Hesperidin alleviates acetaminophen induced toxicity in Wistar rats by abrogation of oxidative stress, apoptosis and inflammation

Acetaminophen (APAP) is a widely used analgesic and antipyretic drug, but at high dose it leads to undesirable side effects, such as hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. The present study demonstrates the comparative hepatoprotective and nephroprotective activity of hesperidin (HD), a naturally occurring bioflavonoid against APAP induced toxicity. APAP induces hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity as was evident by abnormal deviation in the levels of antioxidant enzymes. Moreover, APAP induced renal damage by inducing apoptotic death and inflammation in renal tubular cells, manifested by an increase in the expression of caspase-3, caspase-9, NFkB, iNOS, Kim-1 and decrease in Bcl-2 expression. These results were further supported by the histopathological examination of kidney. All these features of APAP toxicity were reversed by the co-administration of HD. Therefore, our study favors the view that HD may be a useful modulator in alleviating APAP induced oxidative stress and toxicity.

Differential microglia and macrophage profiles in human IDH-mutant and -wild type glioblastoma

Microglia and macrophages are the largest component of the inflammatory infiltrate in glioblastoma (GBM). However, whether there are differences in their representation and activity in the prognostically-favorable isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-mutated compared to -wild type GBMs is unknown. Studies on human specimens of untreated IDH-mutant GBMs are rare given they comprise 10% of all GBMs and often present at lower grades, receiving treatments prior to dedifferentiation that can drastically alter microglia and macrophage phenotypes. We were able to obtain large samples of four previously untreated IDH-mutant GBM. Using flow cytometry, immunofluorescence techniques with automated segmentation protocols that quantify at the individual-cell level, and comparison between single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) databases of human GBM, we discerned dissimilarities between GBM-associated microglia and macrophages (GAMMs) in IDH-mutant and -wild type GBMs. We found there are significantly fewer GAMM in IDH-mutant GBMs, but they are more pro-inflammatory, suggesting this contributes to the better prognosis of these tumors. Our pro-inflammatory score which combines the expression of inflammatory markers (CD68/HLA-A, -B, -C/TNF/CD163/IL10/TGFB2), Iba1 intensity, and GAMM surface area also indicates that more pro-inflammatory GAMMs are associated with longer overall survival independent of IDH status. Interrogation of scRNA-seq databases demonstrates microglia in IDH-mutants are mainly pro-inflammatory, while anti-inflammatory macrophages that upregulate genes such as FCER1G and TYROBP predominate in IDH-wild type GBM. Taken together, these observations are the first head-to-head comparison of GAMMs in treatment-naïve IDH-mutant versus -wild type GBMs. Our findings highlight biological disparities in the innate immune microenvironment related to IDH prognosis that can be exploited for therapeutic purposes.

Carvacrol ameliorates thioacetamide-induced hepatotoxicity by abrogation of oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis in liver of Wistar rats

The present study was designed to investigate the protective effects of carvacrol against thioacetamide (TAA)-induced oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis in liver of Wistar rats. In this study, rats were subjected to concomitant prophylactic oral pretreatment of carvacrol (25 and 50 mg kg(-1) body weight (b.w.)) against the hepatotoxicity induced by intraperitoneal administration of TAA (300 mg kg(-1) b.w.). Efficacy of carvacrol against the hepatotoxicity was evaluated in terms of biochemical estimation of antioxidant enzyme activities, histopathological changes, and expressions of inflammation and apoptosis. Carvacrol pretreatment prevented deteriorative effects induced by TAA through a protective mechanism in a dose-dependent manner that involved reduction of oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis. We found that the protective effect of carvacrol pretreatment is mediated by its inhibitory effect on nuclear factor kappa B activation, Bax and Bcl-2 expression, as well as by restoration of histopathological changes against TAA administration. We may suggest that carvacrol efficiently ameliorates liver injury caused by TAA.

