Ben Hassen, C. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2019

Development of a novel HPTLC-based method for the simultaneous quantification of clinically relevant lipids from cells and tissue extracts

Lipids such as cholesterol, triglycerides, and fatty acids play important roles in the regulation of cellular metabolism and cellular signaling pathways and, as a consequence, in the development of various diseases. It is therefore important to understand how their metabolism is regulated to better define the components involved in the development of various human diseases. In the present work, we described the development and validation of an HPTLC method allowing the separation and quantification of free cholesterol, cholesteryl esters, non-esterified fatty acids, and triglycerides. This method will be of interest as the quantification of these lipids in one single assay is difficult to perform.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2019

Oxidized products of α-linolenic acid negatively regulate cellular survival and motility of breast cancer cells

BackgroundCancer is a major cause of death in the world, and more than six million new cases are reported every year. Despite recent advances in our understanding of the biological processes leading to the development and progression of cancer, there is still a need for new and effective agents to treat this disease. Phytoprostanes (PhytoPs) and phytofurans (PhytoFs) are non-enzymatically oxidized products of -linolenic acid that are present in seeds and vegetable oils. They have been shown to possess anti-inflammatory and apoptosis-promoting activities in macrophages and leukemia cells, respectively.\n\nMethodsIn this work, seven PhytoPs (PP1-PP7) and one PhytoFs (PF1) were evaluated for their cytotoxic, chemosensitization and anti-migratory activities using the MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines.\n\nResultsAmong the compounds tested, only three PhytoPs had a significant effect on cell viability compared to the control group: Ent-9-L1-PhytoP (PP6) decreased cell viability in both cell lines, while 16-F1t-PhytoP (PP1) and 9-L1-PhytoP (PP5) decreased viability in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, respectively. When combined with a sub-cytotoxic dose of doxorubicin, these three PhytoPs significantly enhanced the cytotoxic effect on MCF-7 cells while the chemotherapeutic drug alone had no effect. In cellular motility assays, Ent-9-(RS)-12-epi-ST-{Delta}10-13-PhytoF could significantly inhibit cellular migration of MDA-MB-231 cells in a wound-healing and a transwell assays. In addition, Ent-9-(RS)-12-epi-ST-{Delta}10-13-PhytoF also enhanced cellular adhesion of MDA-MB-231 cells.\n\nConclusionsThis study shows for the first time that the plant-derived compounds PhytoPs and PhytoFs could be further exploited alone or in combination with chemotherapy to improve the arsenal of therapies available against breast cancer.

cancer biology↗