Adriana B. Actis

Dietary conjugated linoleic acid and long-chain n-3 fatty acids in mammary and prostate cancer protection: a review

The role of dietary fatty acids on cancer is still controversial. To examine the current literature on the protective role of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and marine long-chain fatty acids [eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)] and the risk of breast and prostate cancer, data from 41 case-control and cohort studies and relevant in vitro and animal experiments were included in this 2000–2010 revision. Epidemiological studies on CLA intake or its tissue concentration related to breast and prostate tumorigenesis are not conclusive; EPA and DHA intake have shown important inverse associations just in some studies. Additional research on the analysed association is required.

Cellular basis and clinical implications of biological markers in salivary tissues: their topological distribution in murine submandibular gland

Cell proliferation and apoptosis as well as cell-cell adhesion and communication are essential processes that assure cell survival, renewal and coordination. Since junctional proteins have a tumor suppressor activity, their immunohistochemical characterization has diagnostic and prognostic value. The purpose of this report is to review the role played by junctional and proliferation-related proteins in the salivary glands and to illustrate their immunohistochemical localisation in normal murine submandibular gland. Normal salivary gland tissue was obtained from normal adult male BALB/c mice. After immediate fixation in formalin and ethanol, the samples were immunohistochemically stained for E-cadherin (HECD-1), Bcl-2, Ki67 (MIB-1), connexin26 and connexin 32, beta-catenin and gamma-catenin. Their topological distribution and reactivity were evaluated by light microscopy. The nuclei of submandibular acinar cells exhibited low to moderate staining for Ki67, but no reaction was observed in ductal cells. Murine Bcl-2 was light to moderately expressed in the latero-basal domain of cells of submandibular acini but was only lightly expressed in striated and eosinophilic ducts. The lateral domain of acinar cells were heavily stained with anti-E-cadherin, while only low levels were expressed at the cellular surface of ducts. beta-Catenin was consistently and evenly distributed along the latero-apical boundaries of eosinophilic secretory duct cells as well as on the lateral domain of acinar cells. On the contrary, gamma-catenin was generally expressed at lower levels than beta-catenin, was not expressed in ductal cells and was only lightly stained on the lateral membranes of acinar cells. No expression of connexin 32 was observed in ducts but it was significantly expressed in a spotted pattern along the plasma membrane of acinic cells. Connexin 26 showed similar localization to that of connexin 32 but the staining was much more intense. Since these proteins have been reported to play key roles in maintaining homeostasis via control of cell growth, differentiation and death, their analysis in normal salivary tissue will hopefully contribute to the study of salivary tumorigenesis.

Desarrollo de un programa informático para estudios nutricionales

Se desarrollo el programa informatico Interfood v. 1.3 para procesar la informacion alimentaria y generar datos sobre el consumo dietetico -en terminos de alimentos, nutrientes y sustancias fitoquimicas- validos para realizar estudios nutricionales y epidemiologicos. El programa se basa en tres componentes fundamentales: el cuestionario de frecuencia de consumo alimentario (CFCA); una base de datos de alimentos frecuentes y su contenido en 131 compuestos (macro y micronutrientes y sustancias fitoquimicas); y una base de datos relacional que asocia la informacion del CFCA con la base de datos de alimentos. De esta forma, el programa informatico Interfood calcula la cantidad de cada uno de los alimentos y los nutrientes y las sustancias fitoquimicas que una persona consume por dia, semana y mes. Interfood es un programa de codigo abierto, por lo que sus bases de datos se pueden modificar y actualizar de acuerdo con las necesidades de la investigacion. Este programa ya ha demostrado su utilidad en diversas investigaciones nutricionales y epidemiologicas.

Effects of dietary lipids on cell proliferation of murine oral mucosa.

BackgroundThe lack of certain essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) induces perturbation in cell proliferation, apoptosis and dedifferentiation that could be linked to an increased protumorigenic trend. Contrarily, n-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) arrest cell proliferation in several tumor models. According to the concept of field cancerization, multiple patches of abnormal epithelial proliferation may coexist in the vicinity of oropharyngeal neoplasms.The purpose of the present study is to determine whether certain dietary PUFAs differentially modulate the patterns of cell proliferation and apoptosis at non-tumoral sites of the oral mucosa in mice bearing DMBA induced salivary tumors.After weaning, BALB/c mice were assigned to four diets: Control (C), Corn Oil (CO), Fish (FO) and Olein (O). Two weeks later, DMBA was injected into the submandibular area. The animals were sacrificed between 94 and 184 days at 4–6 PM. Fixed samples of lip, tongue and palate were stained using H-E and a silver technique. A quantification of AgNORs in the basal (BS) and suprabasal stratum (SBS) of the covering squamous epithelia as well as of mitosis and apoptosis was performed.ResultsAnalysis of Variance showed greater proliferation in tongue than in palate or lip. According to the diet, a significant difference was found in the Fish Oil, in which palate exhibited fewer AgNOR particles than that of the control group, both for BS and SBS (p < 0.05 and 0.152, respectively), indicating a reduced cell proliferation.ConclusionsThese results corroborate and reaffirm that the patterns of cell proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation of the oral stratified squamous epithelium may be differentially modulated by dietary lipids, and arrested by n-3 fatty acids, as shown in several other cell populations.

Enseñanza integrada de anatomía e histología en la Facultad de Odontología de la Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina

Fil: Castillo, Beatriz C.. Universidad Nacional de Cordoba. Facultad de Odontologia; Argentina