Sodium selenosulfate at an innocuous dose markedly prevents cisplatin-induced gastrointestinal toxicity

Ameliorative effect of selenium nanoparticles on testicular toxicity induced by cisplatin in adult male rats

Cisplatin (Cis) is a treatment for testicular germ-cell tumors (TGCTs). Unfortunately, it causes testicular toxicity due to releasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) causing damage to testicular cells and chromosomes. The current study aimed to investigate the ameliorative effect of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) against cisplatin testicular toxicity in male rats by assessment of body weight, testis weight, oxidative stress markers in testis homogenates as (malondialdehyde (MDA), Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Glutathione reduced (GSH), Glutathione peroxidase (GSH ∼ PX) and Catalase (CAT)), gene expression, testosterone concentration (T), sperm characteristics (count, motility and abnormality) and testicular histopathology. Methods: Thirty adult male rats divided equally into four groups; a single dose intraperitoneally injection of cisplatin (10 mg/kg) and selenium nanoparticles (2 mg/kg/day) were administrated alone or in combination. Cis group showed a decrease in body weight, testis weight, antioxidant activities (SOD, GSH, GSH ∼ PX and CAT), T concentration and steroidogenetic expression, the data recorded an increase in MDA levels and sperm abnormality, meanwhile histopathology of testis sections showed degenerative changes in the seminiferous tubules. The co-administration of selenium nanoparticles ameliorated the harmful effects of cisplatin. In conclusion; SeNPs through its antioxidant potential may be useful to prevent the testicular toxicity induced by cisplatin to the rat testis by reducing oxidative stress.

Copper in tumors and the use of copper-based compounds in cancer treatment

Copper homeostasis is strictly regulated by protein transporters and chaperones, to allow its correct distribution and avoid uncontrolled redox reactions. Several studies address copper as involved in cancer development and spreading (epithelial to mesenchymal transition, angiogenesis). However, being endogenous and displaying a tremendous potential to generate free radicals, copper is a perfect candidate, once opportunely complexed, to be used as a drug in cancer therapy with low adverse effects. Copper ions can be modulated by the organic counterpart, after complexed to their metalcore, either in redox potential or geometry and consequently reactivity. During the last four decades, many copper complexes were studied regarding their reactivity toward cancer cells, and many of them could be a drug choice for phase II and III in cancer therapy. Also, there is promising evidence of using ⁶⁴Cu in nanoparticles as radiopharmaceuticals for both positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and treatment of hypoxic tumors. However, few compounds have gone beyond testing in animal models, and none of them got the status of a drug for cancer chemotherapy. The main challenge is their solubility in physiological buffers and their different and non-predictable mechanism of action. Moreover, it is difficult to rationalize a structure-based activity for drug design and delivery. In this review, we describe the role of copper in cancer, the effects of copper-complexes on tumor cell death mechanisms, and point to the new copper complexes applicable as drugs, suggesting that they may represent at least one component of a multi-action combination in cancer therapy.

Red ginseng protects against cisplatin-induced intestinal toxicity by inhibiting apoptosis and autophagy via the PI3K/AKT and MAPK signaling pathways

Although growing evidence has shown that ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer.) exerts strong protective and preventive effects on cisplatin-induced side effects, including nephrotoxicity, ototoxicity and cardiotoxicity, the ameliorative effects of ginseng on intestinal damage caused by cisplatin are unknown to date. Red ginseng (RG), a major processed product of the roots of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer, can be used to control chemotherapy drug-induced multiple toxicity. In the present work, an animal model of cisplatin-induced intestinal injury was established to evaluate the ameliorative effects of RG and their underlying molecular mechanism for the first time. The results showed that a single cisplatin injection (20 mg kg^-1) leads to loss of body weight, shrinkage of the small intestine, and sharp increase of the intestinal function index of diamine oxidase (DAO). These symptoms were remarkably relieved after the administration of RG at 300 and 600 mg kg^-1 for 10 continuous days, respectively. In addition, RG markedly reduced the increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and the consumption of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) caused by cisplatin-induced oxidative stress. Furthermore, RG pretreatment dramatically improved the cisplatin-induced apoptosis of intestinal villous cells, irregular nuclear arrangement, ablation of crypt cells, and damage to the mechanical barrier. In this study, pharmacological methods have been used to prove that RG can inhibit cisplatin intestinal toxicity by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to inhibit apoptosis and by antagonizing the MAPK-mediated autophagy pathway.

