Naiel Azzam

The potential efficacy of 3,3'-diindolylmethane in prevention of prostate cancer development.

The objective of this study was to examine the efficacy of 3,3′-diindolylmethane (DIM) in prevention of prostate cancer tumor development in an animal model. Mouse prostate cancer cells (TRAMP-C2, 2×10−6) were injected subcutaneously into three groups of C57BL/6 mice (10 mice in each group). Two groups were treated earlier with DIM; 2 or 10 mg/kg each, and an additional control group was injected with medium. Animals were treated for five more weeks until sacrificed. Tumor sizes were measured biweekly. At the end of the experiment, mice were sacrificed, and tumors were excised, weighed, measured and tested using immunohistochemical studies. In addition blood samples were collected for biochemical analysis. The results indicated that DIM significantly reduced tumor development in treated animals when compared with controls. Tumors developed in 80% of controls and 40% and 60% of animals treated with 10 or 2 mg/kg of DIM, respectively. Moreover, tumors that developed in treated animals were significantly (P<0.001) smaller than in controls. Additionally, our results indicated that DIM has no effect on animal weight or liver and kidney functions. These results indicated that the DIM agent is not toxic and has an in-vivo preventive effect against the development of prostate cancer in a mouse model.

Effects of UV-A irradiation on lens morphology and optics

Epidemiological studies have indicated that ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is one of the main factors leading to senile cataract formation. We investigated morphological changes in the eye lens caused by UVR-A. Twenty three pairs of lenses obtained from 23 one-year-old calves were used for this study. For each pair, one lens was exposed to 44 J/m(2) UVR in the 365 nm wavelength region while the contralateral lens was not exposed and served as a control. The lenses were placed in specially designed organ culture containers for pre-incubation. Lenses were exposed to UVR after one day in culture. After irradiation, lens optical quality was monitored throughout additional 15 days of the culture period and lenses were taken for morphological analysis by scanning electron microscopy. Damage to lens optical quality was evident as early as day 8 after the irradiation and increased with time in culture. We found irregularity of fiber morphology in lenses exposed to UV-A irradiation (but not in control lenses), similar to that reported previously for aged lenses. At the end of the culture period (day 16), lens fiber membranes also showed holes in fiber membranes. We conclude that UVR-A caused damage to cell membranes of the lens and alterations in lens optics, which may subsequently lead to senile cataract formation.

An Innovative Complex of Benzene-Poly-Carboxylic Acid andMolybdenum, for Prevention and Treatment of Radiation Dermatitis

Radiation dermatitis occurs in up to 95 percent of patients receiving radiotherapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether topical application of a new Benzene-Poly-Carboxylic Acid and Molybdenum Complex (BP-C2) prophylactically could protect mice skin from irradiation-induced dermatitis or treat irradiation-induced skin dermatitis, when it already has occurred. The right posterior leg of male BALB/cfC3H mice was exposed to radiation dose of 30 Gy. For prevention studies, animals were treated with BP-C2 just prior to irradiation and three times a week for 5 weeks post-radiation. For treatment studies, animals were treated with PB-C2 three times a week for five weeks when skin injury was appeared following irradiation exposure. Animals were sacrificed and skin damage was assessed using a non-linear semi-quantitative scale, as well as histological studies. Acute skin dermatitis was observed in all control animals (n=8) following 30 Gy irradiation in form of edema and ulceration grade 4. No signs of skin dermatitis were observed in the irradiated area of animals (n=8) treated with BP-C2 prior to irradiation exposure. Moreover, treatment of injured animals with BP-C2 three times a week resulted in recovery of the skin and no erythema or ulceration was hereafter observed. BP-C2 represents a potentially promising agent for prevention and treatment of irradiation-induced skin dermatitis.

Germline polymorphisms on RET proto-oncogene involved in medullary thyroid carcinoma in a Druze family

In this following letter, we describe a case in which the subject diagnosed to have medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). We suppose that germline line mutations are associated with the disease. The patient is a 45-year-old Druze male born in Israel and living in a village in the Northern part of the state. He is married to a Druze woman with second-grade consanguinity to him, and he is a father of 4 sons and 2 daughters. Following complains about general weakness, fatigue, lack of appetite and depressed mood, he was hospitalised. Comprehensive inquiry, including imaging and laboratory tests, revealed no extraordinary findings. Physical test witnessed swollenness in left breast, after which the biopsy was diagnosed to be lipoma. He was released from hospital without any treatment. Eight months later in a second test, enlargements of the thyroid and of cervical lymph glands were detected. Histological analysis of the biopsy taken

Using Human Cancer Cell Lines as In vitro Model for Testing the Efficacyof CDBPA; a New Anticancer Drug

The aim of the present study was to test the efficacy of cis-coordinated complexes of platinum (II) with the polymer of benzene-poly-carboxylic acids derived from lignin (CDBPA) (laboratory code BP-C1), an innovative anticancer compound, on the growth of several solid human cancer cell lines: bladder cancer, chondrosarcoma, colonic cancer, head and neck cancer, hepatic cancer, ovary cancer, pancreatic cancer and prostatic cancer. Furthermore, the effect of CDBPA on non-Hodgkin lymphoma cell lines was also tested. The effect of CDBPA on cell viability was detected by XTT assay and toxicity was detected by measuring the leakage of Lactate dehydrogenase from the cells to the media. The present study has demonstrated that CDBPA is not toxic and able to reduce cell viability substantially and significantly in various human cancer cell lines. When comparison of viability in percentage of the controls at the maximum given dose of CDBPA for each type of cancer cell line, it was found that the largest impact on the viability was on sarcoma, and then decreases via breast, prostatic, head and neck-, pancreatic, colonic cancer and finally ovarian cancer. In addition, the effect of CDBPA on non-Hodgkin lymphoma cell lines was similar to that found in sarcoma cells. We conclude that the effect of CDBPA on cell viability is different and may be dependent on genotype of the cancer cell type. This may indicate different mechanisms of action in the different cancer types. The results obtained from the in vitro studies are important for designing future in vivo studies using animal models and to predict the clinical outcome in human cancer.