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Query: UMLS:C0598934 (tumor growth)
 58,965 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Thalidomide is an antiangiogenic drug and is clinically useful in a number of cancers. However, the molecular mechanism by which thalidomide exerts its antitumor effects is poorly understood. This study was designed to clarify the relationship between antiangiogenesis and antitumor effects of thalidomide and to explore the molecular mechanism for its antitumor activity. We evaluated the effects of thalidomide on the growth of human tumor cells expressing (MCF-7 and HL-60) or not expressing (HeLa and K562) COX-2 in vitro. We also studied the effects of thalidomide on COX-1, COX-2 or bcl-2 expression, TNFalpha, VEGF, GSH and cytochrome c in these cells. Thalidomide could inhibit tumor growth in a concentration-dependent manner in MCF-7 and HL-60; its IC50s for them were 18.36+/-2.34 and 22.14+/-2.15 microM, respectively, while this effect was not observed in HeLa and K562. Thalidomide reduced COX-2 expression accompanied by a decrease of bcl-2 protein, TNFalpha, VEGF, GSH and an increased cytochrome c, but had no effect on that of COX-1, in MCF-7 and HL-60. Moreover, cells not expressing COX-2 were insensitive to the growth-inhibitory and effects on cytokines of thalidomide. In our mouse xenograft model of OVCAR-3 and HCT-8, we found that thalidomide could decrease intratumoral microvessel density in both tumors; it exerted antitumor effects only on OVCAR-3 expressing COX-2 but did not on HCT-8 not expressing COX-2. Effect of thalidomide on COX-1 and COX-2 in vivo was consistent with that of in vitro. These results demonstrated that thalidomide might inhibit growth of tumors through COX-2 degradation independent of antiangiogenesis.
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PMID:Thalidomide inhibits growth of tumors through COX-2 degradation independent of antiangiogenesis. 1598 30

Cordyceps sinensis, one of the most precious traditional Chinese medicines, possesses the antitumor activity, antioxidant activity and the capability of modulating the immune system. In the present study, a fungus strain G1 isolated from wild C. sinensis was identified and initially characterized. A phylogenetic tree was generated based on the sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of related fungi. The analysis of ITS sequence showed that fungus G1 was clustered together with C. sinensis, Tolypocladium cylindrosporum and Tolypocladium inflatum in the phylogenetic tree. Both the morphological character and the ITS sequence analysis establish that fungus G1 is one of the anamorph strains of C. sinensis and belongs to Tolypocladium genus. Furthermore, the polysaccharide (PS) extracted from fungus G1 and its antioxidant activity on H22-bearing mice was investigated. H22 cells were hypodermically injected into the right oxter of each mouse after the ICR mice were treated with PS by means of gavage for 7 days. Then the same administration process continued for 9 days. At the end of the experiments, the tumor weight of each mouse was measured. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) level in mouse liver, brain and serum, as well as glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity in mouse liver and brain were assayed. The results showed that the H22 tumor growth was significantly inhibited by PS. Moreover, PS significantly enhanced SOD activity of liver, brain and serum as well as GSH-Px activity of liver and brain in tumor-bearing mice. PS also significantly reduced the level of MDA in liver and brain of tumor-bearing mice.
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PMID:Morphological and genetic characterization of a cultivated Cordyceps sinensis fungus and its polysaccharide component possessing antioxidant property in H22 tumor-bearing mice. 1649 82

17-Dimethylaminoethylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (DMAG) and 17-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG) are two derivatives of geldanamycin (GA) that are currently undergoing clinical evaluation as anticancer agents. These agents bind to heat shock protein 90 (hsp90), resulting in the destabilization of client proteins and inhibition of tumor growth. In a search for the mechanism of hepatotoxicity, which is a dose-limiting toxicity for these agents, we found that GA and its derivatives, 17-AAG and 17-DMAG, react chemically (i.e., nonenzymatically) with glutathione (GSH). A combination of liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance analyses were used to identify the product of this reaction as a GSH adduct in which the thiol group of GSH is substituted in the 19-position of the benzoquinone ring. The reaction proceeds rapidly with GA and 17-DMAG (half-lives of approximately 1.5 and 36 min, respectively) and less rapidly with 17-AAG and its major metabolite, 17-AG (half-lives of approximately 9.8 and 16.7 h). The reaction occurs at pH 7.0, 37 degrees C, and a physiological concentration of GSH, indicating that cellular GSH could play a role in modulating the cellular toxicity of these agents and therefore be a factor in their mechanism of differential toxicity. Moreover, reactions with thiol groups of critical cellular proteins could be important to the mechanism of toxicity with this class of anticancer agents.
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PMID:Reaction of geldanamycin and C17-substituted analogues with glutathione: product identifications and pharmacological implications. 1654 41

