Experience with docetaxel in the treatment of gastric cancer

Design and Characterization of Silver Nanoparticles of Different Species of Curcuma in the Treatment of Cancer Using Human Colon Cancer Cell Line (HT-29)

BACKGROUND

Cancer is a deadly disease responsible for worldwide mortality; usually, middle- and low-income countries have been more affected by cancer and are responsible for 70% of deaths. The present study was performed with the aim to design silver nanoparticles using three species of Curcuma, i.e., Curcuma longa, Curcuma aromatica, and Curcuma caesia.

METHODS

The rhizomes of different plants were extracted with ethanol. The rhizome extracts were used to prepare silver nanoparticles. It was optimized at different pH, silver ion concentrations, and concentrations of plant extracts. The anticancer activity of prepared nanoparticles of C. longa, C. aromatica, and C. caesia was evaluated on a human colon cancer cell line (HT-29) using sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay.

RESULTS

The percentage yield of C. longa, C. aromatica, and C. caesia was 11.34 g, 15.45 g, and 12.67 g, respectively. The results exhibited that the prepared nanoparticles were smooth and spherical. All the nanoparticles of rhizome extracts rescued the viability of HT-29 cells in a different extent. HT-29 cells were sensitive to prepared nanoparticles that induce more cytotoxicity towards cancer cells.

CONCLUSION

Thus, the prepared silver nanoparticle of Curcuma species through green synthesis may help treat cancer with low toxicity.

"Picrosides" from Picrorhiza kurroa as potential anti-carcinogenic agents

The steady rise in life expectancy, modern life style and changing environmental conditions are responsible for increasing incidence of cancer. A number of chemical drugs have been used for cancer treatment; however the induction of genotoxic, carcinogenic and teratogenic effects limits their use. Alternatively, plant phytochemicals have been proven effective chemopreventive agents. This review illustrates the use of "picrosides" derived from Picrorhiza kurroa for the treatment of cancer. We have detailed the anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory action of picrosides as the key mechanism in reducing oncogenesis. Action of picrosides on detoxifying enzymes, cell cyle regulation and induction of signal transducers inhibiting apoptosis has also been reviewed. The present review highlights the use of picrosides as an important therapeutic agent against different types of cancer.

Adjuvant Chemotherapy and Whole Abdominal Irradiation for Gastric Carcinoma

Aims and Background

To analyze the efficacy and toxicity of adjuvant chemotherapy followed by whole abdominal irradiation in the treatment of resectable gastric cancer with positive lymph nodes.

Methods and Study Design

Between 1996 and 1999, 10 patients with node-positive gastric cancer underwent complete gross resection and were treated by postoperative chemoradiotherapy. The chemotherapy regimen consisted of 5-fluorouracil, 1000 mg/m2/day as a 96-hr continuous infusion on day 1, and cisplatin, 100 mg/m2 on day 2, every 21 days. Six courses were planned. Radiotherapy was administered 3 weeks after completion of the chemotherapy protocol as a single-fraction dose of 600 cGy in a two-field (anterior and posterior) configuration.

Results

Treatment was generally well tolerated, with no treatment-related deaths. However, 9 of the 10 patients died of recurrent disease, with a median survival of 20 months (range, 7–84).

Conclusions

Adjuvant chemotherapy with whole abdominal irradiation for gastric cancer is safe and tolerable but has no apparent effect on patient outcome. Studies in larger series are needed to evaluate the role of the approach in this disease.

Reduction/pH dual-responsive nano-prodrug micelles for controlled drug delivery

We provided a facile strategy to fabricate reduction/pH dual-responsive nano-prodrug micelles for controlled drug delivery.

In vivo antitumor potential of Ipomoea pes-caprae on melanoma cancer

Background:

The incidence of skin cancers is rising gradually. The treatment of melanoma is also necessary to prevent the spread of cancer to other body organs. Scientific literatures have not documented any evidence of the antitumor potential of Ipomoea pes-caprae on melanoma.

Aim of the Study:

Explore in vivo antitumor potential of I. pes-caprae on melanoma cancer.

Materials and Methods:

Petroleum ether (60°C–80°C), methanolic and aqueous extracts, and swaras prepared from the whole herb of I. pes-caprae were assessed for their antitumor activity. The extracts and swaras at doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg b. wt. were administered intraperitoneal along with chemo and radiotherapy for 40 days for exploring antitumor activity against melanoma cancer (B16F10) in male C57BL mice. The results obtained from tumor volume, and histopathological studies were compared with the control and dacarbazine used as a standard.

