Breast cancer therapy affects the expression of antineonatal Nav1.5 antibodies in the serum of patients with breast cancer

Neonatal Nav1.5 (nNav1.5) is the alternative splice variant of Nav1.5 and it has been widely associated with the progression of breast cancer. The immunological context of nNav1.5 with respect to breast cancer metastases remains unexplored. The presence of antibodies against nNav1.5 may highlight the immunogenicity of nNav1.5. Hence, the aim of the present study was to detect the presence of antineonatal Nav1.5 antibodies (antinNav1.5-Ab) in the serum of patients with breast cancer and to elucidate the effects of breast cancer therapy on its expression. A total of 32 healthy female volunteers and 64 patients with breast cancer were randomly recruited into the present study as the control and breast cancer group, respectively. Patients with breast cancer were divided equally based on their pre- and ongoing-treatment status. Serum samples were tested with in-house indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect antinNav1.5-Ab, CD25 (T regulatory cell marker) using an ELISA kit and Luminex assay to detect the expression of metastasis-associated cytokines, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, IL-8, chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) The mean difference in the expression of antinNav1.5-Ab among the three groups (control, pretreatment and ongoing-treatment) was significant (P=0.0005) and the pretreatment breast cancer group exhibited the highest expression. The concentration of CD25 was highest in the pretreatment breast cancer group compared with the control and ongoing-treatment groups. There was a significant positive correlation between antinNav1.5-Ab and IL-6 in the pretreatment group (r=0.7260; P=0.0210) and a significant negative correlation between antinNav1.5-Ab and VEGF in the ongoing-treatment group (r=-0.842; P-value=0.0040). The high expression of antinNav1.5-Ab in the pretreatment group was in accordance with the uninterrupted presence of metastasis and highlighted the immunogenicity of nNav1.5 whereas the low expression of antinNav1.5-Ab in the ongoing-treatment group reflected the efficacy of breast cancer therapy in eliminating metastases. The augmented manifestation of T regulatory cells in the pretreatment group highlighted the functional role of nNav1.5 in promoting metastasis. The parallel expression of antinNav1.5-Ab with the imbalanced expression of cytokines promoting metastasis (IL-8, IL-6 and TNF-α) and cytokines that prevent metastasis (IL-10) indicated the role of nNav1.5 in breast cancer growth. The expression of antinNav1.5-Ab in accordance to the metastatic microenvironment indicates the immunogenicity of the protein and highlights the influence of breast cancer therapy on its expression level.

Lignosus rhinocerotis Cooke Ryvarden ameliorates airway inflammation, mucus hypersecretion and airway hyperresponsiveness in a murine model of asthma

Lignosus rhinocerotis Cooke. (L. rhinocerotis) is a medicinal mushroom traditionally used in the treatment of asthma and several other diseases by the indigenous communities in Malaysia. In this study, the effects of L. rhinocerotis on allergic airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness were investigated. L. rhinocerotis extract (LRE) was prepared by hot water extraction using soxhlet. Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) study was performed in house dust mite (HDM)-induced asthma in Balb/c mice while airway inflammation study was performed in ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma in Sprague-Dawley rats. Treatment with different doses of LRE (125, 250 and 500 mg/kg) significantly inhibited AHR in HDM-induced mice. Treatment with LRE also significantly decreased the elevated IgE in serum, Th2 cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and ameliorated OVA-induced histological changes in rats by attenuating leukocyte infiltration, mucus hypersecretion and goblet cell hyperplasia in the lungs. LRE also significantly reduced the number of eosinophils and neutrophils in BALF. Interestingly, a significant reduction of the FOXP3+ regulatory T lymphocytes was observed following OVA induction, but the cells were significantly elevated with LRE treatment. Subsequent analyses on gene expression revealed regulation of several important genes i.e. IL17A, ADAM33, CCL5, IL4, CCR3, CCR8, PMCH, CCL22, IFNG, CCL17, CCR4, PRG2, FCER1A, CLCA1, CHIA and Cma1 which were up-regulated following OVA induction but down-regulated following treatment with LRE. In conclusion, LRE alleviates allergy airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness, thus suggesting its therapeutic potential as a new armamentarium against allergic asthma.

Passage Number of 4T1 Cells Influences the Development of Tumour and the Progression of Metastasis in 4T1 Orthotopic Mice

Background

The study was aimed to elucidate the influence of passage number of 4T1 cells for the development of the ideal tumour model.