We have previously reported that buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) enhances sodium borocaptate (BSH) uptake by down regulating glutathione (GSH) synthesis in cultured cells. This study investigated the influence of BSO on tissue BSH uptake in vivo and the efficacy of BSH-BSO-mediated boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) on tumor growth using a Fisher-344 rat subcutaneous tumor model. With BSO supplementation, boron uptake in subcutaneous tumor, blood, skin, muscle, liver, and kidney was significantly enhanced and maintained for 12h. Tumor growth was significantly delayed by using BSO. With further improvement in experimental conditions, radiation exposure time, together with radiation damage to normal tissues, could be reduced.
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PMID:Combined use of sodium borocaptate and buthionine sulfoximine in boron neutron capture therapy enhanced tissue boron uptake and delayed tumor growth in a rat subcutaneous tumor model. 1827 85

The vast majority of primary brain tumors derive from glial cells and are collectively called gliomas. While, they share some genetic mutations with other cancers, they do present with a unique biology and have developed adaptations to meet specific biological needs. Notably, glioma growth is physically restricted by the skull, and, unless normal brain cells are destroyed, tumors cannot expand. To overcome this challenge, glioma cells release glutamate which causes excitotoxic death to surrounding neurons, thereby vacating room for tumor expansion. The released glutamate also explains peritumoral seizures which are a common symptom early in the disease. Glutamate release occurs via system X(c), a cystine-glutamate exchanger that releases glutamate in exchange for cystine being imported for the synthesis of the cellular antioxidant GSH. It protects tumor cells from endogenously produced reactive oxygen and nitrogen species but also endows tumors with an enhanced resistance to radiation- and chemotherapy. Pre-clinical data demonstrates that pharmacological inhibition of system X(c) causes GSH depletion which slows tumor growth and curtails tumor invasion in vivo. An Food and Drug Administration approved drug candidate is currently being introduced into clinical trials for the treatment of malignant glioma.
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PMID:A role for glutamate in growth and invasion of primary brain tumors. 1828 16

The etiology of oral squamous cell carcinoma has been linked to environmental carcinogens, such as activated aromatic heterocyclic radicals and epoxides. Our previous work on implantable and 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced breast cancer showed that oral glutamine (GLN) inhibited tumor growth possibly through stimulation of host - and selective inhibition of tumor glutathione (GSH). This finding was associated with up-regulation of NK cell activity, decreased IGF-1 and TGF-beta in the circulation and downregulation of PI-3K/Akt antiapoptotic signaling in tumors. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of topically applied GLN on DMBA-induced hamster buccal pouch squamous cell carcinoma. Histopathological alterations in buccal pouches were studied by light microscopy. GLN and GSH levels in blood and buccal mucosa were determined using specific enzyme assays. The protein expression of bax, bcl-2 and PARP was determined by western blotting. H-ras and p53 genes were examined for presence of mutations using direct DNA sequencing. Fourteen weeks after DMBA application none of the GLN-supplemented animals developed tumors, while all of the control animals had well developed squamous cell carcinomas. The inhibition of DMBA-carcinogenesis by GLN application was associated with increased arterial GLN and GSH, elevated buccal mucosa GSH as well as induction of bax and PARP, and inhibition of bcl-2. H-ras and p53 were wild type. The results from this study in combination with our previous data suggest that the chemopreventive effects of GLN are exerted by enhancing the antioxidant status of the body and activation of apoptosis.
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PMID:Glutamine prevents DMBA-induced squamous cell cancer. 1863 90

Glutamine is an important source of energy for neoplastic tissues, and products of its metabolism include, among others, glutamate (Glu) and glutathione (GSH), the two molecules that play a key role in tumor proliferation, invasiveness and resistance to therapy. Glutamine hydrolysis in normal and transforming mammalian tissues alike, is carried out by different isoforms of glutaminases, of which the two major are liver-type glutaminase (LGA) and kidney-type glutaminase (KGA). This brief review summarizes available data on the expression profiles and activities of these isoenzymes in different neoplastic tissues as compared to the tissues of origin, and dwells on recent work demonstrating effects of manipulation of glutaminase expression on tumor growth. A comment is devoted to the emerging evidence that LGA, apart from degrading Gln for metabolic purposes, is involved in gene transcription; its enforced overexpression in glioma cells was found to reduce their proliferation and migration.
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PMID:Glutamine in neoplastic cells: focus on the expression and roles of glutaminases. 1942 9

Nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) is a pleiotropic transcription factor that generally enhances cellular resistance to apoptotic cell death. It has been shown to be constitutively active in some cancers and is being pursued as potential anticancer target. Sulfasalazine which is used clinically to treat Crohn's disease has emerged as a potential inhibitor of NF-kappaB and has shown promising results in two pre-clinical studies to target primary brain tumors, gliomas. Once digested, sulfasalazine is cleaved into sulfapyridine and 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA; mesalamine) by colonic bacteria, and the latter, too, is reported to suppress NF-kappaB activity. We now show that glioma cells obtained from patient biopsies or glioma cell lines do not show significant constitutive NF-kappaB activation, unless exposed to inflammatory cytokines. This does not change when gliomas are implanted into the cerebrum of severe combined immun-deficient mice. Nevertheless, sulfasalazine but not its cleaved form 5-ASA caused a dose-dependent inhibition of glioma growth. This effect was entirely attributable to the inhibition of cystine uptake via the system x(c)(-) cystine-glutamate transporter. It could be mimicked by S-4-carboxy-phenylglycine (S-4-CPG) a more specific system x(c)(-) inhibitor, and lentiviral expression of a constitutively active form of IkappaB kinase b was unable to overcome the growth retarding effects of sulfasalazine or S-4-CPG. Both drugs inhibited cystine uptake causing a chronic depletion of intracellular GSH and consequently compromised cellular redox defense which stymied tumor growth. This data suggests that system x(c)(-) is a promising therapeutic target in gliomas and possibly other cancers and that it can be pharmacologically inhibited by Sulfasalazine, an FDA-approved drug.
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PMID:Sulfasalazine inhibits the growth of primary brain tumors independent of nuclear factor-kappaB. 1945 25

The studies were carried out on nude mice bearing human colorectal carcinoma SW480 cell line xenografts to evaluate the chemotherapeutic potential of selenium containing compounds such as sodium selenite (SSe) and selenomethionine (SeMet). Three doses of anticancer drugs were used, including 0.1 mg/kg/day SSe (LSSe), 2 mg/kg/day SSe (HSSe), and 2 mg/kg/day SeMet. We explored the anticancer effect of SSe and SeMet administered by IP injection for 21 days. We observed the pathologic changes and the cell apoptosis in tumor tissue by HE staining and TUNNEL assay after HSSe and SeMet treatment. GSH level and antioxidant enzyme GPX activity in tumor tissues were assessed. In addition, Western blotting was used to detect the expression of apoptosis-related proteins. The results suggested that HSSe and SeMet had significantly inhibited tumor growth in vivo. We also observed the pathologic changes and cell apoptosis in tumor tissues after HSSe and SeMet treatment. GSH level was a bit increased but the GPX activity was reduced. Moreover, SSe and SeMet treatment downregulated the expression of the protein Bcl-xL, increased the expression of Bax, Bad, and Bim, and activated caspase-9. SSe and SeMet may be the selective, low-toxic anticancer agents to treat human colorectal carcinoma cancer.
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PMID:The anticancer effects of sodium selenite and selenomethionine on human colorectal carcinoma cell lines in nude mice. 1991 98

The continuing threat to biodiversity lends urgency to the need of identification of sustainable source of natural products. This is not so much trouble if there is a microbial source of the compound. Herein, violacein, a natural indolic pigment extracted from Chromobacterium violaceum, was evaluated for its antitumoral potential against the Ehrlich ascites tumor (EAT) in vivo and in vitro. Evaluation of violacein cytotoxicity using different endpoints indicated that EAT cells were twofold (IC(50)=5.0 microM) more sensitive to the compound than normal human peripheral blood lymphocytes. In vitro studies indicated that violacein cytotoxicity to EAT cells is mediated by a rapid (8-12h) production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and a decrease in intracellular GSH levels, probably due to oxidative stress. Additionally, apoptosis was primarily induced, as demonstrated by an increase in Annexin-V positive cells, concurrently with increased levels of DNA fragmentation and increased caspase-2, caspase-9 and caspase-3 activities up to 4.5-, 6.0- and 5.5-fold, respectively, after 72 h of treatment. Moreover, doses of 0.1 and 1.0 microg kg(-1) violacein, administered intraperitoneally (i.p.) to EAT-bearing mice throughout the lifespan of the animals significantly inhibited tumor growth and increased survival of mice. In view of these results, a 35-day toxicity study was conducted in vivo. Complete hematology, biochemistry (ALT, AST and creatinine levels) and histopathological analysis of liver and kidney indicated that daily doses of violacein up to 1000 microg kg(-1) for 35 days are well tolerated and did not cause hematotoxicity nor renal or hepatotoxicity when administered i.p. to mice. Altogether, these results indicate that violacein causes oxidative stress and an imbalance in the antioxidant defense machinery of cells culminating in apoptotic cell death. Furthermore, this is the first report of its antitumor activity in vivo, which occurs in the absence of toxicity to major organs.
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PMID:Growth inhibition and pro-apoptotic activity of violacein in Ehrlich ascites tumor. 2041 85


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