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This study explores a nanoemulsion formulated with açaí seed oil, known for its rich fatty acid composition and diverse biological activities. This study aimed to characterise a nanoemulsion formulated with açaí seed oil and explore its cytotoxic effects on HeLa and SiHa cervical cancer cell lines, alongside assessing its antioxidant and toxicity properties both in vitro and in vivo. Extracted from fruits sourced in Brazil, the oil underwent thorough chemical characterization using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The resulting nanoemulsion was prepared and evaluated for stability, particle size, and antioxidant properties. The nanoemulsion exhibited translucency, fluidity, and stability post centrifugation and temperature tests, with a droplet size of 238.37, PDI -9.59, pH 7, and turbidity 0.267. In vitro assessments on cervical cancer cell lines revealed antitumour effects, including inhibition of cell proliferation, migration, and colony formation. Toxicity tests conducted in cell cultures and female Swiss mice demonstrated no adverse effects of both açaí seed oil and nanoemulsion. Overall, açaí seed oil, particularly when formulated into a nanoemulsion, presents potential for cancer treatment due to its bioactive properties and safety profile.
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Klotho proteins, αKlotho, ßKlotho, and γKlotho, exert tumor-suppressive activities via the fibroblast growth factor receptors and multiple cell-signaling pathways. There is a growing interest in Klotho proteins as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for multiple diseases. However, recent advances regarding their roles and potential applications in cancer remain disperse and require an integrated analysis. The present review analyzed research articles published between 2012 and 2022 in the Cochrane and Scopus scientific databases to study the role of Klotho in cancer and their potential as tools for diagnosing specific cancer types, predicting tumor aggressiveness and prognosis. Twenty-six articles were selected, dealing with acute myeloid leukemia and with bladder, breast, colorectal, esophageal, gastric, hepatocellular, ovarian, pancreatic, prostatic, pulmonary, renal, and thyroid cancers. αKlotho was consistently associated with improved prognosis and may be useful in estimating patient survival. A single study reported the use of soluble αKlotho levels in blood serum as a tool to aid the diagnosis of esophageal cancer. γKlotho was associated with increased aggressiveness of bladder, breast, and prostate cancer, and ßKlotho showed mixed results. Further clinical development of Klotho-based assays will require careful identification of specific tumor subtypes where Klotho proteins may be most valuable as diagnostic or prognostic tools.
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Euterpe oleracea (açaí) fruit has approximately 15% pulp, which is partly edible and commercialized, and 85% seeds. Although açaí seeds are rich in catechins-polyphenolic compounds with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor effects-almost 935,000 tons/year of seeds are discarded as industrial waste. This work evaluated the antitumor properties of E. oleracea in vitro and in vivo in a solid Ehrlich tumor in mice. The seed extract presented 86.26 ± 0.189 mg of catechin/g of extract. The palm and pulp extracts did not exhibit in vitro antitumor activity, while the fruit and seed extracts showed cytotoxic effects on the LNCaP prostate cancer cell line, inducing mitochondrial and nuclear alterations. Oral treatments were performed daily at 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg of E. oleracea seed extract. The tumor development and histology were evaluated, along with immunological and toxicological parameters. Treatment at 400 mg/kg reduced the tumor size, nuclear pleomorphism, and mitosis figures, increasing tumor necrosis. Treated groups showed cellularity of lymphoid organs comparable to the untreated group, suggesting less infiltration in the lymph node and spleen and preservation of the bone marrow. The highest doses reduced IL-6 and induced IFN-γ, suggesting antitumor and immunomodulatory effects. Thus, açaí seeds can be an important source of compounds with antitumor and immunoprotective properties.
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A growing proportion of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCC) are associated with infection by high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV). For reasons that remain largely unknown, HPV+OPSCC is significantly more common in men than in women. This study aims to determine the incidence of OPSCC in male and female HPV16-transgenic mice and to explore the role of female sex hormone receptors in the sexual predisposition for HPV+ OPSCC. The tongues of 30-weeks-old HPV16-transgenic male (n = 80) and female (n = 90) and matched wild-type male (n = 10) and female (n = 10) FVB/n mice were screened histologically for intraepithelial and invasive lesions in 2017 at the Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), Portugal. Expression of estrogen receptors alpha (ERα) and beta (ERß), progesterone receptors (PR) and matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) was studied immunohistochemically. Collagen remodeling was studied using picrosirius red. Female mice showed robust ERα and ERß expression in intraepithelial and invasive lesions, which was accompanied by strong MMP2 expression and marked collagen remodeling. Male mice showed minimal ERα, ERß and MMP2 expression and unaltered collagen patterns. These results confirm the association of HPV16 with tongue base cancer in both sexes. The higher cancer incidence in female versus male mice contrasts with data from OPSCC patients and is associated with enhanced ER expression via MMP2 upregulation.
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Exercise training is thought to play a protective role against cancer development and metastasis, either by reducing hormonal stimulation of hormone-dependent cancers or by reducing the permeability of vascular walls towards invading metastatic cells. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the role of long-term exercise training in the development and metastasis of breast cancer, in an immune-competent 1-methyl-1-nitrosourea (MNU) induced rat model. A single MNU dose was administered to Sprague-Dawley rats at 50 days of age and the rats were subjected to exercise training on a treadmill at 20 m/min, 60 min/day, 5 days/week for 35 weeks. Exercised animals developed slightly less (2.30 ± 1.42) tumours per animal than sedentary animals (2.55 ± 1.44) and did not develop any metastasis, while two pulmonary metastases were observed in the sedentary group. All primary neoplasms and their metastases were positive for oestrogen (ER) α and progesterone (PR) receptors, indicating high hormonal sensitivity. Interestingly, exercise training increased circulating oestrogen levels, thus suggesting that the mechanism might involve either or both of a protective hormone-independent effect and modulation of tumoural vascularization.