Methylation of the APAF-1 and DAPK-1 promoter region correlates with progression of renal cell carcinoma in North Indian population

Aberrant promoter hypermethylation of cancer associated genes occur frequently during carcinogenesis and may serve as a cancer biomarker. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence and relevance of promoter methylation of the tumor suppressor DAPK-1, APAF-1 () and SPARC in relation to different pathological stages and histological grades of tumor progression that might act as possible independent prognostic factor in the susceptibility towards renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in North Indian population. Three tumor suppressor gene promoters namely APAF-1, DAPK-1 and SPARC were assessed by methylation-specific PCR (MS-PCR) in 196 primarily resected renal cell tumors paired with the corresponding normal tissue samples. After genomic DNA isolation and sodium bisulfite modification, methylation levels were determined and correlated with standard clinicopathological parameters, pathological stage and Fuhrman nuclear grade of RCC. Significant differences in methylation frequency among the four subtypes of renal tumors were found for APAF-1 (p < 0.001), DAPK-1 (p < 0.001) and SPARC (p = 0.182), when compared with the corresponding normal tissue. Male subjects showed stronger association of methylation frequency of all the three genes with RCC than the female subjects. Additionally, higher frequency of APAF-1, DAPK-1 and SPARC promoter methylation were directly correlated with higher tumor stage (p (trend) < 0.001). Higher frequency of promoter methylation of APAF-1 and SPARC were also associated with higher nuclear grade (p < 0.001 and p = 0.036, respectively). This gene panel might contribute to a more optimal diagnostic coverage and information, improving preoperative assessment and therapeutic decision-making in patients harboring suspicious renal masses.

Modulatory effects of gentisic acid against genotoxicity and hepatotoxicity induced by cyclophosphamide in Swiss albino mice

Objectives

This study evaluated the protective effects of gentisic acid (GA) against genotoxicity and hepatotoxicity induced by cyclophosphamide (CP) in Swiss albino mice.

Methods

Mice were pretreated with GA orally at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg for 14 consecutive days before the administration of a single intraperitoneal dose of 50 mg/kg CP. The ameliorative effect of GA on genotoxicity was studied using the in-vivo bone marrow micronuclei induction test, DNA integrity and alkaline unwinding assay. The activity of various oxidative stress enzymes were estimated in hepatic tissue.

Key findings

A single intraperitoneal administration of CP in mice increased the malondialdehyde level, depleted the glutathione content and antioxidant enzyme activity (glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, catalase and quinone reductase), and induced DNA strand breaks and micronuclei induction. Oral pretreatment with GA at both doses caused a significant reduction in malondialdehyde and glutathione levels, restoration of antioxidant enzyme activity, reduction in micronuclei formation and DNA fragmentation. Serum toxicity marker enzymes such as aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase were increased after CP treatment but restored in GA pretreated groups.

Conclusion

The results support the protective effect of GA against CP induced genotoxicity and hepatotoxicity.

MicroRNAs in Breast Cancer: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Potential

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a large family of small, approximately 20-22 nucleotide, noncoding RNAs that regulate the expression of target genes, at the post-transcriptional level. miRNAs are involved in virtually diverse biological processes and play crucial roles in cellular processes, such as cell differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis. Accumulating lines of evidence have indicated that miRNAs play important roles in the maintenance of biological homeostasis and that aberrant expression levels of miRNAs are associated with the onset of many diseases, including cancer. It is possible that the diverse roles that miRNAs play, have potential to provide valuable information in a clinical setting, demonstrating the potential to act as both screening tools for the stratification of high-risk patients, while informing the treatment decision-making process. Increasing evidence suggests that some miRNAs may even provide assistance in the diagnosis of patients with breast cancer. In addition, miRNAs may themselves be considered therapeutic targets, with inhibition or reintroduction of a particular miRNA capable of inducing a response in-vivo. This chapter discusses the role of miRNAs as oncogenes and tumor suppressors in breast cancer development and metastasis . It focuses on miRNAs that have prognostic, diagnostic, or predictive potential in breast cancer as well as the possible challenges in the translation of such observations to the clinic.

Tannic acid mitigates cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in mice

Cisplatin (CP) is a well-known chemotherapeutic drug that displays dose-limiting nephrotoxicity. In this study, tannic acid (TA), a naturally occurring plant polyphenol, was evaluated for its antioxidant and antigenotoxicity potential against the CP-induced renal oxidative stress and genotoxicity in Swiss albino mice. The mice were given a prophylactic treatment of TA orally at a dose of 40 and 80 mg/kg body weight (b wt) for 7 consecutive days before the administration of a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of CP at 7 mg/kg b wt. The modulatory effects of TA on CP-induced nephrotoxicity and genotoxicity were investigated by assaying oxidative stress biomarkers, serum kidney toxicity markers, DNA fragmentation, alkaline unwinding, micronuclei assay, and by histopathological examination of kidney architecture. CP administration altered the antioxidant levels, enhanced lipid peroxidation, induced DNA strand breaks, and altered the levels of micronuclei among polychromatic erythrocytes (PCEs) significantly ( p < 0.001). Pretreatment of TA in mice showed significant ( p < 0.001) recovery in antioxidant status, viz., reduced glutathione content and its dependent enzymes, quinone reductase and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase. TA significantly ( p < 0.001) reinstated the normal serum levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine. TA showed strongly inhibited ( p < 0.001) micronuclei induction, DNA strand breaks, and DNA fragmentation. Thus, TA as a phytochemical protects kidneys through its antigenotoxic activity and antioxidant potential.

