Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

S D Hursting

Publications and source records attributed to S D Hursting.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Nutrition and cancer prevention: a multidisciplinary perspective on human trials.

More than one million Americans were expected to be diagnosed with cancer in 2003 (7a). Compelling experimental, epidemiological, and clinical evidence indicates that many cancers are preventable, especially because diet and nutrition are key factors in the modulation of cancer risk. The road to nutritional intervention in cancer prevention has led to successful trials as well as trials that did not reach their intended endpoints. This chapter reviews four case studies of trials, with two ending in success and two ending in null findings or adverse effects. The goal is to identify lessons learned from all four case studies and from the investigations of the complexities inherent to nutritional intervention trials. Additional insights are presented by the research addressing potential mechanisms underlying the endpoints of human trials. Future progress in nutrition and cancer prevention will require expertise from multidisciplinary teams to develop new knowledge about specific nutrients and dietary modifications within a framework of interaction between animal and human research.

Diet↗

Leptin and prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Higher prostate cancer mortality rates among US immigrants from countries with lower rates suggest environmental influences on prostate carcinogenesis (e.g., diet, body composition). METHODS: In a study identifying determinants of clinically relevant prostate cancer, we compared plasma concentrations of leptin, an adiposity-related hormone, in 48 men with tumors </= 0.5 cc measured after radical prostatectomy and 151 men with tumors > 0.5 cc in volume or with histologic evidence of extraprostatic extension but without metastases ("high-volume disease"), matched by age (+/- 5 years) and year at diagnosis (+/- 1 year). RESULTS: Men with high-volume disease exhibited higher leptin concentrations overall and after stratification by age, testosterone level, height, and body mass index (BMI). Analysis revealed that men with elevated leptin concentrations had an increased risk of diagnosis with high-volume disease (odds ratio (OR) = 2.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.01-5.44), as did men with high leptin and high testosterone (OR = 9.73, 95% CI = 2.05-46.24) and men >/=5'8" with high leptin (OR = 3.67, 95% CI = 1.40-9.63). CONCLUSIONS: Leptin may affect the risk of clinically relevant prostate cancer through testosterone and factors related to stature and obesity.

Aged↗

Diet and cancer prevention studies in p53-deficient mice.

Progress in mechanism-based cancer prevention research may be facilitated by the use of animal models displaying specific genetic susceptibilities for cancer such as mice deficient in the p53 tumor suppressor gene, the most frequently altered gene in human cancer. We observed in p53-knockout (p53-/-) mice that calorie restriction (CR; 60% of the control group's intake of carbohydrate energy) increased the latency of spontaneous tumor development (mostly lymphomas) approximately 75%, decreased serum insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 and leptin levels, significantly slowed thymocyte cell cycle traverse and induced apoptosis in immature thymocytes. In heterozygous p53-deficient (p53+/-) mice, CR and 1 d/wk of food deprivation each significantly delayed spontaneous tumor development (a mix of lymphomas, sarcomas and epithelial tumors) and decreased serum IGF-1 and leptin levels even when begun late in life. We have also developed a rapid and relevant p53+/- mouse mammary tumor model by crossing p53-deficient mice with MMTV-Wnt-1 transgenic mice, and found that CR and 1 d/wk food deprivation significantly increased mammary tumor latency (greater than twofold) and reduced the mean serum IGF-1 and leptin levels to <50% of that of control mice (P < 0.0001). In addition, fluasterone, fenretinide and soy each delayed tumor development but had little effect on IGF-1 or leptin levels. We have capitalized on the susceptibility of p53+/- mice to chronic, low dose, aromatic amine-induced bladder carcinogenesis to develop a useful model for evaluating bladder cancer prevention approaches such as cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition. As demonstrated by these examples, mice with specific (and human-like) genetic susceptibilities for cancer provide powerful new tools for testing and characterizing interventions that may inhibit the process of carcinogenesis in humans.

Animals↗

Low-dose genistein induces cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors and G(1) cell-cycle arrest in human prostate cancer cells.

