Biological Trace Element Research

Synthesis and Characterization of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles of Solanum nigrum and Its Anticancer Activity via the Induction of Apoptosis in Cervical Cancer

Effective cancer therapy can be achieved by using nano-drug delivery systems which provide a targeted drug delivery strategy by overcoming the drawbacks of conventional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation. ZnO nanoparticles are a potent anticancer agent that causes tumor cell destruction with the targeted drug delivery. In this present study, green synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles has been done using the plant Solanum nigrum. The synthesized ZnO nanoparticles were studied by the characterization techniques like UV-visible spectroscopy, SEM, TEM, DLS, zeta potential, FTIR, and XRD. The synthesized ZnO nanoparticles of Solanum nigrum exhibited a significant anticancer activity against HeLa cell lines through the apoptotic pathway. The cytotoxicity of ZnO nanoparticles was assessed using MTT assay, wound healing assay, DAPI staining, and acridine orange and ethidium bromide double staining. The expression patterns of β-catenin, p53, caspase-3, and caspase-9 were analyzed using reverse transcriptase-PCR. The results obtained from the study indicate that the ZnO nanoparticles of Solanum nigrum possess a dose-dependent cytotoxic effect against HeLa cell lines through the inhibition of β-catenin and increasing the levels of p53, caspase-3, and caspase-9.

Elemental Composition of Women's Fingernails: A Comparative Analysis Between Cervical Cancer Patients and Healthy Individuals

This study investigates elemental composition differences in fingernails between cervical cancer patients and healthy individuals using the Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence (TXRF) method. A total of 43 fingernail samples from women diagnosed with cervical cancer and 40 from age-matched healthy controls were analyzed. The results revealed significantly higher concentrations of essential elements (Mn, Fe, and Cu) and toxic elements (Cr, As, Br, and Pb) in cancer patients. In contrast, essential elements such as Ca, Zn, and Se were found at lower levels in cancerous patients. The deficiencies in Ca, Zn, and Se are likely influenced by dietary factors, whereas the elevated levels of Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, As, Br, and Pb may be linked to environmental pollution. Strong positive correlations of elements in the fingernails of cancer patients were found between K-As, Ca-Se, Ti-Cr, Ti-Fe, Ti-Cu, Ti-Pb, Cr-Fe, Cr-Pb, Fe-Pb, Cu-Pb, As-Pb, and Sb-Ba. In contrast, strong negative correlations were observed between Ca-Ti, Ca-Pb, Cr-Zn, Fe-Zn, Cu-Zn, Cu-Se, Zn-Pb, and Se-Pb. Meanwhile, a strong positive correlation between Zn-Se and a strong negative correlation between K-Se were observed in the fingernails of healthy controls. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed the essential and toxic elements shift between cancer patients and healthy controls. The study showed significant differences in element distribution patterns and interrelationships in the fingernails of cancer patients compared to the controls. It was concluded that the considerable changes in fingernail element concentrations were associated with disease risk, specifically cervical cancer. Monitoring and regulating the intake of essential elements while controlling exposure to toxic elements could be beneficial for cervical cancer patients.

Serum Calcium and Magnesium Levels in Women with Uterine Fibroids in Southwest Nigeria: a Cross-sectional Study

Studies have suggested the potential roles of serum macronutrients such as calcium and magnesium in the development of uterine fibroids. The primary objective was to assess the association between serum magnesium and calcium levels and the prevalence of uterine fibroids in women of reproductive age. A cross-sectional study of 194 parity-matched women with or without a sonographic diagnosis of uterine fibroids enrolled at a university teaching hospital in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria. Participants' sociodemographic, ultrasound, and anthropometric information as well as the estimated serum levels of calcium and magnesium were collected for statistical analyses. This study found significant negative associations between low serum calcium levels and uterine fibroids (adjusted odds ratio = 0.06), uterine size, and the number of fibroid nodules. However, no significant association was observed between serum magnesium levels and uterine fibroids. This study found significant inverse associations between low serum calcium levels and uterine fibroids, uterine size, and the number of fibroid nodules.

