Electronic Library of
Scientific Literature Electronic Library of
Scientific Literature
Volume 50 / No. 4 / 2003
Czeczuga-Semeniuk E, Wolczynski S, Markiewicz W.
Department of Gynecological Endocrinology, Medical Academy of Bialystok,
Bialystok, 15-276 Poland. czeczuga@wp.pl
An attempt has been made to identify the carotenoids present in the tissue of
neoplastic tumors and the surrounding fatty tissue taken from women with
histologically diagnosed cancer (ca ductale infiltrans, G2,G3; n=20) and those
with benign changes (fibroadenoma, n=20). Carotenoid pigments were isolated
using column and thin-layer chromatography. Prior to chromatography, the
material was homogenized with acetone under nitrogen in dark glass bottles and
the extracts kept in a refrigerator until analyzed. In the present study, we
isolated 13 carotenoids belonging to provitamin A and nonprovitamin A
carotenoids. The total content of carotenoids in microg/g of tissue was slightly
lower in cancers and the surrounding fatty tissues in comparison to benign
changes, but in general it was higher in the fatty tissue surrounding the
tumors, irrespective of their histological structure (the mean values for
cancers 20.433+/-10.64 vs fatty tissue 25.361+/-12.025, p<0.01; and the mean
values for benign changes 22.889+/-12.011 vs fatty tissue 27.021+/-13.180,
p<0.01). Epoxide carotenoids - lutein epoxide and violaxanthin, were
predominant in fatty tissue, both in malignant and benign changes; epoxide
carotenoids - mutatoxanthin and lutein epoxide and other carotenoids such as
zeaxanthin, canthaxanthin, lutein and neoxanthin were predominant in neoplastic
material. Beta carotene and lutein epoxide were found in all samples, alpha
carotene was found in 50% of them. Antheraxanthin was present in fatty tissue
only. Beta carotene, the main provitamin A carotenoid, content in the material
examined ranged from 2.43 to 4.33% in tumor tissue and in fatty tissue
surrounding the tumors it was twice as higs. Such carotenoids as 3'-lutein,
canthaxanthin and astaxanthin were sporadic. No reoccurring carotenoid
"sequences" were found despite the same histopathological diagnosis.
No relationship was found between the neoplasm histopatological grade, lesion
diameter and the occurrence of specific carotenoids.
Neoplasma. 2003; 50(4): 280-286.
Vagundova M, Vagunda V, Vermousek I, Rovny A.
Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, 656 53 Brno, Czech Republic. vagundov@mou.cz
Status of androgen receptor (AR) in prostate carcinoma is biologically
important. Therefore, more methods assessing AR abnormalities are warranted.
Immunohistochemical (IHC) and ligand saturation (LSA) assays were not compared
in details. AR in 53 cases were tested by monoclonal antibody (Ab) F39.4.1
(Biogenex), polyclonal Ab N-20 (Santa Cruz) and by ligand saturation analysis
with (3)H-methyltrienolon. Statistical analyses were performed with Spearman's
nonparametric rank test including neoadjuvant therapy subgroups treated by
antiandrogens, combined androgen blockade (22 cases; flutamide with gosereline)
or without therapy. By using monoclonal Ab we found AR positive tumor nuclei in
46 cases. Mean of positives was 64%, median 75%. The polyclonal Ab was not
sufficiently specific. With LSA AR were found in 43 cases. Mean level was 6.6
fmol/mg, median 5.5 fmol/mg. Comparing IHC with LSA, we noted correlation trend
only for the monoclonal Ab (r=0.35; p=0.02). With thresholds 70% positive nuclei
for IHC and 6 fmol/mg for LSA, there were 66% and 43% cases positive with IHC
and LSA, respectively. The LSA and IHC positives did not show significant
agreement, concordance level being 58% only. We found significant IHC-LSA
correlation (r=0.68; p=0.004) solely in combined androgen blockade subgroup with
82% level concordance. Our study has demonstrated that AR IHC and LSA are
independent complementary methods. Significant correlation between LSA and IHC
show only cases treated with combined androgen blockade. An explanation
hypothesis is discussed concerning LH-RH influence on free AR capable of ligand
binding. IHC as well as LSA have specific biologic significance and may be
useful for prostate cancer diagnostic and therapy.
Neoplasma. 2003; 50(4): 287-290.
Horvathova K, Novotny L, Vachalkova A.
Cancer Research Institute, Slovak Academy of Science, 833 91 Bratislava,
Slovak Republic. katarina.horvathova@savba.sk
Flavonoids are reported to exhibit a wide variety of biological effects,
including antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities. The aim of our
study was to determine the cytotoxicity of flavonoids quercetin, rutin, apigenin
and luteolin and their ability to protect DNA molecules against H2O2-induced
damage. Cytotoxicity of studied flavonoids was tested in murine leukemia L1210
cells by the trypan blue exclusion technique. DNA strand breaks were determined
using the alkaline single-cell gel electrophoresis (comet assay). Quercetin was
found to possess the highest protective effect among the flavonoids studied
(45%).The protective activity determined was lower for luteolin (40%).