Effects of nano-selenium and sodium selenite on SelP, GPx4 and SelW genes expression in testes of broiler breeder roosters

Fertility is the main element affecting hatchability as an important indicator in breeder flocks’ performance. Roosters’ aging reduces their fertility. Using additives such as selenium helps to delay this reduction through antioxidant properties of Se. Replacing inorganic Se by the nano form in poultry diet improves fertility. The aim of this study was to assess effects of different amount of nano-Se on SelP, GPx4 and SelW gene expression in broiler breeder rooster’s testis. A total of 30 fifty-weeks-old broiler breeder males were randomly divided into five groups including a control group (fed basal diet) and four treatments containing basal diet plus 0.3 mg/kg sodium selenite (1), 0.15 mg/kg nano-Se (2) 0.3 mg/kg nano-Se (3) and 0.6 mg/kg nano-Se (4). The results indicated that mRNA expression levels of SelP, GPx4 and SelW genes increased significantly (p<0.05) after dietary supplementation of nano-Se compared to control and sodium selenite groups. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of nano-Se was more effective than sodium selenite on mRNA expression level of tested genes.

Selenium Species: Current Status and Potentials in Cancer Prevention and Therapy

Selenium (Se) acts as an essential trace element in the human body due to its unique biological functions, particularly in the oxidation-reduction system. Although several clinical trials indicated no significant benefit of Se in preventing cancer, researchers reported that some Se species exhibit superior anticancer properties. Therefore, a reassessment of the status of Se and Se compounds is necessary in order to provide clearer insights into the potentiality of Se in cancer prevention and therapy. In this review, we organize relevant forms of Se species based on the three main categories of Se-inorganic, organic, and Se-containing nanoparticles (SeNPs)-and overview their potential functions and applications in oncology. Here, we specifically focus on the SeNPs as they have tremendous potential in oncology and other fields. In general, to make better use of Se compounds in cancer prevention and therapy, extensive further study is still required to understand the underlying mechanisms of the Se compounds.

Cisplatin-induced gastrointestinal toxicity: An update on possible mechanisms and on available gastroprotective strategies

Cisplatin (cis-diamminedichloroplatinum [II], CP) is most widely prescribed in chemotherapy and efficaciously treats diverse human cancers, with remission rates > 90% in testicular cancers. However, clinical use of CP is associated with numerous untoward side effects, in particular, at the gastrointestinal level that reduces the therapeutic efficacy of CP and often results in withdrawal of its clinical usage in long term cancer chemotherapy. Substantial strides have been made to identify effective protective strategies against CP-induced nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity and ototoxicity. Unfortunately, very limited studies have focused on CP-induced gastrointestinal toxicity and advances in developing potent gastroprotective strategies/agents are still lacking. The current article reviews the metabolism and pharmacokinetics of CP, mechanisms underlying CP-induced gastrointestinal toxicity and lastly displays the potential approaches including plant-derived agents (phytochemicals) utilized to counteract CP-induced gastrointestinal dysfunction. Furthermore, the gastroprotective agents described in the experimental literature have shown partial protection against CP-induced intestinal damage. This stresses the need to ascertain new information on the underlying mechanism and to discover novel combinatorial strategies for the abrogation of CP-induced gastrointestinal toxicity.

Effect of selenium on testicular damage induced by varicocele in adult male Wistar rats

PROJECT

Varicocele is an abnormal tortuosity and distension of the veins of the pampiniform plexus in the spermatic cord. It is the most common surgically correctable cause of male infertility. Several studies have revealed the effects of increased oxidative stress on serum, semen, and testicular tissues in patients with varicocele or in animal models. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of sodium selenite on testicular damage induced by experimental left varicocele in male Wistar rats.

PROCEDURE

In the present study, the effects of oral administration of sodium selenite (at doses of 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4mg/kg bw) were assessed in normal and varicocelized rats.