Methods

A total of 24 female BALB/c mice was divided equally into three groups: i) control (phosphate buffered saline [PBS] only); ii) group A (subjected to 4T1 cells of passage number 9) and iii) group B (subjected to 4T1 cells of passage number 10). The injections were introduced at the 3rd mammary pad of the mice. The net volume of the tumours was examined. Histopathological analysis was conducted to compare the extent of metastasis in the different groups of mice.

Results

Group B had a higher net volume of 4T1 tumour as compared to group A (P = 0.042). The coefficient of variation in the net volume of 4T1 tumour for group A was higher (135.3%) as compared to group B (40.79%). Group A only exhibited metastasis on the lungs, liver and spleen whereas group B showed metastasis to the heart, spleen, lungs and liver.

Conclusion

The use of 4T1 cells from passage number 10 is more ideal for the development of 4T1 tumour.

Subacute Toxicity Evaluation of Methanolic Extract of Syzygium polyanthum in Rats

Syzygium polyanthum (Wight) Walp. var. polyanthum (serai kayu) leaves is a popular herb and widely used in traditional medicine. Despite the ethnomedicinal benefits, very limited studies have researched on the toxicity of this plant. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential effects of methanolic extract of Syzygium polyanthum (MESP) leaves via 28-day repeated oral dosing in Sprague Dawley rats. MESP leaves was administered at doses of 0 (control), 400, 1000 or 2000 mg/kg to an equal number of male and female rats (n = 10/group). Results obtained indicated that MESP did not affect the general conditions (body weight, feed intake and oestrous cycle) and apparent behavioural changes of the rats. Biochemical parameters revealed a slight significant variation in the aspartate aminotransferase (AST) level between the male rats treated with the lowest and highest doses of MESP, but these findings were both statistically insignificant when compared to the control group. The liver of the males (dose 1000 and 2000 mg/kg/day) also exhibited histoarchitectural defects on the hepatocytes and cytoplasm when compared to those of the control group. In contrast, female rats did not encounter any significant findings in all parameters tested. In conclusion, this study suggests that the MESP leaves might exhibit sex-based variation effects and thus, the use of this extract particularly at higher doses should be thoroughly considered.

General toxicity studies of alpha mangostin from Garcinia mangostana: A systematic review

Alpha mangostin (AM), the main xanthone derivative contained in mangosteen pericarp (Garcinia mangostana/GM), has many pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, antiproliferation, antiinflammatory, and anticancer. Several general toxicity studies of AM have been previously reported to assess the safety profile of AM. Toxicity studies were carried out by various methods such as on test animals, interventions, and various routes of administration, but the test results have not been well documented. Our study aimed to systematically summarizes research on the safety profile of GM containing AM through general toxicity tests to get the LD₅₀ and NOAEL values, and so, can be used as a database related to AM toxicity profiles. This could facilitate other researchers in determining further development of GM-or-AM-based products. Pubmed, Google scholar, ScienceDirect, and EBSCO were chosen to collect the articles while ARRIVE 2.0 was used to evaluate the quality and risk-of-bias of the in vivo toxicity studies included in this systematic review. A total of 20 articles met the eligibility criteria and were reviewed to predict the LD₅₀ and NOAEL of AM. The results showed that the LD₅₀ of AM is between >15.480 mg/kgBW to ≤6000 mg/kgBW while the NOAEL value is between <100 and ≤2000 mg/kgBW.

Circulating Neonatal NAV1.5 (nNAV1.5) Antigen and Anti-nNAV1.5 Antibodies as Potential Biomarkers for Breast Cancer Metastasis

Neonatal Nav1.5 (nNav1.5) has been known to potentiate breast cancer (BCa) metastasis. The detection of anti-nNav1.5 antibodies (anti-nNav1.5-Ab) reflects the immunogenicity of nNav1.5. However, the presences of circulating nNav1.5 antigen and anti-nNav1.5-Ab in the context of BCa metastasis have not been explored yet. Therefore, the study has attempted to conduct such an investigation using both blood samples from 4T1 orthotopic mice and BCa patients. In the preclinical study, forty female BALB/c mice were divided into three groups: 4T1 orthotopic BCa mice (n=17), control mice (n=20) and positive control mice (n=3). After tumour development, the mice were sacrificed to obtain target organs, whole blood, and serum. Histopathology, cytokine analyses, real-time PCR, and indirect ELISA were performed. Histopathology and cytokine analyses showed the establishment of metastasis in 4T1 orthotopic mice. The concentration of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was significantly higher in the 4T1 orthotopic mice (P<0.0001****). Circulating nNav1.5 antigen and anti-nNav1.5-Ab were detected in 4T1 orthotopic mice, using real-time PCR and indirect ELISA, respectively. Furthermore, there was an inverse relationship between anti-nNav1.5-Ab and the total metastatic foci (P=0.0485*, r=-0.7306). In the clinical study, 32 BCa patients were grouped based on their stages: early-invasive (n=15) and advanced (n=17) stages. Approximately 3 mL of blood was withdrawn, and only indirect ELISA was conducted. The clinical study showed that BCa patients of advanced-stages portrayed higher expression of anti-nNav1.5-Ab compared to early stages of BCa (P =0.0110*). In conclusion, the detection of nNav1.5 antigen and anti-nNav1.5-Ab was consistent with the presence of BCa metastasis.