Loss of expression and aberrant methylation of the CDH1 (E-cadherin) gene in breast cancer patients from Kashmir

BACKGROUND

Aberrant promoter hypermethylation has been recognized in human breast carcinogenesis as a frequent molecular alteration associated with the loss of expression of a number of key regulatory genes and may serve as a biomarker. The E-cadherin gene (CDH1), mapping at chromosome 16q22, is an intercellular adhesion molecule in epithelial cells, which plays an important role in establishing and maintaining intercellular connections. The aim of our study was to assess the methylation pattern of CDH1 and to correlate it with the expression of E-cadherin, clinicopathological parameters and hormone receptor status in breast cancer patients of Kashmir.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Methylation specific PCR (MSP) was used to determine the methylation status of CDH1 in 128 invasive ductal carcinomas (IDCs) paired with the corresponding normal tissue samples. Immunohistochemistry was used to study the expression of E-cadherin, ER and PR.

RESULTS

CDH1 hypermethylation was detected in 57.8% of cases and 14.8% of normal adjacent controls. Reduced levels of E-cadherin protein were observed in 71.9% of our samples. Loss of E-cadherin expression was significantly associated with the CDH1 promoter region methylation (p<0.05, OR=3.48, CI: 1.55-7.79). Hypermethylation of CDH1 was significantly associated with age at diagnosis (p=0.030), tumor size (p=0.008), tumor grade (p=0.024) and rate of node positivity or metastasis (p=0.043).

CONCLUSIONS

Our preliminary findings suggest that abnormal CDH1 methylation occurs in high frequencies in infiltrating breast cancers associated with a decrease in E-cadherin expression. We found significant differences in tumor-related CDH1 gene methylation patterns relevant to tumor grade, tumor size, nodal involvement and age at diagnosis of breast tumors, which could be extended in future to provide diagnostic and prognostic information.

Impact of glutathione transferase M1, T1, and P1 gene polymorphisms in the genetic susceptibility of North Indian population to renal cell carcinoma

In this study, we investigated the association of GSTP1, GSTM1, and GSTP1 genetic variants with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) among North Indian patients. The difference in frequency of the GSTT1 null genotype between cases and control subjects was statistically significant (active ver. null, odds ratio [OR]=0.368; confidence intervals [CI] 95%=0.243-0.557, p=0.001). The differences in the frequency of GSTP1 genotypes were statistically significant (AA ver. AG/GG, OR=1.879; CI 95%=0.355-0.797, p=0.002). Higher allelic frequency of the GSTP1 G allele was associated with RCC cases (G ver. A allele, OR=1.534; 95% CI=1.159-2.030, p=0.003). The gene-gene interaction in terms of three-way combination of GSTM1 null, GSTT1 null, and GSTP1 (AG/GG) resulted in 4.5-fold increase in RCC risk (OR=4.452; 95% CI=2.220-9.294). Similarly, our study revealed that GST polymorphism might be a vital determinant of advancement to higher pathological stages and histological grades of RCC. Our findings suggest that genetic variability in members of the GST gene family may be associated with an increased susceptibility to RCC and its progression.