Protective effect of apigenin (600 microM/L) was only marginal (2%). However, at
the higher concentration of apigenin (1200 microM/L), this flavonoid induced DNA
single strand breaks. This indicates the ability of apigenin to serve as a
pro-oxidant. Rutin had no protective effect on DNA single strand breaks induced
by H2O2.
Neoplasma. 2003; 50(4): 291-295.
Michalek J, Collins RH, Vitetta ES.
Cancer Immunobiology Center, Department of Internal Medicine, University of
Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390 USA. jmichal@med.muni.cz
Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the treatment of choice
for many hematological malignancies. Its efficacy is limited by
graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), the leading cause of post-transplant morbidity
and mortality. GVHD is mediated by a subpopulation of T cells in the stem cell
graft. Ex vivo T cell depletion of all T cells of the graft can prevent
development of GVHD but can lead to a delay in immune reconstitution and an
increase of potentially lethal opportunistic infections and leukemic relapses.
Hypothetically, an approach that enables a selective depletion of the
alloreactive donor T cells that cause GVHD while preserving third party
(anti-leukemic and anti-microbial) reactivity would be optimal for recipients of
HSCT. Our preliminary data demonstrated that an anti-CD25 immunotoxin, which
reacts with a cell surface activation antigen, can selectively deplete
alloreactive donor T cells activated by non-leukemic recipient white blood cells
while preserving the beneficial third-party reactivity in vitro. In this report
we describe a method for clinical-scale ex vivo selective depletion of
alloreactive donor T cells using the anti-CD25 immunotoxin, RFT5-SMPT-dgRTA. Two
logs of alloreactive T cells could be selectively depleted while preserving
third party reactivity. This method was reproducible in 10 pre-clinical
experiments with 8 HLA-mismatched healthy volunteer pairs and 2 HLA-matched
sibling donor/patient pairs.
Neoplasma. 2003; 50(4): 296-269.
Soukup J, Krskova L, Hilska I, Kodet R.
Laboratory of Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology and Molecular
Medicine, Charles University, 2nd Medical School, Prague 5 - Motol, 150 06 Czech
Republic.
Molecular methods play an important role in diagnostic pathology of lymphomas.
PCR based demonstration of clonality or detection of a specific chromosomal
translocation may determine the exact classification of the lymphoma. Hence the
final diagnosis may depend on the quality of preserved nucleic acids in the
bioptic specimen. The integrity of DNA and RNA may be damaged by formalin
fixation, which destroys the nucleic acids by fragmentation. Therefore, a
portion of each lymphoma sample should be frozen. To substitute freezing
techniques we utilized ethanol as a fixative, which preserves nucleic acids. We
compared PCR and RT-PCR products from lymphoma samples, which were differently
pre-treated by ethanol fixation, formalin fixation and freezing. The ethanol
fixed samples retained a high quality of both DNA and RNA and provided
reproducible PCR products similar to frozen samples and significantly better
then those extracted from formalin fixed samples. We may recommend ethanol as a
complementary fixative for all pathology laboratories where deep freezing in not
routinely available.
Neoplasma. 2003; 50(4): 300-304.
Juranic ZD, Stanojevic-Bakic N, Zizak Z, Babovic N, Radovic-Kovacevic V,
Stanojkovic T, Dzodic R.
Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia, Belgrade, Yugoslavia. juranicz@ncrc.ac.yu
Cutaneous melanoma and vitiligo are diseases etiology of which evolves around
melanocytes. The nature of immunological disturbances associated with these
diseases is not elucidated. The experiments performed in this work were aimed to
determine antimelanoma immunotoxicity in patients with melanoma and patients
with vitiligo. Twelve patients with melanoma, ten patients with vitiligo and
seventeen healthy volunteers were studied. The cytotoxicity of PBMC was
evaluated indirectly through determination of target melanoma (Fem-x) or control
tumor (HeLa) cell survival, in the presence of 15% of AB or autologous sera, by
MTT test. The mean values of antimelanoma cytotoxicity in AB serum were similar
in both patients groups and in controls. However, the frequency of patients with
the enhanced cytotoxicity against melanoma cells, in relation to control tumor
cells, was lower in both patients groups than in controls. The intensity of
antimelanoma cell-mediated cytotoxicity in melanoma patients, in the presence of
autologous serum, was significantly lower in comparison to that found in control
subjects and vitiligo patients (p<0.014, in both cases). This indicates that
some factors from melanoma patient's sera contribute to impairment of the
cytotoxicity of autologous PBMC, while other factors from the serum of vitiligo
patients and control subjects enhanced their PBMC antimelanoma cytotoxicity.
Neoplasma. 2003; 50(4): 305-309.
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