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Nathan Goodyear

Progesterone metabolites regulate induction, growth, and suppression of estrogen- and p... - 0 views

  • in vitro studies had shown that the progesterone metabolites, 5α-dihydroprogesterone (5αP) and 3α-dihydroprogesterone (3αHP), respectively, exhibit procancer and anticancer effects on receptor-negative human breast cell lines
  • Onset and growth of ER/PR-negative human breast cell tumors were significantly stimulated by 5αP and inhibited by 3αHP
  • When both hormones were applied simultaneously, the stimulatory effects of 5αP were abrogated by the inhibitory effects of 3αHP and vice versa
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  • Treatment with 3αHP subsequent to 5αP-induced tumor initiation resulted in suppression of further tumorigenesis and regression of existing tumors
  • Tumorigenesis of ER/PR-negative breast cells is significantly enhanced by 5αP and suppressed by 3αHP, the outcome depending on the relative concentrations of these two hormones in the microenvironment in the breast regions
  • The findings show that the production of 5αP greatly exceeds that of 3αHP in ER/PR-negative tumors and that treatment with 3αHP can effectively block tumorigenesis and cause existing tumors to regress
  • hypothesis that a high 3αHP-to-5αP concentration ratio in the microenvironment may foster normalcy in noncancerous breast regions.
  • a large proportion (about 30% to 60%) of breast tumors are ER and/or PR negative
  • about 90% of normal proliferating breast epithelial cells are receptor negative
  • Our previous in vitro studies had shown that breast tissues and cell lines readily convert progesterone to 5α-pregnanes, such as 5αP, and delta-4-pregnenes, such as 3αHP (Figure ​(Figure1),1), and that tumorous breast tissues [15] and tumorigenic breast cell lines [16] produce higher levels of 5αP and lower levels of 3αHP than do normal breast tissues and nontumorigenic cell lines
  • The progesterone metabolism studies suggested that increases in 5αP and decreases in 3αHP production accompany the shift toward breast cell neoplasia and tumorigenicity
  • In vitro studies on five different human breast cell lines showed that cell proliferation and detachment are significantly increased by 5αP and decreased by 3αHP
  • the prevailing theory of hormonal regulation of breast cancer, as well as hormone-based therapies, revolves around estrogen and/or progesterone and ER/PR-positive breast cells and tumors.
  • Not only do these "receptor-negative" breast cancers fail to benefit from current hormonal therapies, but they also generally exhibit more-aggressive biologic behaviors and poorer prognosis than the receptor-positive ones
  • The results of the studies reported here show for the first time that the progesterone metabolites, 5αP and 3αHP, act as hormones that regulate ER/PR-negative breast tumor formation, growth, and regression
  • The onset of the ER/PR-negative human breast cell tumors in mice was considerably accelerated, and the growth significantly stimulated, by just one or two applications of 5αP
  • In contrast, 3αHP retarded onset of tumor formation, suppressed tumor growth, and inhibited or regressed existing 5αP-induced tumors
  • When both hormones were administered simultaneously, the effects of one were abrogated by the effects of the other.
  • The 5αPR and 3αHPR (which are associated with the plasma membranes of both ER/PR-positive [19] and ER/PR-negative [29] cells) are distinct from each other and from known ER, PR, androgen, and corticosteroid receptors, and lack affinity for other steroids, such as progesterone, estrogen, androgens, corticosteroids, and other progesterone metabolites
  • Levels of 5αPR are upregulated by 5αP itself and estradiol, and downregulated by 3αHP in both ER/PR-positive and -negative cells
  • ndications are that 5αP acts via the surface receptor-linked mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK; Erk1/2) pathway; 5αP significantly stimulates activation of Erk1/2 [30], increases the Bcl-2/Bax expression ratio [18] and actin depolymerization [31], and decreases expression of actin and adhesion plaque-associated vinculin [31], resulting in decreased apoptosis and increased mitosis and cell detachment
  • 3αHP appears to suppress protein kinase C (PKC), phospholipase C (PLC), Ca2+ mobilization (unpublished observations), and the Bcl-2/Bax expression ratio [18], and increases expression of the cell-cycle inhibitor p21 [18], resulting in increased apoptosis and decreased proliferation and detachment of breast cell lines.
  • serum from mice with tumors had significantly more 5αP than 3αHP
  • the tumors, which on average had about threefold higher concentrations of 5αP than the respective sera, and >10-fold higher 5αP than 3αHP levels
  • Previous in vitro metabolism studies showed that human breast tumor tissues convert significantly more progesterone to 5α-pregnanes like 5αP and less to 4-pregnenes like 3αHP than do paired normal (nontumorous) tissues
  • Similar differences in progesterone metabolism and enzyme gene expressions were observed between tumorigenic and nontumorigenic breast cell lines
  • breast carcinomas are able to synthesize progesterone
  • The current findings, along with the previous in vitro studies, suggest that the relative concentrations of 5αP and 3αHP in the breast microenvironment constitute important autocrine/paracrine determinants not only for tumorigenesis but also for potential regression of tumors and the maintenance of normalcy of ER/PR-negative breast cells/tissues.
  • Evidence presented here shows that a high concentration of 5αP, relative to 3αHP in the microenvironment, promotes initiation and growth of tumors, whereas a higher concentration of 3αHP, relative to 5αP, suppresses tumorigenesis and promotes normalcy
  • 5α-reductase and 5αPR levels are upregulated by 5αP
  • in the 3αHP-treated mice, the elevated 3αHP levels, relative to 5αP, in the microenvironment could have opposed progression to xenograft neoplasia by its inherent anticancer actions and the suppression of 5αP synthesis and 5αPR expression
  • the opposing actions of the progesterone metabolites also appear to exert some control over the estrogen-regulated effects on breast cancer by their ability to modulate ER numbers in ER-positive cells
  • because both ER/PR-negative and ER/PR-positive, as well as normal and tumorigenic human breast cell lines, have been shown to respond to 5αP and 3αHP in vitro, it is suggested that these endogenously produced progesterone metabolites may also play regulatory hormonal roles in ER/PR-positive breast cancers, as well as in the maintenance of normalcy in nontumorous breast tissues.
  • The in vivo data provide further evidence that progesterone metabolites, such as 5αP and 3αHP, deserve to be considered as active hormones in their own right, rather than inactive waste products
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    Progesterone metabolites and breast cancer
Nathan Goodyear