RESULTS

The varicocelized control rats showed decrease in sperm quality parameters, decreased activity of testes CAT, GPX and SOD, increased levels of MDA, and damage in testicular architecture. Administration of sodium selenite significantly reduced these changes to nearly normal levels, but did not change these parameters in normal rats. Histopathological studies further confirmed the protective effects of sodium selenite on varicocele-induced testicular damage in rats. Administrations of sodium selenite did not change these parameters in normal rats.

CONCLUSIONS

Taken together, the results of this study suggest that sodium selenite treatment may have beneficial effect on the testes of varicocelized rats.

Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity; Protective Supplements and Gender Differences

Cisplatin (CDDP) has been widely used as a chemotherapeutic agent for solid tumors. The most common side effect of CDDP is nephrotoxicity, and many efforts have been made in the laboratory and the clinic to employ candidate adjuvants to CDDP to minimize this adverse influence. Many synthetic and herbal antioxidants as well as trace elements have been investigated for this purpose in recent years and a variety of positive and negative results have been yielded. However, no definitive supplement has so far been proposed to prevent CDDP-induced nephrotoxicity; however, this condition is gender related and the sex hormone estrogen may protect the kidney against CDDP damage. In this review, the results of research related to the effect of different synthetic and herbal antioxidants supplements are presented and discussed with suggestions included for future work.

Loading cisplatin onto 6-mercaptopurine covalently modified MSNS: a nanomedicine strategy to improve the outcome of cisplatin therapy

In the treatment of cancer patients, cisplatin (CDDP) exhibits serious cardiac and renal toxicities, while classical combinations related to CDDP are unable to solve these problems and may result in worse prognosis. Alternately, this study covalently conjugated 6-mercaptopurine (6MP) onto the surface of mercapto-modified mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNS) to form MSNS-6MP and loaded CDDP into the holes on the surface of MSNS-6MP to form MSNS-6MP/CDDP, a tumor-targeting nano-releasing regime for CDDP and 6MP specifically. In the S180 mouse model, the anti-tumor activity and overall survival of MSNS-6MP/CDDP (50 mg·kg⁻¹·day⁻¹, corresponding to 1 mg·kg⁻¹·day⁻¹ of 6MP and 5 mg·kg⁻¹·day⁻¹ of CDDP) were significantly higher than those of CDDP alone (5 mg·kg⁻¹·day⁻¹) or CDDP (5 mg·kg⁻¹·day⁻¹) plus 6MP (1 mg·kg⁻¹·day⁻¹). The assays of serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and creatinine, as well as the images of myocardium and kidney histology, support that MSNS-6MP/CDDP is able to completely eliminate liver, kidney and heart toxicities induced by CDDP alone or CDDP plus 6MP.

Cytotoxic activity of selenosulfate versus selenite in tumor cells depends on cell line and presence of amino acids

Based on acute cytotoxicity studies, selenosulfate (SeSO3 (-)) has been suggested to possess a generally higher toxic activity in tumor cells than selenite. The reason for this difference in cytotoxic activity remained unclear. In the present study, cytotoxicity tests with human hepatoma (HepG2), malignant melanoma (A375), and urinary bladder carcinoma cells (T24) showed that the selenosulfate toxicity was very similar between all three tested cell lines (IC50 6.6-7.1 μM after 24 h). It was largely independent of exposure time and presence or absence of amino acids. What changed, however, was the toxicity of selenite, which was lower than that of selenosulfate only for HepG2 cells (IC50 > 15 μM), but similar to and higher than that of selenosulfate for A375 (IC50 4.7 μM) and T24 cells (IC50 3.5 μM), respectively. Addition of amino acids to T24 cell growth medium downregulated short-term selenite uptake (1.5 versus 12.9 ng Se/10(6) cells) and decreased its cytotoxicity (IC50 8.4 μM), rendering it less toxic than selenosulfate. The suggested mechanism is a stronger expression of the xc (-) transport system in the more sensitive T24 compared to HepG2 cells which creates a reductive extracellular microenvironment and facilitates selenite uptake by reduction. Selenosulfate is already reduced and so less affected. The cytotoxic activity of selenosulfate and selenite to tumor cells therefore depends on the sensitivity of each cell line, supplements like amino acids as well as the reductive state of the extracellular environment.