Results:

Antitumor effect of I. pes-caprae extracts and swaras on melanoma cancer was found to be significant (P < 0.01) compared to normal control. The tumor volume inhibition against tumor-bearing mice, although differed from each other, was concentration dependent. Administration of plant extracts and swaras from the day 1 since tumor inducted. The induction of tumor was found delayed by 10–15 days and the tumor volume on the day 40 was similar to the Dacarbazine treatment used as a standard.

Conclusion:

The results obtained from the tumor volume and histopathological studies clearly revealed the antitumor potential of I. pes-caprae on melanoma cancer.

Histological complete response to a combined docetaxel/cisplatin/fluorouracil neoadjuvant chemotherapy for T4 stage gastric adenocarcinoma

Local advanced gastric carcinoma has a very poor prognosis. When a T4 gastric carcinoma has invaded the surrounding tissues and organs, curative resection is unlikely. We present here a case of a 63-year-old woman with a T4 unresectable gastric adenocarcinoma. She underwent two 3-week cycles of docetaxel/cisplatin/fluorouracil chemotherapy, followed by radical gastric resection. Each cycle consisted of 75 mg/m² docetaxel and 75 mg/m² cisplatin on day 1, and 200 mg/m² leucovorin and 500 mg/m² fluorouracil on days 1 through 5. The patient exhibited a complete histologic response. Our results indicate that docetaxel/cisplatin/fluorouracil neoadjuvant chemotherapy is a promising method of treatment for advanced gastric cancer.

Evaluation of Cassia occidentalis for in vitro cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines and antibacterial activity

Objective:

To evaluate the in vitro cytotoxicity and antibacterial properties of Cassia occidentalis (whole plant) via alcoholic, hydro-alcoholic, and aqueous extracts against eight human cancer cell lines from six different tissues and four bacterial strains.

Material and Methods:

in vitro cytotoxicity against the human cancer cells, cultured for 48h in presence of different concentrations C. occidentalis extracts and percentage of cell viability, was evaluated using the sulforhodamine-B (SRB) assay. The antibacterial activity was performed using the standard protocol against bacterial strains.

Results:

It was observed that aqueous extract of C. occidentalis (whole plant) had more potential than hydro-alcoholic and alcoholic extracts against HCT-15, SW-620, PC-3, MCF-7, SiHa, and OVCAR-5 human cancer cell lines at 100, 30, and 10 μg/ml in a dose-dependent manner. The hydro-alcoholic extract showed potential against Bacillus subtillis.

Conclusion:

The plant can be explored for the possible development of lead molecules for drug discovery.

Anticancer activity test for extracts of Sarang semut plant (Myrmecodya pendens) to HeLa and MCM-B2 cells

The aim of this study is to investigate anticancer activity of methanol extract (ethylacetate, n-buthanol and water partitions) and water extract from Sarang semut (local name), Myrmecodya pendens which is one of Rubiaceae family. Within Papua area (Indonesia), this medicinal plant has been used traditionally as alternative treatment for ulcer, tumor and cancer. In this study, the extracts of this plant were tested for their activities in some cancer cells (HeLa and MCM-B2 cell). The result showed that water extract of this plant has better anti cancer activity compared to other extracts. The IC50 value of water extract A is 27.61 ppm (HeLa) and 54.57 ppm (MCM-B2), while water extract B is 29.36 ppm (HeLa) and 74.20 ppm (MCM-B2). Our study concluded that polar extract (water) exhibited higher anticancer activity than non-polar extracts (ethylacetate and n-buthanol).

A novel triterpenoid isolated from the root bark of Ailanthus excelsa Roxb (Tree of Heaven), AECHL-1 as a potential anti-cancer agent

Background

We report here the isolation and characterization of a new compound Ailanthus excelsa chloroform extract-1 (AECHL-1) (C₂₉H₃₆O₁₀; molecular weight 543.8) from the root bark of Ailanthus excelsa Roxb. The compound possesses anti-cancer activity against a variety of cancer cell lines of different origin.

Principal Findings

AECHL-1 treatment for 12 to 48 hr inhibited cell proliferation and induced death in B16F10, MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, and PC3 cells with minimum growth inhibition in normal HEK 293. The antitumor effect of AECHL-1 was comparable with that of the conventional antitumor drugs paclitaxel and cisplatin. AECHL-1-induced growth inhibition was associated with S/G₂-M arrests in MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, and PC3 cells and a G₁ arrest in B16F10 cells. We observed microtubule disruption in MCF-7 cells treated with AECHL-1 in vitro. Compared with control, subcutaneous injection of AECHL-1 to the sites of tumor of mouse melanoma B16F10 implanted in C57BL/6 mice and human breast cancer MCF-7 cells in athymic nude mice resulted in significant decrease in tumor volume. In B16F10 tumors, AECHL-1 at 50 µg/mouse/day dose for 15 days resulted in increased expression of tumor suppressor proteins P53/p21, reduction in the expression of the oncogene c-Myc, and downregulation of cyclin D1 and cdk4. Additionally, AECHL-1 treatment resulted in the phosphorylation of p53 at serine 15 in B16F10 tumors, which seems to exhibit p53-dependent growth inhibitory responses.