Oral estrogen antagonizes the metabolic actions of growth hormone in growth hormone-def... - 0 views

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    One really wonders if estrogen should ever be given orally at all.  Though this study is small, this is consistent with other studies that show that estrogen therapy, particularly oral therapy interferes with growth hormone signaling and thus action.  Oral estrogen decreases IGF-1, increases growth hormone binding protein, lowers metabolism and reduces protein metabolism as monitored by leucine turnover.
Nathan Goodyear

Progesterone metabolites in breast cancer - 1 views

  • P metabolites produced within breast tissues might be independently active hormones functioning as cancer-promoting or -inhibiting regulatory agents
  • these P metabolites function as independent pro-or anti-cancer autocrine/paracrine hormones that regulate cell proliferation, adhesion, apoptosis and cytoskeletal, and other cell status molecules via novel receptors located in the cell membrane and intrinsically linked to cell signaling pathways
  • only a fraction of all breast cancer patients respond to this estrogen-based therapy and the response is only temporary
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  • P serves as the precursor for the major steroid hormones (androgens, estrogens, corticosteroids) produced by the gonadal and adrenal cortical tissues.
  • 5α-pregnane, 5β-pregnane, and 4-pregnene metabolites of P
  • These P-metabolizing enzymes included 5α-reductase, 5β-reductase, 3α-hydroxysteroid oxido-reductase (3α-HSO), 3β-HSO, 20α-HSO, 20β-HSO, 6α(β)-, 11β-, 17-, and 21-hydroxylase, and C17–20-lyase
  • Reduction of P to 5α-pregnanes is catalyzed by 5α-reductase and the direct 5α-reduced metabolite of P is 5α-pregnane-3,20-dione (5αP). The 5α-reductase reaction is irreversible
  • The two 4-pregnenes resulting from direct P conversion are 4-pregnen-3α-ol-20-one (3αHP) and 4-pregnen-20α-ol-3-one (20αHP), catalyzed by the actions of 3α-HSO and 20α-HSO respectively
  • the P-metabolizing enzyme activities identified in human breast tissues and cell lines were: 5α-reductase, 3α-HSO, 3β-HSO, 20α-HSO, and 6α-hydroxylase
  • In normal breast tissue, conversion to 4-pregnenes greatly exceeded the conversion to 5α-pregnanes, whereas in tumorous tissue, conversion to 5α-pregnanes greatly exceeded that to 4-pregnenes
  • The results indicated that P 5α-reductase activity is significantly higher, whereas P 3α-HSO and 20α-HSO activities are significantly lower in tumor than in normal tissues
  • he results showed that production of 5α-pregnanes was higher and that of 4-pregnenes was lower in tumorigenic (e.g. MCF-7) than in nontumorigenic (e.g. MCF-10A) cells (Fig. 3c⇑), while differences in ER/P status did not appear to play a role
  • The 5α-pregnane-to-4-pregnene ratios were 7- to 20-fold higher in the tumorigenic than in the nontumorigenic cell lines
  • altered direction in P metabolism, and hence in metabolite ratios, was due to significantly elevated 5α-reductase and depressed 3α- and 20α-HSO activities in breast tumor tissues and tumorigenic cells. It appeared, therefore, that changes in P-metabolizing enzyme activities might be related to the shift toward mammary cell tumorigenicity and neoplasia
  • In vivo, changes in enzyme activity can result from changes in levels of the enzyme due to changes in expression of the mRNA coding for the enzyme, or from changes in the milieu in which the enzyme operates (such as temperature and pH, and concentrations of cofactors, substrates, products, competitors, ions, phospholipids, and other molecules)
  • Overall, the enzyme activity and expression studies strongly suggest that 5α-reductase stimulation and 3α- and 20α-HSO suppression are associated with the transition from normalcy to cancer of the breast
  • The level of expression of 5α-reductase is up-regulated by estradiol and P in the uterus (Minjarez et al. 2001) and by 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the prostate
  • 3αHP inhibited whereas 5αP-stimulated proliferation
  • Stimulation in cell numbers was also observed when cells were treated with other 5α-pregnanes, such as 5α-pregnan-3α-ol-20-one, 5α-pregnan-20α-ol-3-one, and 5α-pregnane-3α,20α-diol, whereas other 4-pregnenes such as 20α-HP and 4-pregnene-3α,20α-diol resulted in suppression of cell proliferation
  • Stimulation of cell proliferation with 5αP and inhibition with 3αHP were also observed in all other breast cell lines examined, whether ER/P-negative (MCF-10A, MDA-MB-231) or ER/P-positive (T47D, ZR-75-1) and whether requiring estrogen for tumorigenicity (MCF-7, T47D) or not (MDA-MB-231), or whether they are nontumorigenic (
  • αHP resulted in significant increases in apoptosis and decreases in mitosis, leading to significant decreases in total cell numbers. In contrast, treatment with 5αP resulted in decreases in apoptosis and increases in mitosis.
  • The opposing actions of 5αP and 3αHP on both cell anchorage and proliferation strengthen the hypothesis that the direction of P metabolism in vivo toward higher 5α-pregnane and lower 4-pregnene concentrations could promote breast neoplasia and lead to malignancy.
  • he effects on proliferation and adhesion were not due to P, but due to the 5α-reduced metabolites
  • The studies showed that binding of 5αP or 3αHP occurs in the plasma membrane fractions, but not in the nuclear or cytosolic compartments
  • separate high-specificity, high-affinity, low- capacity receptors for 5αP and 3αHP that are distinct from each other and from the well-studied nuclear/cytosolic P, estrogen, and androgen and corticosteroid receptors
  • The studies thus provided the first demonstration of the existence of specific P metabolite receptors
  • the receptor results suggest that the putative tumorigenic actions of 5αP may be significantly augmented by the estradiol-induced increases in 5αP binding and decreases in 3αHP binding.
  • Estradiol and 5αP resulted in significant dose-dependent increases, whereas 3αHP and 20αHP each resulted in dose-dependent decreases in total ER
  • In combination, estradiol + 5αP or 3αHP + 20αHP resulted in additive increases or decreases respectively in ER numbers.
  • The data suggest that the action of 5αP on breast cancer cells involves modulation of the MAPK signaling pathway
  • current evidence does not appear to support the notion that increased 5α-reductase activity/ expression might significantly alter androgen influences on breast tumor growth.
  • both testosterone and DHT inhibit cell growth more or less to the same extent
  • Note that 5α-reductase reaction is not reversible
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    Fantastic read on the effects of progesterone metabolism on tumor and cancer growth.  Tumorigenesis is not just about the hormone, hormone balance, but about the metabolism of hormones.  This is why premarin is so carcinogenic: it is primarily metabolized by the 4-OH estrone pathway.
Nathan Goodyear

