Aspirin for cancer is no mere antiplatelet prototype. There is potential in its ancient roots

Breast Tumor Cells Evade the Cytotoxic Action of Anastrozole, Aspirin, and Clopidogrel Cocktail

Globally, breast cancer is among the most frequently diagnosed and common cause of death among women. Aromatase inhibitors, such as anastrozole, are one of the first-line therapies used in the treatment of breast cancer in postmenopausal women; however, thromboembolic complications are common. Thus, this study investigated the combined effects of anastrozole and antiplatelet therapies, aspirin and clopidogrel, on breast cancer cytotoxicity and survival in vitro. Breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and T47D) were treated with varying Cmax concentrations of anastrozole and/or antiplatelet therapies for 24 h. A wound-healing scratch assay was used to measure migration and the WST-1 assay for cellular proliferation. An autophagy/cytotoxicity dual staining kit was used to assay cell death and survival. Changes in cell morphology were assessed using scanning electron microscopy. Data were analyzed with Statistica software. Our findings showed that sub-phenotypic differences exist between the luminal-A breast cancer cell lines, with T47D cells being more aggressive than MCF-7 cells. Cellular proliferation and migration responded in a dose-dependent manner for the different treatment groups. Notably, anastrozole combined with aspirin and clopidogrel mediated higher levels of cell survival than each agent individually, with autophagy levels being significantly increased in comparison to that induced with antiplatelet therapy alone.

Monitoring of salicylic acid content in human saliva and its relationship with plasma concentrations

Aspirin is a widely used anti-inflammatory drug. It is reported that a relationship may exist between salicylic acid content in plasma and saliva after taking aspirin. This study established a rapid, convenient, and safe method to assess salicylic acid concentration in human saliva. A novel HPLC-ultraviolet detector was used to measure salicylic acid concentrations in human saliva and plasma. A C18 reversed-phase column with an aqueous solution of 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA)-acetonitrile mobile phase was used, and drug peaks were recorded at 303 nm. Salicylic acid was completely separated in saliva and plasma. Excellent linearity and correlation (r² ≥ 0.9999) was observed between 0.1 and 2.0 μg/mL. The detection limit (S/N = 3) was 33 ng/mL, and intra- and inter-day recoveries were 103.5-113.3% and 101.1-109.5%, respectively. Salicylic acid was measured within nine hours after administration of acetylsalicylic acid tablets. A positive correlation between salicylic acid content in saliva and plasma was found (r = 0.867, p < 0.001). The proposed method was used successfully to measure salicylic acid concentration in human saliva. Meanwhile, we explored the relationship between salicylic acid levels in plasma and saliva. Saliva might replace blood for monitoring aspirin treatment. In addition, the research provides a reference for application to saliva samples.

Role of Anti-inflammatory Drugs in the Colorectal Cancer

Objective: The objective of this review was to systematically review and synthesize evidence regarding benefits of using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC). Data Sources: The data sources were MEDLINE, PubMed, NEJM, Google Scholar, and Google searches of references from relevant and eligible trials. Review Methods: We screened abstracts and full-text articles of identified references for eligibility and reviewed randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, and meta-analysis for evidence on benefits of using NSAIDs in CRC treatments. For all extracted data, completeness and relevance were checked. Results: The risk of any adenoma among frequent NSAID users was 26.8% vs 39.9% among placebo subjects who later used NSAIDs sporadically (adjusted relative risk = 0.62, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.39-0.98; P trend with NSAID use frequency = .03). Long-term use of aspirin reduces the risk of CRC. Aspirin also reduces the incidence of colon adenomas and mortality, especially when used for >10 years. Rofecoxib is associated with the reduction of CRC; however, it was associated with cardiovascular risk (with an overall unadjusted relative risk of 1.50 [95% CI = 0.76-2.94; P = .24]). Adenoma Prevention with Celecoxib trial shows that, for patients of all genotypes, the estimated cumulative incidence of one or more adenomas by year 3 was 59.8% for those randomized to placebo as compared with 43.3% for those randomized to low-dose (200 mg, twice daily) celecoxib (relative risk [RR] = 0.68; 95% CI = 0.59-0.79; P < .001) and 36.8% for those randomized to high-dose (400 mg, twice daily) celecoxib and 60.7% in placebo group (RR = 0.54; 95% CI = 0.46-0.64; P < .001). Conclusions: The use of COX-2 inhibitors both prior to and after diagnosis of CRC seemed to be mildly associated with the reduction in mortality of patients with CRC. Some literatures state that COX-2 inhibitors might play a synergistic role in adjuvant chemotherapy of FOLFOX regimen. Celecoxib was found to increase the radiosensitization of colon cancer cells.