Evaluation of the Teratogenicity of Aqueous Extract of Labisia pumila var. alata in rats

A dose range study to assess the teratogenic potential of aqueous extract of Labisia pumila var. alata (Kacip Fatimah) was conducted in rodents. The extract at doses of 0 (control), 2, 20, 200, 400, 1000 mg/kg/day were respectively administered by gavaging to 6 groups of pregnant Sprague Dawley rats from day 6 through day 16 of pregnancy and sacrificed on day 21. No significant agent-related effects including changes in maternal body weight (MBW) nor weight gain were observed. The corrected maternal body weights (CMBW) were slightly higher in animals receiving low dose extracts (2 mg/kg/day) as compared to all groups of animals. However, body weight differences were not statistically significant. Gravid uterine weight, number of corpora lutea, number of implantation sites, percentage of foetal resorptions, number of life foetuses, foetal weight and foetal sex ratio showed no significant differences among all group animals. None of the foetuses from all dams showed evidence of external congenital malformations. These findings may suggest that aqueous extracts of Labisia pumila var. alata up to 1000 mg/kg/day statistically do not show any significant teratogenic effects in rats but do affect the maternal body weight and this is dose dependent.

In vivo toxicity of chitosan-based nanoparticles: a systematic review

Chitosan nanoparticles have been extensively utilised as polymeric drug carriers in nanoparticles formulations due to their potential to enhance drug delivery, efficacy, and safety. Numerous toxicity studies have been previously conducted to assess the safety profile of chitosan-based nanoparticles. These toxicity studies employed various methodologies, including test animals, interventions, and different routes of administration. This review aims to summarise research on the safety profile of chitosan-based nanoparticles in drug delivery, with a focus on general toxicity tests to determine LD50 and NOAEL values. It can serve as a repository and reference for chitosan-based nanoparticles, facilitating future research and further development of drugs delivery system using chitosan nanoparticles. Publications from 2014 to 2024 were obtained from PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect, in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria.The ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines were employed to evaluate the quality and risk-of-bias in the in vivo toxicity studies. The results demonstrated favourable toxicity profiles, often exhibiting reduced toxicity compared to free drugs or substances. Acute toxicity studies consistently reported high LD50 values, frequently exceeding 5000 mg/kg body weight, while subacute studies typically revealed no significant adverse effects. Various routes of administration varied, including oral, intravenous, intraperitoneal, inhalation, and topical, each demonstrating promising safety profiles.

Evaluation of the Male and Female Fertility and Teratogenic Effects of Lignosus rhinocerotis (Cooke) Ryvarden in Rats

Lignosus rhinocerotis (Cooke) Ryvarden (LR) or tiger milk mushroom has traditionally been used in Malaysia due to its abundant medicinal properties. The potential effects of LR on the male and female fertility and teratogenicity were investigated on rats. Male Sprague Dawley (10 rats/group) were orally administered with 0, 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg/day of LR extract for 30 consecutive days. Female (5 rats/group) received the same treatment beginning the dioestrus of pre-mating, through mating periods and continuously up to day 20 of pregnancy while the rest of the females (5 rats/group) were left untreated. Evaluation on general health, behaviour, body weight and organ weights; reproductive and internal organs were carried out. Male fertility parameters such as the reproductive performance and hormones as well as sperm analysis were examined. Maternal gross assessment at autopsy and detailed foetal examination were conducted to determine the teratogenicity. The findings obtained on the male animals showed that no significant deleterious effects on the general health, body weight, reproductive and visceral organs weight, reproductive performance, hormones and sperm analysis of up to 1000 mg/kg/day daily doses of LR. Foetal parameters and gross examination of pregnant dams at autopsy showed that the extract did not affect the fertility of the rats and teratogenicity of the litters. Our findings showed that no treatment-related toxicity on the fertility of male and female rats in all groups following LR treatment. The herbal extract also did not result in teratogenic effects on the offspring of the treated dams.