Bisphenol A Promotes Human Prostate Stem-Progenitor Cell Self-Renewal and Increases In ... - 0 views

  • these findings show that estrogen stimulates human prostate epithelial stem cell self-renewal and progenitor cell amplification (prostasphere size), with the greatest effects observed at lower E2 doses.
  • Similar to E2, BPA increased prostasphere number and size with significant and maximal effects observed at 10 nM BPA
  • Taken together, these results provide strong evidence that, similar to E2, BPA increases stem cell self-renewal and progenitor amplification in normal human prostate epithelial cells
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  • these findings provide further support that E2 and BPA maintain the stem-like state within the normal prostate epithelial cell population
  • Our previous findings demonstrated that normal prostate stem-progenitor cells within the prostaspheres expressed ERα and ERβ, implicating them as direct targets for E2 and BPA action
  • p-Akt and p-Erk, well established downstream targets of membrane-associated ERs
  • BPA and E2 had equimolar capacity for activation of these rapid signaling pathways in human prostaspheres, thus identifying a dynamic and robust signaling pathway initiated by low-dose BPA exposure in prostate stem-progenitor cells.
  • these findings indicate that both rapid membrane-initiated estrogen action and genomic ER signaling pathways are operative in human prostate progenitor cells.
  • these results document the fact that levels of bioactive BPA in the present study are similar to levels found in human umbilical cord blood and newborns in the general population
  • the present findings identify for the first time that in vivo exposure of the human prostate epithelium to low doses of BPA significantly increases the susceptibility of the human prostate epithelium to hormonal carcinogenesis.
  • The current study provides clear evidence that, similar to E2, normal human prostate stem and progenitor cells are direct targets for BPA action
  • Both hormones increased stem-like cell numbers in primary prostate epithelial cultures in a dose-dependent manner and augmented the number and size of 3-D cultured prostaspheres, markers of stem cell self-renewal and progenitor cell proliferation, respectively
  • signaling pathways engaged by estrogens through these separate receptors are multiple and complex, including both membrane-initiated signaling and genomic activation via ER transcriptional activity
  • Estrogen action is mediated by ERα and ERβ
  • the current results indicate that developmental exposure to BPA, at doses routinely found in humans, significantly increases the cancer risk in human prostate epithelium in response to elevated estrogen levels in an androgen-supported milieu. Because relative estrogen levels rise in aging men, we suggest that humans may be susceptible to BPA-driven prostate disease in a manner similar to that in the rodent models.
  • We propose that early-life perturbations in estrogen signaling including inappropriate exposure to BPA have the potential to amplify and modify the stem-progenitor cell populations within the human prostate gland and, in so doing, alter the normal homeostatic mechanisms that maintain a growth neutral state throughout life
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    Bisphenol A exposure in utero found to increase prostate cancer risk later in life.  This exposure occurred at typical life exposure levels as found in umbilical cord blood sampling,  This occurred through stem cell self-renewal and progenitor amplification
Nathan Goodyear

ScienceDirect.com - Cell Metabolism - Estrogen Receptors and the Metabolic Network - 0 views

