hexacyanoferrate-iii and Neoplasms

Prussian blue(PB),a kind of ferrous ferricyanide composed of Fe2+and Fe3+,has been approved by Food and Drug Administration(FDA,USA)as an oral drug for the treatment of thallium and cesium poisoning.The biosafety of PB has been proved by long-term clinical trials.In recent years,PB nano-materials have attracted intensive research interests for medical application,especially for tumor imaging and treatment of cancer.Compared to other nano-materials,PB has potential advantage in medical application due to the high biosafety.This paper reviews the new advances in the functions of cancer diagnosis and therapy of PB nano-materials.

Topics: Ferricyanides; Ferrocyanides; Humans; Nanostructures; Neoplasms

The variations in microRNA (miRNA) expression levels can be useful biomarkers for the diagnosis of different cancers. In this work, on the basis of a new miRNA-triggered molecular machine for enzyme-free target recycling signal amplification, the development of a simple electronic sensor for highly sensitive detection of miRNA-21 from human breast cancer cells is described. The three-stand DNA duplex probes are self-assembled on the gold electrode surface to fabricate the sensor. The miRNA-21 target binds to the terminal toehold region of the probes, displaces one of the short strands through toehold-mediated strand displacement reactions, and exposes the secondary toehold region for subsequent hybridization with the methylene blue (MB)-modified DNA fuel strand, which further displaces both the miRNA-21 target and the other short strand to activate the operation of the molecular machine. As a result, the miRNA-21 target is cyclically reused, and many MB-DNA fuel strands are attached to the sensor surface, leading to a significantly amplified current response for sensitive detection of miRNA-21 down to 1.4 fM. The developed sensor also shows high sequence discrimination capability and can be used to monitor miRNA-21 expression levels in cancer cells. Moreover, this sensor avoids the involvement of any enzymes for target recycling amplification and features with highly minimized background noise for miRNA detection, which makes this method hold great potential for convenient monitoring of different miRNA biomarkers for early diagnosis of various cancers.

Topics: Biosensing Techniques; DNA Probes; Electrochemical Techniques; Female; Ferricyanides; HeLa Cells; Humans; MCF-7 Cells; Methylene Blue; MicroRNAs; Neoplasms; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; Nucleic Acid Hybridization; Signal-To-Noise Ratio

Utilizing a peptide nucleic acid (PNA)-modified electrode and a single-stranded DNA specific endonuclease, a novel electrochemical method to identify DNA mutations has been developed and represents a totally new strategy for the electrochemical diagnosis of human genetic mutations.

Topics: Base Pair Mismatch; BRCA1 Protein; DNA; DNA, Single-Stranded; Electrochemical Techniques; Electrodes; Endonucleases; Ferricyanides; Humans; Mutation; Neoplasms; Peptide Nucleic Acids; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide

F2The host defense against tumor cells is in part based upon the production of nitric oxide (NO) by activated macrophages. However, carcinogenesis may involve mechanisms that protect tumor cells from NO-mediated apoptosis. In the present study, we have assessed the effects of exogenous NO on the proliferation and survival of human liver (AKN-1), lung (A549), skin (HaCat), and pancreatic (Capan-2) tumor cell lines, compared with normal skin-derived epithelial cell cultures. Except to the HaCat cell line, all of the other human epithelioid cells were sensitive to the antiproliferation effect of S-nitroso-N-acetyl-penicillamine or Deta NONOate, whereas tumor cells had low if any response to sodium nitroprusside. Growth inhibition with exogenous NO correlated with increased apoptosis, but was not mediated by cyclic GMP, peroxynitrite generation, or poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase modulation, all of which involved in NO-mediated growth inhibition of normal skin-derived epithelial cell cultures. The simultaneous addition of iron-containing compounds protected tumor cells from NO-mediated growth inhibition and apoptosis. Intracellular iron quantification indicated that, as deferoxamine, exogenous NO significantly decreased intracellular ferric iron levels in tumor cells. Together, the current study reveals that intracellular iron elevation rescues tumor cells from NO-mediated iron depletion and subsequent growth inhibition and apoptosis.

Topics: Apoptosis; Cell Cycle; Ferricyanides; Humans; Iron; Neoplasms; Nitric Oxide; Nitric Oxide Donors; Penicillamine; S-Nitroso-N-Acetylpenicillamine; Signal Transduction; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Topics: Carbohydrate Metabolism; Cyanides; Ferricyanides; Humans; Iron; Neoplasms; Potassium