehydrogenase (HADHSC) in human non-small lung carcinoma cell line, H1299, followed by checking cell proliferation, DNA replication, and mRNA level of some the most essential enzymes in glycolysis cycle and Krebs. Cell proliferation was checked by comparing the cell numbers in knockdown and control cells. DNA replication in the H1299 cell line was studied after applying 5-ethynyl 2’-deoxyuridine (EDU) and 4’-6 diamidino-2-phenylindol (DAPI) DNA synthesis Assay. The data revealed a significant decrease in cell proliferation and DNA replication in the cells that the HADHSC was knocked down compared to the control cells. Besides, mRNA levels of the enzymes that needed adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for their activity were decreased abruptly. Furthermore, lactate dehydrogenase (LDHA) mRNA level decreased, and glucose uptake assay showed a tremendous decrease in glucose consumption by H1299 cells with HADHSC knockdown.

 Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer of the lymphoid line of blood cells. It is characterized by the development of large numbers of immature lymphocytes. It is one of the most common cancers among children. Molecular markers can play an important role in determining the nature of leukemia-related tumors and can be used as a diagnostic adjuvant along with precise pathological methods. Some research has shown that apolipoprotein A1 gene polymorphisms were associated with the formation of various types of diseases.

 This study aimed to evaluate the association of ApoA1 gene insertion/deletion polymorphisms with ALL disease.

 The salting-out method was used for DNA extraction from the blood samples. Questionnaires were prepared with the approval of a demographic data expert. The genotype distribution and allele frequencies for the ApoA1 gene insertion/deletion polymorphisms were determined by Gap-polymerase chain reaction (Gap-PCR) to compare patient’s cases with ALL disease and healthy subjects. This case-control study was performed by odds ratio (OR, with a confidence interval of 0.95) to reveal the association of these polymorphisms with ALL disease.

 In this study, two ApoA1 gene polymorphisms, including II and DD genotypes, were observed, which II genotype had the highest frequency in both groups of healthy subjects and patients. However, no significant differences were found between the two groups (P > 0.05). ALL and both genotypes had a higher frequency in males than females. Despite the high frequency of both genotypes in males, there were no significant differences between healthy subjects and patients in terms of age and sex (P > 0.05).

 Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that ApoA1 gene polymorphisms were not associated with ALL disease. It was not effective in the formation or exacerbation of it in this population. Also, it could not be identified as a prognostic marker. It should be noted that these findings are the first report of the degree of association of ApoA1 polymorphisms with ALL.