  • The pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons have an anorexigenic action and, when activated, reduce food intake through the release of two peptides, α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) and cocaine-and-amphetamine-regulated transcripts (CART). The neuropeptide Y (NPY) neurons, on the other hand, release NPY hormone and agouti gene-related protein (AgRP), which prevent the binding of α-MSH to MC3R and MC4R, increasing food intake
  • This suggests that the central anorexic effects of E2 may occur via ERβ
  • The main hypothalamic areas involved in food intake and satiety are the arcuate nucleus (ARC), the lateral hypothalamus (LH), the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH), and the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH)
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  • Leptin is a potent anorexigenic and catabolic hormone secreted by adipose cells that reduces food intake and increases energy expenditure
  • E2 not only modulates leptin receptor mRNA in the ARC and VMH, but also increases hypothalamic sensitivity to leptin, altering peripheral fat distribution
  • ghrelin. It acts on growth hormone secretagogue receptors (GHSR1a) located in the ARC and is a potent stimulator of food intake
  • It thus appears that of the two ERs, ERα plays a predominant role in the CNS regulation of lipid and carbohydrate homeostasis.
  • Both ERs have been identified in the ARC
  • Stimulation of MCH neurons increases food intake and fat accumulation while its inhibition leads to decreased food intake and reduced fat accumulation.
  • Both ERs have been identified in the LH
  • both ERs have been identified in this nucleus
  • The PVN is the region of the hypothalamus with the highest expression of ERβ and is reported to be weakly ERα positive
  • The VMH is ERα regulated
  • Skeletal muscle is responsible for 75% of the insulin-induced glucose uptake in the body
  • GLUT4 is highly expressed in muscle and represents a rate-limiting step in the insulin-induced glucose uptake
  • data suggest that in the physiological range, E2 is beneficial for insulin sensitivity, whereas hypo- or hyperestrogenism is related to insulin resistance
  • In aging female rats, E2 treatment improves glucose homeostasis mainly through its ability to increase muscle GLUT4 content on the cell membrane
  • It is evident that ERα and ERβ have distinct actions and that much more research is needed to clearly identify the function of each receptor in muscle.
  • E2 prevents accumulation of visceral fat, increases central sensitivity to leptin, increases the expression of insulin receptors in adipocytes, and decreases the lipogenic activity of lipoprotein lipase in adipose tissue
  • In rats, ovariectomy increases body weight, intra-abdominal fat, fasting glucose and insulin levels, and insulin resistance followed by decreased phosphorylation of AMPK and its substrate acetyl-CoA carboxylase in adipose tissue
  • decreased adiponectin, PPARγ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α), and uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) and increased resistin
  • Men with aromatase deficiency have truncal obesity, elevated blood lipids, and severe insulin resistance
  • Although not all studies are in agreement, polymorphisms of ERα in humans have been associated with risk factors for CVDs
  • Human subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissues express both ERα and ERβ, whereas only ERα mRNA has been identified in brown adipose tissue
  • suggesting that ERα is the main regulator of GLUT4 expression in adipose tissue
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    very nice article that looks at the balance of ER-alpha/ER-beta and their role in metabolic syndrome.  This article discusses the balance of  these receptors are tissue dependent in their effect.  I like their conclusion: "...but these mechanisms will never be completely understood if they are not considered in the context of a whole system.
Nathan Goodyear

Administration route-dependent effects of estrogens on IGF-I levels during fixed GH rep... - 0 views

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    oral estrogen therapy decreased IGF-1 concentrations in those women taking growth hormone, requiring high dosing of HGH versus that in women using estrogen through a transdermal approach.
Nathan Goodyear

https://www.endocrine.org/~/media/endosociety/Files/Publications/Clinical%20Practice%20... - 0 views

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    Current recommendations on HGH origin, evaluation, and therapy.
Nathan Goodyear

Which Patients Do Not Require a GH Stimulation Test for the Diagnosis of Adult GH Defic... - 0 views

  • Four studies have reported that the probability of GHD (peak GH criteria ranging from < 2.3 to < 5 μg/liter) in patients with three to four PHDs ranges from 91% to 100%
  • 95% accuracy by the presence of either three or more PHDs or a serum IGF-I concentration less than 84 μg/lite
  • adult GHD could be predicted with 95% accuracy by the presence of either three or four PHDs or a serum IGF-I concentration less than 84 μg/liter
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  • Hypopituitary adults with GHD have been reported to have normal serum IGF-I levels in 37–70% of patients in various studies (5, 9, 18, 21, 22). This is owing in part to the fact that multiple factors regulate serum IGF-I concentrations including nutritional status; hepatic and renal function; and circulating concentrations of thyroid hormone, androgens, and estrogens
  • changes in concentrations of IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs) influence the total concentration of IGF-I in plasma
  • Among patients with an IGF-I sd score above −1 in the present study, 46% had a peak GH less than 2.5 μg/liter and 67% had a peak GH less than 5 μg/liter.
  • In summary, adult GHD can be predicted with 95% accuracy by the presence of either three or four PHDs or a serum IGF-I concentration less than 84 μg/liter
  • We propose that adult patients with three or four PHDs (three or four of the following deficiencies: TSH, ACTH, gonadotropins [LH and/or FSH], and AVP [central diabetes insipidus]) do not require a GH stimulation test to make the diagnosis of adult GHD
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    Insulin Tolerance Test is the gold standard for HGH diagnosis, but this an unpopular test do to long list of side effects.  This study finds a 95% accuracy for IGF-1 less than 84 with 3 or more coexisting pituitary hormone deficiencies.
Nathan Goodyear

Anticancer mechanisms of cannabinoids - 0 views

  • modulating key cell signalling pathways involved in the control of cancer cell proliferation and survival
  • cannabinoids inhibit angiogenesis and decrease metastasis in various tumour types in laboratory animals
  • Cannabis sativa L. (marijuana)
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  • of the approximately 108 cannabinoids produced by C. sativa, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (thc) is the most relevant because of its high potency and abundance in plant preparations
  • Tetrahydrocannabinol exerts a wide variety of biologic effects by mimicking endogenous substances—the endocannabinoids anandamide3 and 2-arachidonoylglycerol4,5—that engage specific cell-surface cannabinoid receptors
  • two major cannabinoid-specific receptors—cb1 and cb2
  • transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V, member 1
  • orphan G protein–coupled receptor 55
  • Most of the effects produced by cannabinoids in the nervous system and in non-neural tissues rely on cb1 receptor activation
  • the cb2 receptor was initially described to be present in the immune system6, but was more recently shown to also be expressed in cells from other origins
  • cardiovascular tone, energy metabolism, immunity, and reproduction
  • cannabinoids are well known to exert palliative effects in cancer patients
  • best-established use is the inhibition of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting
  • thc and other cannabinoids exhibit antitumour effects in a wide array of animal models of cancer
  • cannabinoid receptors and their endogenous ligands are both generally upregulated in tumour tissue compared with non-tumour tissue
  • cb2 promotes her2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) pro-oncogenic signalling in breast cancer
  • pharmacologic activation of cannabinoid receptors decreases tumour growth
  • endocannabinoid signalling can also have a tumour-suppressive role
  • pharmacologic stimulation of cb receptors is, in most cases, antitumourigenic. Nonetheless, a few reports have proposed a tumour-promoting effect of cannabinoids
  • most prevalent effect is the induction of cancer cell death by apoptosis and the inhibition of cancer cell proliferation
  • impair tumour angiogenesis and block invasion and metastasis
  • thc and other cannabinoids induce the apoptotic death of glioma cells by cb1- and cb2-dependent stimulation
  • Autophagy is primarily a cytoprotective mechanism, although its activation can also lead to cell death
  • autophagy is important for cannabinoid antineoplastic activity
  • autophagy is upstream of apoptosis in the mechanism of cannabinoid-induced cell death
  • the effect of cannabinoids in hormone- dependent tumours might rely, at least in part, on the ability to interfere with the activation of growth factor receptors
  • glioma cells), pharmacologic blockade of either cb1 or cb2 prevents cannabinoid-induced cell death with similar efficacy
  • other types of cancer cells (pancreatic48, breast24, or hepatic43 carcinoma cells, for example), antagonists of cb2 but not of cb1 inhibit cannabinoid antitumour actions
  • thc promotes cancer cell death in a cb1- or cb2-dependent manner (or both) at lower concentrations
  • cannabidiol (cbd), a phytocannabinoid with a low affinity for cannabinoid receptors15, and other marijuana-derived cannabinoids57 have also been proposed to promote the apoptotic death of cancer cells acting independently of the cb1 and cb2 receptors
  • In cancer cells, cannabinoids block the activation of the vascular endothelial growth factor (vegf) pathway, an inducer of angiogenesi
  • In vascular endothelial cells, cannabinoid receptor activation inhibits proliferation and migration, and induces apoptosis
  • cb1 or cb2 receptor agonists (or both) reduce the formation of distant tumour masses in animal models of both induced and spontaneous metastasis, and inhibit adhesion, migration, and invasiveness of glioma64, breast65,66, lung67,68, and cervical68 cancer cells in culture
  • the ceramide/p8–regulated pathway plays a general role in the antitumour activity of cannabinoids targeting cb1 and cb2
  • cbd, by acting independently of the cb1 and cb2 receptors, produces a remarkable anti-tumour effect—including reduction of invasiveness and metastasis
  • cannabinoids can also enhance immune system–mediated tumour surveillance in some contexts
  • ability of thc to reduce inflammation75,76, an effect that might prevent certain types of cancer
  • recent observations suggest that the combined administration of cannabinoids with other anticancer drugs acts synergistically to reduce tumour growth
  • combined administration of gemcitabine (the benchmark agent for the treatment of pancreatic cancer) and various cannabinoid agonists synergistically reduced the viability of pancreatic cancer cells
  • Other reports indicated that anandamide and HU-210 might also enhance the anticancer activity of paclitaxel89 and 5-fluorouracil90 respectively
  • Combined administration of thc and cbd enhances the anticancer activity of thc and reduces the dose of thc needed to induce its tumour growth-inhibiting activity
  • Preclinical animal models have yielded data indicating that systemic (oral or intraperitoneal) administration of cannabinoids effectively decreases tumour growth
  • Combinations of cannabinoids with classical chemotherapeutic drugs such as the alkylating agent temozolomide (the benchmark agent for the management of glioblastoma80,84) have been shown to produce a strong anticancer action in animal models
  • pharmacologic inhibition of egfr, erk83, or akt enhances the cell-death-promoting action of thc in glioma cultures (unpublished observations by the authors), which suggests that targeting egfr and the akt and erk pathways could enhance the antitumour effect of cannabinoids
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    Good review of the anticancer effects of cananbinoids.
Nathan Goodyear

Testosterone level in men with type 2 diabetes mellitus and related metabolic... - 0 views

  • defined by consistent symptoms and signs of androgen deficiency, and an unequivocally low serum testosterone level
  • the threshold serum testosterone level below which adverse clinical outcomes occur in the general population is not known
  • most population-based studies use the serum testosterone level corresponding to the lower limit, quoted from 8.7 to 12.7 nmol/L, of the normal range for young Caucasian men as the threshold
    • Nathan Goodyear
       
      this equals 251 to 366 in serum Total Testosterone
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  • Researchers tried to examine whether serum total or free testosterone would be a better/more reliable choice when studying the effect of testosterone. The results were mixed. Some reported significant associations of both serum total and free testosterone level with clinical parameters25, whereas others reported that only serum free testosterone26 or only serum total testosterone6 showed significant associations.
  • −0.124 nmol/L/year in serum total testosterone
    • Nathan Goodyear
       
      this equates to a 4 ng/dl decline annually in total Testosterone.
  • In experimental studies, androgen receptor knockout mice developed significant insulin resistance rapidly
  • In mouse models, testosterone promoted differentiation of pluripotent stem cells to the myogenic lineage
  • testosterone decreased insulin resistance by enhancing catecholamine induced lipolysis in vitro, and reducing lipoprotein lipase activity and triglyceride uptake in human abdominal tissue in vivo
  • by promoting lipolysis and myogenesis, testosterone might lead to improved insulin resistance
  • testosterone regulated skeletal muscle genes involved in glucose metabolism that led to decreased systemic insulin resistance
  • In the liver, hepatic androgen receptor signaling inhibited development of insulin resistance in mice
  • independent and inverse association of testosterone with hepatic steatosis shown in a cross-sectional study carried out in humans
  • In short, androgen improves insulin resistance by changing body composition and reducing body fat.
  • Although a low serum testosterone level could contribute to the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes through changes in body composition, obesity might also alter the metabolism of testosterone
  • In obese men, the peripheral conversion from testosterone to estrogen could attenuate the amplitude of luteinizing hormone pulses and centrally inhibit testosterone production
  • leptin, an adipokine, has been shown to be inversely correlated with serum testosterone level in men
  • Leydig cells expressed leptin receptors and leptin has been shown to inhibit testosterone secretion, suggesting a role of obesity and leptin in the pathogenesis of low testosterone
    • Nathan Goodyear
       
