Introduction: Oxidative stress and neuroinflammation are involved in neurodegeneration procedure in Parkinson’s disease. Recently, neuroprotective potential of Boswellia resin has been demonstrated. Therefore, this study examined whether administration of Boswellia resin would attenuate MPP+-induced neuronal death in SK-N-SH- cell line, a human dopaminergic neurons- in vitro.Methods: Boswellia resin extract was added to culture medium (10 mg/ml) before and after exposure of SK-N-SH cell line to MPP+ (1000 mM). Cell viability and apoptosis features were assessed using MTT and Hoechst staining, respectively.Results: Treatment with Boswellia resin 2 and 3h prior to MPP o exposure and up to 60 minutes after MPP o exposure significantly increased cell viability compare to untreated cells. Apoptotic features were also reduced significantly by Boswellia resin (10 mg/ml) compare to that of control untreated cells.Discussion: Boswellia resin has neuroprotective effects on dopaminergic neurons which can be applicable in Parkinson’s disease.

PSA is a 33-KDa serine protease that is produced predominantly by prostate epithelium. However, it has been shown that about 30-40% of female breast tumors produce PSA and its production is associated with the presence of estrogen and progesterone receptors. We have now developed a new tissue culture system to study PSA production in breast cancer and its association with prognostic factors such as progesterone receptor andc-erbB-2. For this purpose we investigated the ability of PSA production in five different cell lines, including two breast cancer cell lines, SK-Br-3 and MDA-MB-453.The PSA in tissue culture supernatant and cytoplasm of the Sk-Br-3 cell line was detected by western blotting and immunoperoxidase, respectively. Furthermore, we found lower expression of c-erbB-2 in Sk-Br-3 than non-PSA producer breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB- 453. Progesterone receptor was expressed by both PSA-positive and –negative cell lines and only the intensity of staining and the number of positive cells in Sk- Br-3 population was higher than MDA-MB-453.According to our findings PSA can be considered as a good prognostic factor in breast cancer and we suggest that these two cell lines are a good in vitro model to study the relationship of different breast cancer prognostic factors and their regulations.      

Background: The main reason for treatment failure and the primary cause of breast cancer deaths is metastasis. Cancer features, such as epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasiveness, stemness, and ability to metastasize, are significantly influenced by oxidative stress. Objectives: The primary objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of human Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stem cell secretomes (hWJMSCs-Se) on oxidant contents and development of the breast cancer SK-BR3 cell line and alterations in EMT markers genes after treatment. Methods: SK-BR3 cells received 48 hours of treatment with 10, 25, or 50 μg/mL hWJMSCs-Se. The MTT test and colony formation were used to evaluate the SK-BR3 cells’ viability and proliferation capability. By using annexin V/propidium iodide (PI) staining, apoptosis was determined. The messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression levels in genes associated with antioxidants were additionally assessed. Antioxidant enzyme activity was checked after SK-BR3 treatment with hWJMSCs-Se. Results: In the hWJMSCs-Se-treated SK-BR3 cells, colony counts, and viability percentages decreased significantly with time and concentration. The treated cells displayed considerably greater apoptotic indices when compared to the control. Catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, and glutathione (GSH) content were significantly greater in the hWJMSCs-Se-exposed SK-BR3 cells. The Vimentin gene and N-cadherin gene were significantly elevated in the treated cells, and E-cadherin and β-catenin decreased conversely. Conclusions: The present study suggests that the use of hWJMSCs in the treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive malignancies provides an innovative solution for cancer therapy. As the oxidant level and EMT pathway decreased, breast cancer cell growth was significantly restricted, and mortality increased.

Objective: Parkinson’ s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by loss of dopaminergic neurons. Several experimental studies have shown neuroprotective and antioxidant effects for Artemisia absinthium. The present study was designed to assess the effect of A. absinthium on 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced toxicity in SH-SY5Y cells. Materials and Methods: SH-SY5Y cells were treated with ethanolic extract of A. absinthium for 24 hr and then, exposed to 6-OHDA (250 μ M) for another 24 hr. MTT (3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay was used for evaluation of cell viability. Moreover, the rate of apoptosis was measured using propidium iodide (PI) staining. The amount of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) was also measured using 2’ , 7’ – dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFDA) fluorometric method. Determination of glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was done by colorimetric assay using DTNB [5, 5′-Dithiobis (2-nitrobenzoic acid)] and pyrogallol respectively. Results: While 6-OHDA significantly increased ROS and apoptosis (p<0. 001), the extract of A. absinthium significantly reduced ROS and cell apoptosis at concentrations ranging from 6. 25 to 25 μ g/mL (p<0. 01 and p<0. 001 respectively). Also, the extract significantly reduced MDA level in comparison with 6-OHDA (p<0. 001). The GSH level and SOD activity were increased by the extract. Conclusion: Findings of the current study showed that A. absinthium exerts it effect through inhibiting oxidative stress parameters and it can be considered a promising candidate to be used in combination with the conventional medications for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease.