Objective To study the in vivo and in vitro effects of adding oxygen carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to chemotherapy for breast cancer. Methods MCF-7 and SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells were co-cultured with paclitaxel and then exposed to oxygen-CNTs under hypoxic conditions. Cell proliferation, viability, and apoptosis rate were analyzed. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) expression was measured using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot. Nude mice were used as a human breast cancer model to explore the impact of oxygen-CNTs on the in vivo chemotherapeutic effect of paclitaxel. Results Oxygen-CNTs had no significant effects on the growth of breast cancer cells under normoxia and hypoxia. However, in the hypoxic environment, oxygen-CNTs significantly enhanced the inhibitory effect of paclitaxel on cell proliferation, as well as the apoptosis rate. Under hypoxia, downregulation of HIF-1α and upregulation of caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9, LC3 and Beclin-1 were observed when paclitaxel was combined with oxygen-CNT. Furthermore, addition of oxygen-CNTs to chemotherapy was found to significantly reduce tumor weight in the tumor-bearing mice model. Conclusions Oxygen-CNTs can significantly increase the chemotherapeutic effect of paclitaxel on breast cancer cells. Oxygen-CNTs may be a potential chemosensitizer in breast cancer therapy.
Introduction The aim of present study was to profile the glucose-dependent and glutamine- dependent metabolism in pancreatic cancer. Methods We performed Immunohistochemical staining of GLUT1, CAIX, BNIP3, p62, LC3, GLUD1, and GOT1. Based on the expression of metabolism-related proteins, the metabolic phenotypes of tumors were classified into two categories, including glucose- and glutamine-dependent metabolism. There were Warburg type, reverse Warburg type, mixed type, and null type in glucose-dependent metabolism, and canonical type, non-canonical type, mixed type, null type in glutamine-dependent metabolism. Results Longer overall survival was associated with high expression of BNIP3 in tumor (p = 0.010). Shorter overall survival was associated with high expression of GLUT1 in tumor (P = 0.002) and GOT1 in tumor (p = 0.030). Warburg type of glucose-dependent metabolism had a highest percentage of tumors with nerve infiltration (P = 0.0003), UICC stage (P = 0.0004), and activated autophagic status in tumor (P = 0.0167). Mixed type of glucose-dependent metabolism comprised the highest percentage of tumors with positive marginal status (P<0.0001), lymphatic invasion (P<0.0001), and activated autophagic status in stroma (P = 0.0002). Mixed type and Warburg type had a significant association with shorter overall survival (P = 0.018). Non-canonical type and mixed type of glutamine-dependent metabolism comprised the highest percentage of tumors with vascular invasion (p = 0.0073), highest percentage of activated autophagy in tumors (P = 0.0034). Moreover, these two types of glutamine-dependent metabolism were significantly associated with shorter overall survival (P<0.001). Further analysis suggested that most of tumors were dependent on both glucose- and glutamine-dependent metabolism. After dividing the tumors according to the number of metabolism, we found that the increasing numbers of metabolism subtypes inversely associated with survival outcome. Conclusion Warburg type, non-canonical type and mixed types of glucose- and glutamine-dependent metabolism comprised of more metabolically active, biologically aggressive and poor prognostic tumors. Moreover, the increasing subtypes and categories of the metabolism in each tumor significantly associated with poor prognosis.
Growth hormone (GH) inhibits fat accumulation and promotes protein accretion, therefore the fall in GH observed with weight gain and normal aging may contribute to metabolic dysfunction. To directly test this hypothesis a novel mouse model of adult onset-isolated GH deficiency (AOiGHD) was generated by cross breeding rat GH promoter-driven Cre recombinase mice (Cre) with inducible diphtheria toxin receptor mice (iDTR) and treating adult Cre+/−,iDTR+/− offspring with DT to selectively destroy the somatotrope population of the anterior pituitary gland, leading to a reduction in circulating GH and IGF-I levels. DT-treated Cre−/−,iDTR+/− mice were used as GH-intact controls. AOiGHD improved whole body insulin sensitivity in both low-fat and high-fat fed mice. Consistent with improved insulin sensitivity, indirect calorimetry revealed AOiGHD mice preferentially utilized carbohydrates for energy metabolism, as compared to GH-intact controls. In high-fat, but not low-fat fed AOiGHD mice, fat mass increased, hepatic lipids decreased and glucose clearance and insulin output were impaired. These results suggest the age-related decline in GH helps to preserve systemic insulin sensitivity, and in the context of moderate caloric intake, prevents the deterioration in metabolic function. However, in the context of excess caloric intake, low GH leads to impaired insulin output, and thereby could contribute to the development of diabetes.
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