      So what is "unequivocal"?
  • Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) cohort made up of 3,565 middle-class, mostly Caucasian men from the USA, the incidence of low serum total testosterone increased from approximately 20% of men aged over 60 years, 30% over 70 years, to 50% over 80 years-of-age
  • 30–44% sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG)-bound testosterone and 54–68% albumin-bound testosterone
  • As the binding of testosterone to albumin is non-specific and therefore not tight, the sum of free and albumin-bound testosterone is named bioavailable testosterone, which reflects the hormone available at the cellular level
  • Serum total testosterone is composed of 0.5–3.0% of free testosterone unbound to plasma proteins
  • alterations in SHBG concentration might affect total serum testosterone level without altering free or bioavailable testosterone
  • listed in Table​T
  • A significant, independent and longitudinal effect of age on testosterone has been observed with an average change of −0.124 nmol/L/year in serum total testosterone28. The same trend has been shown in Europe and Australia
  • Asian men residing in HK and Japan, but not those living in the USA, had 20% higher serum total testosterone than in Caucasians living in the USA, as shown in a large multinational observational prospective cohort of the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study
  • subjects with chronic diseases consistently had a 10–15% lower level compared with age-matched healthy subjects
  • In Caucasians, the mean serum total testosterone level for men in large epidemiological studies has been reported to range from 15.1 to 16.6 nmol/L
  • Asians, higher values, ranging from 18.1 to 19.1 nmol/L, were seen in Korea and Japan
  • Chinese middle-aged men reported a similar mean serum testosterone level of 17.1 nmol/L in 179 men who had a family history of type 2 diabetes and 17.8 nmol/L in 128 men who had no family history of type 2 diabetes
  • The reduction of total testosterone was 0.4% per year in both groups
  • HK involving a cohort of 1,489 community-dwelling men with a mean age of 72 years, a mean serum total testosterone of 19.0 nmol/L was reported
  • pro-inflammatory factors, such as tumor necrosis factor-α in the testes, could locally inhibit testosterone biosynthesis in Leydig cells47, and testosterone treatment in men was shown to reduce the level of tumor necrosis factor-α
  • In Asians, a genetic deletion polymorphism of uridine diphosphate-glucuronosyltransferase UGT2B17 was associated with reduced androgen glucuronidation. This resulted in higher level of active androgen in Asians as compared to Caucasians, as Caucasians' androgen would be glucuronidated into inactive forms faster.
  • Compared with Caucasians, the frequency of this deletion polymorphism of UGT2B17 was 22-fold higher in Asian subjects
  • Other researchers have suggested that environmental, but not genetic, factors influenced serum total testosterone
  • The basal and ligand-induced activity of the AR is inversely associated with the length of the CAG repeat chain
  • In the European Male Aging Study, increased estrogen/androgen ratio in association with longer AR CAG repeat was observed
  • a smaller number of AR CAG repeat had been shown to be associated with benign prostate hypertrophy and faster prostate growth during testosterone treatment
  • In India, men with CAG ≤19 had increased risk of prostate cancer
  • the odds of having a short CAG repeat (≤17) were substantially higher in patients with lymph node-positive prostate cancer than in those with lymph node-negative disease or in the general population
  • assessing the polymorphism at the AR level could be a potential tool towards individualized assessment and treatment of hypogonadism.
  • In elderly men, there was reduced testicular response to gonadotropins with suppressed and altered pulsatility of the hypothalamic pulse generator
  • a significant, independent and longitudinal effect of age on serum total testosterone level had been observed
  • A significant graded inverse association between serum testosterone level and insulin levels independent of age has also been reported in Caucasian men
  • Low testosterone is commonly associated with a high prevalence of MES
  • most studies showed that changes in serum testosterone level led to changes in body composition, insulin resistance and the presence of MES, the reverse might also be possible
  • MES predicted a 2.6-fold increased risk of development of low serum testosterone level independent of age, smoking and other potential confounders
  • Other prospective studies have shown that development of MES accelerated the age-related decline in serum testosterone level
  • In men with type 2 diabetes, changes in serum testosterone level over time correlated inversely with changes in insulin resistance
  • weight loss by either diet control or bariatric surgery led to a substantial increase in total testosterone, especially in morbidly obese men, and the rise in serum testosterone level was proportional to the amount of weight lost
  • To date, published clinical trials are small, of short duration and often used pharmacological, not physiological, doses of testosterone
  • In the population-based Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study cohort from Sweden, men in the highest quartile of serum testosterone level had the lowest risk of cardiovascular events compared with men in the other three quartiles (hazard ratio [HR] 0.70
  • low serum total testosterone was associated with a significant fourfold higher risk of cardiovascular events when comparing men from the lowest testosterone tertile with those in the highest tertile
  • Shores et al. were the first to report that low serum testosterone level, including both serum total and free testosterone, was associated with increased mortality
  • low serum total testosterone predicted increased risk of cardiovascular mortality with a HR of 1.38
  • low serum total testosterone increased all-cause (HR 1.35, 95% CI 1.13–1.62, P < 0.001) and cardiovascular mortality (HR 1.25
  • European Association for the Study of Diabetes 2013 suggested there was an inverse relationship between serum testosterone level and acute myocardial infarction
  • Diabetic men in the highest quartile of serum total testosterone had a significantly reduced risk of acute MI when compared with those in the lower quartiles
  • serum total testosterone level in the middle two quartiles at baseline predicted reduced incidence of death compared with having the highest and lowest levels
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    Nice review of Testosterone levels and some of the evidence linking Diabetes with low T.  However, the conclusion by the authors regarding what is causing the low T in men with Diabetes is baffling.  The literature does not point to one cause, it is clearly multifactorial--obesity, inflammation, high aromatase activity...I would suggest the authors continue their readings in the manner.
Nathan Goodyear