Noncoding RNAs in DNA Damage Response: Opportunities for Cancer Therapeutics

DNA repair machinery preserves genomic integrity, which is frequently challenged through endogenous and exogenous toxic insults, and any sort of repair machinery malfunctioning ultimately manifests in the form of several types of terrible human diseases such as cancers (Hoeijmakers, Nature 411(6835): 366-374, 2001). Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are crucial players of DNA repair machinery in a cell and play a vital role in maintaining genomic stability, which is essential for its survival and normal functioning thus preventing tumorigenesis. To preserve the integrity of the genome, cells initiate a specific cellular response, recognized as DNA damage response (DDR), which includes several distinct DNA repair pathways. These repair pathways permit normal cells to repair DNA damage or induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in case the damage is irreparable. Disruption of these pathways in cancer leads to an increase in genomic instability and mutagenesis. Recently, emerging evidence suggests that ncRNAs play a critical role in the regulation of DDR. There is an extensive crosstalk between ncRNAs and the canonical DDR signaling pathway. DDR-induced expression of ncRNAs can provide a regulatory mechanism to accurately control the expression of DNA damage responsive genes in a spatio-temporal manner. DNA damage alters expression of a variety of ncRNAs at multiple levels including transcriptional regulation, post-transcriptional regulation, and RNA degradation and vice versa, wherein ncRNAs can directly regulate cellular processes involved in DDR by altering expression of their targeting genes, with a particular emphasis on microRNAs (miRNAs) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). Relationship between the defects in the DDR and deregulation of related ncRNAs in human cancers is one of the established, which is growing stronger with the advent of high-throughput sequencing techniques such as next-generation sequencing. Understanding of the mechanisms that explain the association between ncRNAs and DDR/DNA repair pathways will definitely increase our understanding on human tumor biology and on different responses to diverse drugs. Different ncRNAs interact with distinct DDR components and are promising targets for improving the effects to overcome the resistance to conventional chemotherapeutic agents. In this chapter, we will focus the role of ncRNAs in the DNA damage, repair, and cancer.

Prevalence of human papillomavirus infection in a Kashmiri ethnic female population

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is estimated to be the most common sexually transmitted infection and is one of the causal factors in cervical cancer. Understanding the epidemiology of this infection is an important step toward developing strategies for its prevention. Cervical samples from 210 healthy women with normal and abnormal cytomorphology were studied for the detection of HPV DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), utilizing the two most commonly used consensus primer sets. The primers; MY09/MY11 and GP5+/GP6+ located within the L1 region of HPV genome, amplified a broad spectrum of HPV genotypes in a single reaction. The PCR amplification of HPV genomes is a sensitive method that is used for the detection of cervicovaginal HPV. With the aim of identifying the HPV types, samples were also subjected to PCR using specific primers for HPV types 16 and 18. In addition, basic demographic information, sociodemographic characteristics, and sexual behavior were recorded. HPV was detected in 13.8% of the study population aged 18 to 57 years using PCR. HPV16 (6.6%) was more commonly detected than HPV18 (3.8%). The highest prevalence of HPV infection was seen in women below 27 years old, and then, a new increase was seen higher than the age of 48. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that younger age at marriage, economic status, parity, and dwelling are the major risk factors determining HPV infection.

Risk of renal cell carcinoma and polymorphism in phase I xenobiotic metabolizing CYP1A1 and CYP2D6 enzymes

The progressive increase in sporadic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) observed in industrialized countries supports the opinion that certain carcinogens present in the environment (tobacco smoke, drugs, pollutants, and dietary constituents) may affect the occurrence and progression of this disease in developing countries like India. The polymorphism of the enzymes involved in metabolism of such environmental factors may, therefore, confer variable propensity to RCC. The possible association between RCC and a polymorphism of the CYP1A1 and CYP2D6 genes specific to the Indian population was examined using peripheral blood DNA from 196 RCC cases and 250 population controls with detailed data of clinicopathologic characteristics for the disease. The CYP1A1 (val) "variant" genotype, which contains at least 1 copy of the CYP1A1 variant alleles, was found to be associated with a 2.03-fold [GG ver. AA/AG, unadjusted OR = 2.03; 95%CI = 1.233-3.342; P = 0.005] increase in the risk of RCC. There was also a significant association (p(trend) = 0.034) between higher frequency of RCC subjects containing at least of copy of the CYP1A1 (val) "variant" genotype with III or IV Fuhrman's grade. Whereas, the CYP2D6 polymorphism did not show any association with RCC risk [TT ver. CT/CC, unadjusted OR = 95%CI = 1.233-3.342; P = 0.005]. There was a significant association (p(trend) = 0.001) between the poor metabolizer CYP2D6 (TT) and progression towards higher pathological stage of RCC. Our data demonstrate for the first time a significant association between pharmacogenetic polymorphisms of CYP1A1 and risk of RCC development in the Indian population. The findings suggest that inter-individual variation in the phase I metabolic enzymes involved in the fictionalization and detoxification of specific xenobiotics is an important susceptibility factor for development and progression of RCC in Indians.