Molecular Characterization of Cuproptosis-related lncRNAs: Defining Molecular Subtypes and a Prognostic Signature of Ovarian Cancer

Cuproptosis, a newly discovered form of programmed cell death, relies on mitochondrial respiration, the chain of which has been found to be altered in ovarian cancer (OC). The current work probed into the effects of Cuproptosis on the prognosis, immune microenvironment and therapeutic response of OC based on Cuproptosis-related lncRNAs. Data on OC gene expression and clinical characteristics were collected from TCGA, ICGC and GEO databases, and mRNA and lncRNA were distinguished. Cuproptosis-related lncRNAs were screened for consensus clustering analysis. Differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs) were identified between clusters, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and Cox regression analysis were performed to establish a prognostic signature. Its potential value in OC was evaluated by Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), tumor cell mutation and immune microenvironment analysis, and response to immunotherapy and antineoplastic drugs. According to the classification scheme of Cuproptosis-related lncRNAs, OC was divided into four molecular subtypes, which were different in survival time, immune characteristics and somatic mutation. The prognostic signature between subtypes included 10 lncRNAs, which were significantly correlated with the prognosis, immune microenvironment related indexes, the expression of immune checkpoint molecules and the sensitivity of antineoplastic drug Paclitaxel and Gefitinib of OC. We examined the expression of ten LncRNAs in OC cell lines and found that LINC00189, ZFHX4-AS1, RPS6KA2-IT1 and C9orf106 were expressed elevated in OC cell lines, and LINC00861, LINC00582, DEPDC1-AS1, LINC01556, LEMD1-AS1, TYMSOS expression was decreased in OC cell lines. The results of CCK8 showed that the cell viability of OC cells decreased after inhibition of C9orf106, whereas the cell viability of OC cells increased after inhibition of LEMD1-AS1. This work revealed new Cuproptosis-related lncRNA molecular subtypes exhibiting tumor microenvironment (TME) heterogeneity for OC and proposed a prognostic signature that may have benefits in understanding the prognosis, pathological features and immune microenvironment of OC patients.

Serum Levels of Zinc and Copper in Patients with Endometrial Cancer: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Endometrial cancer (EC) is the leading gynecologic cancer in developed nations. Recent studies suggest that trace elements like zinc and copper may be involved in cancer development due to their involvement in essential biological processes. However, there is inconsistency regarding their serum levels in EC patients. This review sought to systematically analyze and quantify the differences in serum concentrations of zinc and copper between patients with EC and healthy controls through a meta-analysis. A comprehensive search in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar was performed. Studies comparing serum zinc and/or copper concentrations between confirmed EC patients and healthy controls were included. The quality of the papers was appraised using Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Synthesis of data was done using standardized mean differences (SMD) at 95% confidence intervals (CIs) employing RevMan software. Five studies, including 433 patients with EC and 448 healthy controls, were analyzed. Meta-analysis showed a substantial decrease in serum zinc concentrations in EC patients against controls (SMD, - 0.91; 95% CI, [- 1.73, - 0.08]; p = 0.03). Serum copper levels were slightly higher in EC patients (SMD, 0.27; 95% CI, [- 0.66, 1.20]), but the difference was not statistically substantial (p = 0.57). The analysis showed reduced serum zinc levels in EC patients, suggesting the potential of zinc as a biomarker. The non-significant trend of higher copper levels requires further investigation to conclusively determine copper's role in EC. Future studies should explore the mechanisms underlying trace element imbalances.

Human papillomavirus infection, cervical cancer and the less explored role of trace elements

AbstractCervical cancer is an aggressive type of cancer affecting women worldwide. Many affected individuals rely on smear tests for the diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation for their treatment. However, due to a broad set of undesired results and side-effects associated with the existing protocols, the search for better diagnostic and therapeutic interventions is a never-ending pursuit. In the purview, the bio-concentration of trace elements (copper, selenium, zinc, iron, arsenic, manganese, and cadmium) is seen to fluctuate during the occurrence of cervical cancer and its progression from pre-cancerous to metastatic nature. Thus, during the occurrence of cervical cancer, the detection of trace elements and their supplementation will prove to be highly advantageous in developing diagnostic tools and therapeutics, respectively. This review provides a detailed overview of cervical cancer, its encouragement by human papillomavirus infections, the mechanism of pathology, and resistance. Majorly, the review emphasizes the less explored role of trace elements, their contribution to the growth and inhibition of cervical cancer. Numerous clinical trials have been listed, thereby providing a comprehensive reference to the exploration of trace elements in the management of cervical cancer.