Effect of Body Mass Index on Peak Growth Hormone Response to Provocative Testing in Chi... - 0 views

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    HGH evaluation using provocative testing.
Nathan Goodyear

Diagnosing Growth Hormone Deficiency in Adults - 0 views

  • it is clear that serum IGF-1 and or IGFBP-3 can be normal in patients with undisputed GHD
  • Various investigators have reported normal IGF-1 values in 37–70% of GH deficient adults
  • The co-administration of arginine and GHRH (the combined test) is a powerful stimulus for GH production and has gained increasing acceptance as a useful method of diagnosing GHD [34]. This test has been advocated as a suitable alternative to ITT
  • ...12 more annotations...
  • The glucagon stimulation test (GST) is a reliable, safe alternative to the ITT in the diagnosis of GHD
  • An intravenous infusion of arginine (0.5 g/kg body weight) together with an intravenous bolus of GHRH (1 mcg/kg body weight) is administered [30]. Serum samples for GH are then obtained every 15–30 minutes for two hours.
  • Obesity, particularly marked obesity, is associated with blunted GH secretion in response to provocative stimuli
  • It has also been suggested that that even mildly increased BMI (25–30 kg/m2) can result in diminished stimulated GH production in 13% of healthy subjects
  • Corneli et al. have defined BMI-specific cut-off points for diagnosing adult-onset GHD using GHRH + arginine—11.5 ng/mL for those with BMI < 25 kg/m2, 8.0 ng/mL for BMI 25–30 kg/m2, 4.2 ng/mL for those with BMI > 30 kg/m2
  • GH levels are higher during the luteal phase in comparison with the follicular phase of the cycle
  • Oral, in contrast to transdermal oestrogen, lowers IGF-1 levels and is associated with increased GH levels
  • Adequate pituitary replacement with thyroxine and hydrocortisone are needed for optimal GH production
  • one cannot rely on a low IGF-1 to diagnose GHD in women taking oral oestrogen preparations.
  • Numerous GH secretagogues are available with the insulin tolerance test being the gold standard and the glucagon stimulation test or the GHRH + arginine as acceptable alternatives
  • ain et al. found the GST to be at least as good as the ITT in provoking GH secretion
  • the GST is safe, with almost no contraindications, it causes nausea and sometimes vomiting in 15–20% of subjects
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    Nice, more recent analysis, of HGH testing.
Nathan Goodyear

Glucagon Stimulation Testing in Assessing for Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency: Current ... - 0 views

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    the Glucagon Stim test is a useful alternative to the ITT for HGH deficiency evaluation.
Nathan Goodyear

Comparative Studies of the Estrogen Receptors β and α and the Androgen Recept... - 0 views

  • ER-β is predominately immunolocalized in basal cells and to a lesser extent in stromal cells of the morphologically normal human prostate
  • ER-α is detected in stromal cells and rarely in basal cells of the normal gland
  • AR was predominately localized in the nuclei of differentiated secretory cells and variably in basal cells of the normal acinar/duct unit as well as in stromal cells
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • Hall and colleagues44 have reported that ER-β functions as a transdominant inhibitor of ER-α transcription and that it acts to decrease overall cellular sensitivity to estradiol
  • The expression of ER-β was diminished in high-grade dysplasias when compared to normal glands and lower grade lesions.
  • The transition from normal to low/moderate dysplastic glands in the peripheral zone was marked by the appearance of ER-β homogeneously immunostained nuclei in secretory as well as basal cells with no changes in the localization of the other receptors.
  • proliferative signals mediated by AR in basal cells or by ER-α and AR in stromal cells may be opposed by the purported growth-inhibitory action of ER-β25, 26, 27, 28 localized in basal cells.
  • The diminution of ER-β expression in high-grade dysplasias and grade 4/5 cancers may be therefore related to the alteration of DNA methylation pattern in CpG islands of the promoter, resulting in down-regulation of the receptor at the transcriptional level
  • based on the proposed anti-proliferative function of the receptor,25, 26, 27, 28 the presence of ER-β in secretory cells of low/moderate-grade lesions may represent a transient abortive attempt to counter growth of these cells
  • the attrition of receptor-positive basal cells in the high-grade dysplasias may signify a continuing loss of growth inhibitory function mediated by ER-β in these precursor lesions
  • Our findings in prostate therefore differ from those reported for human colon cancer in which Folley and colleagues48 demonstrated that a selective loss of ER-β protein but not receptor message expression occurs in these neoplasms
  • Our findings therefore differed from those of Bonkhoff and colleagues33 who found immunostaining for the receptor in high-grade dysplasias and grade 4/5 carcinomas. Using in situ hybridization these authors also reported that a high percentage of dysplasias and carcinomas in their study contained cells that expressed ER-α message
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    Very nice study.  The authors looked at normal prostate, early disease and late stage prostate cancer.  The authors found that ER beta expression, as a general rule, was lost as progression occurred to the high-grade dysplasias and grad 4/5 carcinomas of the prostate.  Early low/moderate dysplasia was associated with an increase in ER beta--the authors propose that this was due to an attempt of the basal epithelium to counter the paracrine effect of ER alpha.   In contrast, androgen receptors appeared to be equally expressed across all.
Nathan Goodyear

Plant-derived 3,3′-Diindolylmethane Is a Strong Androgen Antagonist in Human ... - 0 views