Conclusions

The present data demonstrate the activity of a triterpenoid AECHL-1 which possess a broad spectrum of activity against cancer cells. We propose here that AECHL-1 is a futuristic anti-cancer drug whose therapeutic potential needs to be widely explored for chemotherapy against cancer.

Nail Toxicity after Treatment with Docetaxel: A Prospective Analysis in Patients with Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

OBJECTIVE

Nail toxicity is one of the most frequent non-hematologic toxicities of docetaxel and often deteriorates patients' quality of life, leading to treatment discontinuation. To define the incidence of nail change as well as its association with specific risk factors, we prospectively investigated data of 84 consecutive patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who received first-line docetaxel/cisplatin combination chemotherapy.

METHODS

Chemotherapy-naïve patients were treated with docetaxel, either 3-weekly or weekly, in combination with cisplatin. All patients received adequate premedications including corticosteroids, antiemetics and intravenous hydration. Toxicity was evaluated using National Cancer Institute (NCI) CTCAE version 3.

RESULTS

Twenty-two patients (26%) developed nail changes, including nine (11%) with grade 3. Nine patients who developed grade 3 nail changes (seven of whom received weekly docetaxel) were not able to complete planned chemotherapy despite topical and/or oral antibiotic treatment. Most occurrences of nail changes were diagnosed in patients who were treated with weekly schedule (P = 0.02). The number of chemotherapy cycles and cumulative docetaxel doses were strongly associated with the development of nail changes. The cumulative hazard of developing nail changes increased above 10% after 2.8 months up to 40% at 6 months. A multivariate analysis of factors associated with the development of nail changes identified the following to have independent adverse significance: weekly docetaxel administration (odds ratio, 0.084; 95% CI, 0.014-0.510; P = 0.01) and the number of chemotherapy cycles given (odds ratio, 0.232; 95% CI, 0.067-0.805; P = 0.02).

CONCLUSION

Nail changes occur with more frequent and prolonged use of docetaxel.

A new extract of the plant Calendula officinalis produces a dual in vitro effect: cytotoxic anti-tumor activity and lymphocyte activation

Background

Phytopharmacological studies of different Calendula extracts have shown anti-inflamatory, anti-viral and anti-genotoxic properties of therapeutic interest. In this study, we evaluated the in vitro cytotoxic anti-tumor and immunomodulatory activities and in vivo anti-tumor effect of Laser Activated Calendula Extract (LACE), a novel extract of the plant Calendula Officinalis (Asteraceae).

Methods

An aqueous extract of Calendula Officinalis was obtained by a novel extraction method in order to measure its anti-tumor and immunomodulatory activities in vitro. Tumor cell lines derived from leukemias, melanomas, fibrosarcomas and cancers of breast, prostate, cervix, lung, pancreas and colorectal were used and tumor cell proliferation in vitro was measured by BrdU incorporation and viable cell count. Effect of LACE on human peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBL) proliferation in vitro was also analyzed. Studies of cell cycle and apoptosis were performed in LACE-treated cells. In vivo anti-tumor activity was evaluated in nude mice bearing subcutaneously human Ando-2 melanoma cells.

Results

The LACE extract showed a potent in vitro inhibition of tumor cell proliferation when tested on a wide variety of human and murine tumor cell lines. The inhibition ranged from 70 to 100%. Mechanisms of inhibition were identified as cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase and Caspase-3-induced apoptosis. Interestingly, the same extract showed an opposite effect when tested on PBLs and NKL cell line, in which in vitro induction of proliferation and activation of these cells was observed. The intraperitoneal injection or oral administration of LACE extract in nude mice inhibits in vivo tumor growth of Ando-2 melanoma cells and prolongs the survival day of the mice.

Conclusion

These results indicate that LACE aqueous extract has two complementary activities in vitro with potential anti-tumor therapeutic effect: cytotoxic tumor cell activity and lymphocyte activation. The LACE extract presented in vivo anti-tumoral activity in nude mice against tumor growth of Ando-2 melanoma cells.