The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of thalidomide, a drug known for its anti‑angiogenic and antitumor properties, at its cytotoxic dose previously determined as 40 µg/ml (according to four cytotoxic test results). The effect of the drug alone and in combination with radiotherapy using Cobalt 60 (60Co) at 45 Gy on the enzymatic activity of substance‑P degrading A disinte...

PURPOSE It is established that bisphosphonates (BPs), specific inhibitors of osteoclasts, have beneficial effects on bone metastases of breast cancer. In addition, recent studies have reported that BPs have anticancer effects and suppress visceral metastases, too. However, the results of clinical studies are still conflicting. In the present study, we examined the effects of the BP zoledronic a...

Theranostic nanomedicine has emerged as a promising modality for cancer diagnosis and treatment. In this study, we report the fabrication of fluorescence gold nanoclusters (GNC) conjugated with a cisplatin prodrug and folic acid (FA) (FA-GNC-Pt) for fluorescence imaging and targeted chemotherapy of breast cancer. The physio-chemical properties of FA-GNC-Pt nanoparticles are thoroughly character...

When monitoring response to cancer therapy, it is important to differentiate changes in glucose tracer uptake caused by altered delivery versus a true metabolic shift. Here, we propose an optical imaging method to quantify glucose uptake and correct for in vivo delivery effects. Glucose uptake was measured using a fluorescent D-glucose derivative 2-(N-(7-Nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)Amino)-2...

CD1-deficient mice reject established, disseminated 4T1 metastatic mammary cancer and survive indefinitely if their primary mammary tumors are surgically removed. This highly effective immune surveillance is due to three interacting mechanisms: (a) the generation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS)-producing M1 macrophages that are tumoricidal for 4T1 tumor cells; (b) a rapid decrease in ...

Recently, the cancer stem cell hypothesis has gained significant recognition as the descriptor of tumorigenesis. Although previous studies relied on transplanting human or rat tumor cells into immunecompromised mice, our study used the Hoechst 33342 dye-based side population (SP) technique to isolate and transplant stem cell-like cancer cells (SCLCCs) from the 4T1 and NXS2 murine carcinoma cell...

Background Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting women and has a high incidence of bone metastasis, causing osteolytic lesions. The elevated expression of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) in cancer activates osteoclasts, leading to bone destruction. We previously reported that α-tocopheryl succinate (αTP-suc) inhibited interleukin-1-induced RANKL expres...

BACKGROUND Kefir is a unique cultured product that contains beneficial probiotics. Kefir culture from other parts of the world exhibits numerous beneficial qualities such as anti-inflammatory, immunomodulation, and anticancer effects. Nevertheless, kefir cultures from different parts of the world exert different effects because of variation in culture conditions and media. Breast cancer is the ...

This study was conducted to investigate the cytotoxicity and apoptosis effect of A. crispa extract and its solvent partition (ethyl acetate and aqueous extract) against Mus musculus mammary carcinoma cell line (4T1). The normal mouse fibroblast cell line (NIH3T3) was used as comparison for selective cytotoxicity properties. The cytotoxicity evaluation was assessed using MTT assay. AO/PI dual fl...

Factors secreted by primary tumors can alter the microenvironment at distant organ sites, generating pre-metastatic niches for subsequent metastatic cancer cell colonization. Breast cancer cells have a propensity to home preferentially to the lung, but the underlying molecular mechanisms whereby primary breast carcinoma-derived factors affect the pre-metastatic lung environment before the arriv...