Association of Protein Expression and Methylation of DAPK1 with Clinicopathological Features in Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Patients from Kashmir

Aims: Death-associated protein kinase-1 (DAPK1) is a pro-apoptotic Ser/Thr kinase that participates in cell apoptosis and tumor suppression. DAPK1 is frequently lost in many different tumor types including breast cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the promoter methylation status of DAPK1 and a possible correlation with the expression of DAPK1 and standard clinicopathological features in invasive ductal breast carcinoma patients (IDC). Methods: Methylation Specific PCR (MSP) was carried out to investigate the promoter methylation status of DAPK1 from 128 breast cancer patients. The effect of promoter methylation on protein expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry (n=128) and western blotting (n=56). Results: We found significant difference in DAPK1 promoter methylation frequency among breast tumors when compared with the corresponding normal tissues. Hypermethylation of DAPK1 is significantly correlated with the loss of DAPK1 protein expression (P < .001, rs= -0.361). The loss of DAPK1 protein was significantly associated with estrogen receptor (ER) negativity (p= 0.003), triple negative breast cancer (TNB) (p= 0.024) and advanced tumor stages (P = 0.001). Moreover, age at diagnosis (p= 0.041), tumor stage (p= 0.034), ER negativity (p= 0.004) and TNB cancers (p=0.003) correlated significantly with the hypermethylation of the DAPK1 promoter. Coclusion: This study indicates that DAPK1 is methylated in IDC and promoter hypermethylation could be attributed to silencing of DAPK1 gene expression in breast cancer. Thus, we consider DAPK1 inactivation by promoter hypermethylation likely plays a role in the development and progression of breast cancer.

Anticonvulsant activity of methanolic and aqueous extracts of Melissa parviflora in experimentally induced Swiss albino mice

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anticonvulsant effect of whole plant extracts of Melissa parviflora using MES and PTZ induced seizures models. The dried whole plant was subjected to extraction in methanol and water. The extracts were subjected to phytochemical tests and the carbohydrate, flavonols, coumarins, glycosides and steroid were found to be present. The methanolic and aqueous extracts of the plant of Melissa parviflora were observed for their anticonvulsant activity by Maximal Electroshock seizures (MES) test and Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) test using Swiss albino mice. Both the extracts showed significant activity in MES and PTZ induced convulsions in comparison to control. From the literature surveys as well experiments performed, it can be said that Melissa parviflora does pose anticonvulsant property.

Cor-triatriatum –A Rare Congenital Heart Disease Presented in Adulthoodsurgical treatment in Apollo Hospitals Dhaka

Abstract not available DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/pulse.v5i2.20268 Pulse Vol.5 July 2011 p.58-60

Multi-Omic Analysis of CIC's Functional Networks Reveals Novel Interaction Partners and a Potential Role in Mitotic Fidelity

CIC encodes a transcriptional repressor and MAPK signalling effector that is inactivated by loss-of-function mutations in several cancer types, consistent with a role as a tumour suppressor. Here, we used bioinformatic, genomic, and proteomic approaches to investigate CIC's interaction networks. We observed both previously identified and novel candidate interactions between CIC and SWI/SNF complex members, as well as novel interactions between CIC and cell cycle regulators and RNA processing factors. We found that CIC loss is associated with an increased frequency of mitotic defects in human cell lines and an in vivo mouse model and with dysregulated expression of mitotic regulators. We also observed aberrant splicing in CIC-deficient cell lines, predominantly at 3' and 5' untranslated regions of genes, including genes involved in MAPK signalling, DNA repair, and cell cycle regulation. Our study thus characterises the complexity of CIC's functional network and describes the effect of its loss on cell cycle regulation, mitotic integrity, and transcriptional splicing, thereby expanding our understanding of CIC's potential roles in cancer. In addition, our work exemplifies how multi-omic, network-based analyses can be used to uncover novel insights into the interconnected functions of pleiotropic genes/proteins across cellular contexts.

