We read with great interest the editorial published by Uomo et al. in the 2010 May issue of JOP. J Pancreas (Online) titled: “Inflammation and Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: A Potential Scenario for Novel Drug Targets” [1]. There is a growing amount of evidence that inflammation plays a contributory role in the pathogenesis of cancer, including pancreatic carcinogenesis. Inflammatory states ...

Asbestos fibers cause persistent induction of the oxidative stress sensitive transcription factors nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-kappa B) and activator protein-1 (AP-1) in mammalian cells. These transcription factors play an important role in the regulation of cellular activity. Lipid peroxidation, mediated by reactive oxygen species, is thought to be a possible mechanism in the pathogenicity of a...

Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation of synovial joints, ultimately leading to a progressive and irreversible joint destruction. Activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) promotes production of proinflammatory cytokines in various inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis. Mangiferin, 1,3,6,7-tetrahydroxyxanthone-C2-β-D-glucos...

It has previously been shown that hyperoxia induces nonapoptotic cell death in cultured lung epithelial cells, whereas hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and paraquat cause apoptosis. To test whether pathways leading to oxidative apoptosis in epithelial cells are sensitive to molecular O(2), A549 cells were exposed to 95% O(2) prior to exposure to lethal concentrations of H(2)O(2). The extent of H(2)...

OBJECTIVE To assess circulating levels of derived reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs) in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA), before and during antitumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α therapy. METHODS Patients with active RA and failed previous treatment with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs received subcutaneous anti-TNF-α for 52 weeks. Circulating hydrogen peroxide was quantified ...

A bystander effect is biological changes in non-irradiated cells by transmitted signals from irradiated bystander cells, which causes the radiation toxic effects on the adjacent non-irradiated tissues. This phenomenon occurs by agents such as ionizing radiation, ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and chemotherapy. The bystander effect includes biological processes such as damage to DNA, cell death, ch...

Anthocyanins are polyphenolic ring-based flavonoids, and are widespread in fruits and vegetables of red-blue color. Epidemiological investigations and animal experiments have indicated that anthocyanins may contribute to cancer chemoprevention. The studies on the mechanism have been done recently at molecular level. This review summarizes current molecular bases for anthocyanidins on several ke...