  • Inhibition of Endogenous PSA Expression by DIM
  • DIM strongly inhibited DHT induction of androgen-responsive genes by more than 50%
  • antiandrogenic activity of DIM
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • DIM suppresses DHT-induced cell growth and PSA expression and exhibits no AR agonist activity
  • DIM has a strong affinity for both the mutant AR inLNCaP cells and for recombinant wild-type human AR
  • nuclear translocation and foci formation of DHT-bound AR are inhibited by DIM
  • Our investigation, leads to the conclusion that DIM is a strong, pure androgen antagonist.
  • The down-regulation of PSA by DIM
  • PSA has been reported to promote the proliferation, migration, and metastasis of prostate cancer cells through several mechanisms, including cleavage of insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 and degradation of extracellular matrix proteins fibronectin and laminin
  • PSA expression is regulated by the AR and is thought to function as a growth factor in LNCaP cells
  • down-regulation of PSA expression may be important in the antiproliferative effects of DIM in LNCaP cells
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    DIM, from cruciferous veggies often used to aid estrogen metabolism, is found to decrease PSA transcription and function as an androgen receptor antagonist in prostate cancer cell lines.
Nathan Goodyear

Estrogen receptor-alpha expression in human meningiomas - 0 views

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    This is a dissertation, but they found ER alpha expression in all meningioma samplings. This is in contrast to previous studies. As further research has come with meningiomas, more ER presence is found, likely due to improved testing techniques. What is interesting here is that Low/no PR status was associated with Increased ER alpha status. This has been shown to be a more pro-inflammatory/pro-growth picture in disease states, such as breast and prostate CA.
Nathan Goodyear

Thyroid Hormones (T3 and T4): Dual Effect on Human Cancer Cell Proliferation - 0 views

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    The effects of T3 on cancer cell lines varies.  All cell lines came from the same tissue. It doesn't appear that simply stating T3 promotes cellular metabolism and thus provides an increase in cancer progression risk.  Some cell lines studies actually had an inhibition of cell growth, whereas others saw an increase.  
Nathan Goodyear

Does growth hormone cause cancer? [Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2006] - PubMed - NCBI - 0 views

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    epidemiological studies are the only thing that has linked GH to cancer risk; review of human studies of children and adults finds no increase risk of cancer associated with HGH therapy.
Nathan Goodyear

Inborn-like errors of metabolism are determinants of breast cancer risk, clinical respo... - 0 views

  • We now recognize that human cancers evolve in an environment of metabolic stress. Rapidly proliferating tumor cells deprived of adequate oxygen, nutrients, hormones and growth factors up-regulate pathways that address these deficiencies to overcome hypoxia (HIF), vascular insufficiency (VEGF), growth factor deprivation (EGFR, HER2) and the loss of hormonal support (ER, PR, AR) all to enhance survival and proliferation
  • RAS, PI3K, TP53 and MYC
  • The results suggest that breast cancer could be preceded by systemic subclinical disturbances in glucose-insulin homeostasis characterized by mild, likely asymptomatic, IEM-like biochemical changes
  • ...16 more annotations...
  • The process would include variable periods of hyperinsulinemia with the consequent systemic MYC activation of glycolysis, glutaminolysis, structural lipidogenesis and further exacerbation of hypoglycemia, the result of MYC's known role as an inhibitor of liver gluconeogenesis
  • The metabolic changes we describe in breast cancer arise in concert with IEM-like changes in oxidative phosphorylation as detected by increased values of the ratio lactate/pyruvate (Supplementary Table 2A, 2B) characteristic of Ox/Phos deficiency [25]. In our study, 76% (70/92) of the European breast cancer patients had lactate/pyruvate ratios values higher than the normal value of 25.8
  • four-fold higher frequency of cancer (including breast) in patients with energy metabolism disorders
  • growing recognition that cancer cells differ from their normal counterparts in their use of nutrients, synthesis of biomolecules and generation of energy
  • glutamine concentrations in the cancer patients were reduced to nearly 1/8 of the levels observed in the normal population
  • blood concentrations of aspartate (p = 1.7e-67, FDR = 8.3e-67) (Figure ​(Figure1E)1E) and glutamate (p = 6.4e-96, FDR = 6.2e-95) (Figure ​(Figure1F)1F) were nearly 10 fold higher than the normal ranges of 0–5 μM/L and 40 μM/L, respectively
  • glutamine consumption associated with parallel increases in glutamate and aspartate (Figure ​(Figure1A1A red arrows) is considered a hallmark of MYC-driven “glutaminolysis”
  • Gln/Glu ratio inversely correlates with i- late stage metabolic syndrome and with ii- increased chance of death
  • changes in glutamine consumption, reflected by the Gln/Glu ratio could provide a metabolic link between breast cancer initiation and diabetes, reflective of a systemic metabolic reprogramming from glucose to glutamine as the preferred source of precursors for biosynthetic reactions and cellular energy
  • lower Gln/Glu ratios inversely correlated with insulin resistance and the risk of diabetes
  • the metabolic dependencies of cancer characterized by excessive glycolysis, glutaminolysis and malignant lipidogenesis, previously considered a consequence of local tumor DNA aberration [23] could, instead, represent a systemic biochemical aberration that predates and very likely promotes tumorigenesis
  • these metabolic disturbances would be expected to remain extant after therapeutic interventions
  • accumulation of very long chain acylcarnitines such as C14:1-OH (p = 0.0, FDR = 0.0), C16 (p = 0.0, FDR = 0.0), C18 (p = 0.0, FDR = 0.0) and C18:1 (p = 1.73e-322, FDR = 1.16-321) and lipids containing VLCFA (lysoPC a C28:0) (p = 1.14-e95, FDR = 1.65e-95) in the blood of breast and colon cancer patients
  • Among the most powerful metabolic equations for MYC-activation is that which links the widely used MYC-driven desaturation marker ratio of SFA/MUFA to the MYC glutaminolysis-associated ratio of (Asp/Gln)
  • liver dysfunction shares many features with both IEM and cancer suggesting a role for hepatic dysfunction in carcinogenesis
  • cancer “conscripts” the human genome to meet its needs under conditions of systemic metabolic stress
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    Breast cancer is a metabolic disease.  Now, where have I heard that cancer is a metabolic disease?
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