Abstract 4026: Mechanism of cisplatin resistance and enhanced cell migration in cervical cancer cells expressing PIK3CA-E545K mutation

Platinum-based drugs, in particular cisplatin, are among the most widely used chemotherapeutic agents, used in the treatment of a wide array of solid malignancies. Despite initial therapeutic success, cisplatin treatment often results in the development of resistance, which can lead to therapeutic failure. Despite significant advances in understanding mechanisms of cisplatin resistance in other tumor sites, there are substantial gaps in our molecular knowledge of resistance in cervical cancer. Our group has examined the role of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in cervical cancer patients treated with cisplatin and radiation therapy. The PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway is a promising therapeutic target because it is activated in several human cancers, which is frequently mediated by “hotspot” mutations including E542K, E545K and H1047R in the PIK3CA gene. Moreover, multiple PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway inhibitors have been developed and are currently being evaluated in clinical trials. We previously reported that PIK3CA mutation in patients with early stage (IB/II) cervical cancer was associated with poor survival after treatment with radiation and cisplatin (McIntyre et al. Gynecol Oncol. 2013, PMID: 23266353), and that PIK3CA-E545K mutation renders cervical cancer cells more resistant to cisplatin or cisplatin plus radiation and results in a more migratory phenotype than cell lines with wild type-PIK3CA. Moreover, these phenotypes were reversed by the PI3K inhibitor GDC-0941 (Wani et al. Oncotarget. 2016, PMID: 27489350). The aim of the present study is to explore the mechanism of cisplatin resistance and enhanced migration in cervical cancer cells engineered to express PIK3CA-E545K mutation. Gene expression analysis identified 161 genes that were up regulated and 189 that were down regulated in cervical cancer cells stably expressing PIK3CA-E545K, some of which are involved in pathways relevant to cisplatin resistance. On further validation, we found that Fibronectin1 (FN1) was upregulated at both the mRNA and protein level in cervical cancer cells expressing PIK3CA-E545K. FN1 is a glycoprotein that is widely expressed in multiple cell types and is involved in cellular adhesion and migration. Recent studies have reported that FN1 might have a role in regulating chemoresistance in tumors. However, the effect of FN1 on cisplatin resistance in cervical cancer cells expressing E545K mutation has not been investigated. The present study aims to determine the effect of FN1 expression on cisplatin resistance in cervical cancer cells expressing the PIK3CA-E545K mutation and to explore potential mechanisms of cisplatin resistance and enhanced cell migration in cervical cancer cells.

Citation Format: Arjumand Wani, Shiekh Tanveer Ahmad, Nicholas Jette, Siddhartha Goutam, Corinne M. Doll, Susan P. Miller. Mechanism of cisplatin resistance and enhanced cell migration in cervical cancer cells expressing PIK3CA-E545K mutation [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4026.

Nephroprotective action of Peucedanum grande against cadmium chloride induced renal toxicity in Wistar rats

Cadmium is a known industrial pollutant which accumulates in the kidney and its exposure leads to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The present study was carried out to evaluate the protective effects of Peucedanum grande against CdCl2 induced renal toxicity in Wistar rats. Wistar rats were subjected to oral pre-treatment of P. grande (60 and 120 mg/kg b.wt) against the renal toxicity induced by administration of CdCl2 (3mg/kg b.wt). Efficacy of P. grande against the renal toxicity was evaluated in terms of biochemical estimation of antioxidant enzyme activities and histopathological changes. P. grande pretreatment prevented deteriorative effects induced by CdCl2 through a protective mechanism that involved reduction of increased oxidative stress as well as by restoration of histopathological changes against CdCl2 administration.

Loss of Elp1 in cerebellar granule cell progenitors models ataxia phenotype of Familial Dysautonomia

Familial Dysautonomia (FD) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by a splice site mutation in the gene ELP1, which disproportionally affects neurons. While classically characterized by deficits in sensory and autonomic neurons, neuronal defects in the central nervous system have also been described. Although ELP1 expression remains high in the normal developing and adult cerebellum, its role in cerebellar development is unknown. To explore the role of Elp1 in the cerebellum, we knocked out Elp1 in cerebellar granule cell progenitors (GCPs) and examined the outcome on animal behavior and cellular composition. We found that GCP-specific conditional knockout of Elp1 (Elp1cKO) resulted in ataxia by 8 weeks of age. Cellular characterization showed that the animals had smaller cerebella with fewer granule cells. This defect was already apparent as early as 7 days after birth, when Elp1cKO animals also had fewer mitotic GCPs and shorter Purkinje dendrites. Through molecular characterization, we found that loss of Elp1 was associated with an increase in apoptotic cell death and cell stress pathways in GCPs. Our study demonstrates the importance of ELP1 in the developing cerebellum, and suggests that loss of Elp1 in the GC lineage may also play a role in the progressive ataxia phenotypes of FD patients.