Effect of Genistein Supplementation on the Progression of Neoplasms and the Level of the Modified Nucleosides in Rats With Mammary Cancer

BACKGROUND/AIM

The aim of the study was to assess the impact of nano-, micro-, and macro-sized-genistein on the growth and development of neoplasms in rats with mammary cancer. Additionally, the effect on the kinetics of changes (9-11-17-20 week of a rat's life) in the levels of methyl derivatives: 1-methyladenine, 3-methyladenine, 7-methylguanine, 1-methylguanine, 1-methyladenosine, 7-methylguanosine, O-methyl-guanosine and N6-methyl-2'-deoxyguanosine in the urine of rats was analyzed.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Female Sprague-Dawley rats divided into 4 groups were used in the study. Animals were fed only a control diet or diets supplemented with the nano-, micro- and macro-sized genistein. To induce the mammary adenocarcinoma, rats were treated with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA). Modified nucleosides were determined by a high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry method (LC-MS/MS).

RESULTS

The supplementation of the diet of animals with genistein resulted in an increase in the excretion of methylated derivatives in the urine of rats. In the animals receiving standard diet, the levels of methyl derivatives increased during the study or remained relatively low. In the case of animals whose diet was supplemented with the various forms of genistein, the levels of methylated derivatives were very high from the beginning.

CONCLUSION

High levels of methyl derivatives can influence carcinogenesis.

Effect of Zinc Supplementation on the Serum Metabolites Profile at the Early Stage of Breast Cancer in Rats

The cytotoxic properties of zinc nanoparticles have been evaluated in vitro against several types of cancer. However, there is a lack of significant evidence of their activity in vivo, and a potential therapeutic application remains limited. Herein we report the effective inhibition of tumor growth by zinc nanoparticles in vivo, as the effect of the dietary intervention, after the chemical induction in a rodent model of breast cancer. Biopsy images indicated grade 1 tumors with multiple inflammatory infiltrates in the group treated with zinc nanoparticles, whereas, in the other groups, a moderately differentiated grade 2 adenocarcinoma was identified. Moreover, after the supplementation with zinc nanoparticles, the levels of several metabolites associated with cancer metabolism, important to its survival, were found to have been altered. We also revealed that the biological activity of zinc in vivo depends on the size of applied particles, as the treatment with zinc microparticles has not had much effect on cancer progression.