Efficacy and safety of selenium nanoparticles administered intraperitoneally for the prevention of growth of cancer cells in the peritoneal cavity

Peritoneal implantation of cancer cells, particularly postoperative seeding metastasis, frequently occurs in patients with primary tumors in the stomach, colon, liver, and ovary. Peritoneal carcinomatosis is associated with poor prognosis. In this work, we evaluated the prophylactic effect of intraperitoneal administration of selenium (Se), an essential trace element and a putative chemopreventive agent, on peritoneal implantation of cancer cells. Elemental Se nanoparticles were injected into the abdominal cavity of mice, into which highly malignant H22 hepatocarcinoma cells had previously been inoculated. Se concentrations in the cancer cells and tissues, as well as the efficacy of proliferation inhibition and safety, were evaluated. Se was mainly concentrated in cancer cells compared to Se retention in normal tissues, showing at least an order of magnitude difference between the drug target cells (the H22 cells) and the well-recognized toxicity target of Se (the liver). Such a favorable selective distribution resulted in strong proliferation suppression without perceived host toxicity. The mechanism of action of the Se nanoparticle-triggered cytotoxicity was associated with Se-mediated production of reactive oxygen species, which impaired the glutathione and thioredoxin systems. Our results suggest that intraperitoneal administration of Se is a safe and effective means of preventing growth of cancer cells in the peritoneal cavity for the above-mentioned high-risk populations.

Water-soluble Co(III) complexes of substituted phenanthrolines with cell selective anticancer activity

Transition metal complexes with substituted phenanthrolines as ligands represent potential anticancer products without the drawbacks of platinum complexes that are currently marketed. Here, we report the synthesis and cell selective anticancer activity of five new water-soluble Co(III) complexes with methyl substituted phenanthroline ligands. The complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, NMR, FAB-mass spectrometry, FTIR, electronic spectroscopy, and single crystal X-ray diffraction. Possible interaction of these complexes with DNA was assessed by a combination of circular dichroism, UV-vis spectroscopy titration, and ethidium bromide displacement assay, and the results indicated that DNA interaction is weak for these complexes. Cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of complexes at low concentrations were assessed by flow cytometry on PC-3 cells, while their effect on intracellular mitochondrial function was measured by MTS assay on HeLa and PC-3 cell lines. These complexes showed selective cytotoxicity with a significantly higher effect on intracellular mitochondrial function in PC-3 cells than in HeLa cells. At low concentrations, complex 2 had the highest cytotoxic effect on PC-3 cells, inducing around 38% cell death, and the correlation of cytotoxicity of these complexes to their hydrophobicity indicates that an appropriate value of the hydrophobicity is essential for high antitumor activity.

Protection of cisplatin-induced spermatotoxicity, DNA damage and chromatin abnormality by selenium nano-particles

Cisplatin (CIS), an anticancer alkylating agent, induces DNA adducts and effectively cross links the DNA strands and so affects spermatozoa as a male reproductive toxicant. The present study investigated the cellular/biochemical mechanisms underlying possible protective effect of selenium nano-particles (Nano-Se) as an established strong antioxidant with more bioavailability and less toxicity, on reproductive toxicity of CIS by assessment of sperm characteristics, sperm DNA integrity, chromatin quality and spermatogenic disorders. To determine the role of oxidative stress (OS) in the pathogenesis of CIS gonadotoxicity, the level of lipid peroxidation (LPO), antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and peroxynitrite (ONOO) as a marker of nitrosative stress (NS) and testosterone (T) concentration as a biomarker of testicular function were measured in the blood and testes. Thirty-two male Wistar rats were equally divided into four groups. A single IP dose of CIS (7 mg/kg) and protective dose of Nano-Se (2 mg/kg/day) were administered alone or in combination. The CIS-exposed rats showed a significant increase in testicular and serum LPO and ONOO level, along with a significant decrease in enzymatic antioxidants levels, diminished serum T concentration and abnormal histologic findings with impaired sperm quality associated with increased DNA damage and decreased chromatin quality. Coadministration of Nano-Se significantly improved the serum T, sperm quality, and spermatogenesis and reduced CIS-induced free radical toxic stress and spermatic DNA damage. In conclusion, the current study demonstrated that Nano-Se may be useful to prevent CIS-induced gonadotoxicity through its antioxidant potential.