Genistein, a naturally occurring isoflavone found chiefly in soy products, reportedly has antiprostate cancer effects, but the mechanisms underlying these effects are unknown. We studied the antiproliferative and apoptosis-inducing effects of genistein in the androgen-sensitive human prostate cancer cell line LNCaP. Viable cell number was assessed by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay; cell-cycle progression and apoptosis were evaluated by flow cytometry; apoptosis was also assessed by a histone enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; and the expression of several cell-cycle- and apoptosis-related genes and their gene products was determined by northern blot analysis, western blot analysis, and/or assays based on polymerase chain reaction. Physiologic concentrations of genistein (< or = 20 microM) decreased LNCaP viable cell number in a dose-dependent manner, induced a G(1) cell-cycle block, decreased prostate-specific antigen mRNA expression, and increased p27(KIP1) and p21(WAF1) (mRNA and protein) but had no effect on apoptosis or the mRNA expression of the apoptosis- and cell-cycle-related markers bcl-2, bax, Rb, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen. Higher concentrations of genistein (> 20 microM) did induce apoptosis. We conclude that genistein (at physiologic concentrations) exerts potent antiproliferative effects on LNCaP cells by inducing a G(1) cell-cycle block. The antiproliferative effects of genistein may be mediated by increased levels of p27(KIP1) and p21(WAF1), which are negative cell-cycle regulators that act as cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors and that have been recently linked with prostate carcinogenesis. These findings may provide insights into the mechanisms underlying the apparent antiprostate cancer effects of soy consumption observed in epidemiologic studies.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Effects of calorie restriction on thymocyte growth, death and maturation.

We previously reported that calorie restriction (CR) significantly delays the spontaneous development of thymic lymphomas and other neoplasms in p53-deficient mice and their wild-type littermates. The purpose of the present study was to further characterize the anti-lymphoma effects of CR by assessing thymocyte growth, death and maturation in response to acute (6 day) and chronic (28 day) CR regimens. Male C57BL/6J mice fed a CR diet (restricted to 60% of control ad libitum intake) for 6 days displayed a severe reduction in thymic size and cellularity, as well as a decrease in splenic size and cellularity; these declines were sustained through 28 days of CR. Mice maintained on a CR diet for 28 days also displayed a significant depletion in the cell numbers of all four major thymocyte subsets defined by CD4 and CD8 expression. Analysis within the immature CD4(-)8(-) thymocyte subset further revealed an alteration in normal CD44 and CD25 subset distribution. In particular, CR for 28 days resulted in a significant decrease in the percentage of the proliferative CD44(-)25(-) subset. In addition, a significant increase in the percentage of the early, pro-T cell CD44(+)25(-) population was detected, indicative of a CR-induced delay in thymocyte maturation. Taken together, these findings suggest that CR suppresses (through several putative mechanisms) lymphomagenesis by reducing the pool of immature thymocytes that constitute the lymphoma-susceptible subpopulation.

Animals↗

Mechanism-based cancer prevention approaches: targets, examples, and the use of transgenic mice.

Humans are exposed to a wide variety of carcinogenic insults, including endogenous and man-made chemicals, radiation, physical agents, and viruses. The ultimate goal of carcinogenesis research is to elucidate the processes involved in the induction of human cancer so that interventions may be developed to prevent the disease, either in the general population or in susceptible subpopulations. Progress to date in the carcinogenesis field, particularly regarding the mechanisms of chemically induced cancer, has revealed several points along the carcinogenesis pathway that may be amenable to mechanism-based prevention strategies. The purpose of this review is to examine the basic mechanisms and stages of chemical carcinogenesis, with an emphasis on ways in which preventive interventions can modify those processes. Possible ways of interfering with tumor initiation events include the following: i) modifying carcinogen activation by inhibiting enzymes responsible for that activation or by direct scavenging of DNA-reactive electrophiles and free radicals; ii) enhancing carcinogen detoxification processes by altering the activity of the detoxifying enzymes; and iii) modulating certain DNA repair processes. Possible ways of blocking the processes involved in the promotion and progression stages of carcinogenesis include the following: i) scavenging of reactive oxygen species; ii) altering the expression of genes involved in cell signaling, particularly those regulating cell proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation; and iii) decreasing inflammation. In addition, the utility for mechanism-based cancer prevention research of new animal models that are based on the overexpression or inactivation of specific cancer-related genes is examined.

Animals↗

Mechanistic studies of the effects of the retinoid N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide on prostate cancer cell growth and apoptosis.

To explore the mechanisms underlying the chemopreventive effects of the synthetic retinoid N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide (4-HPR) in prostate cancer, we evaluated the anti-proliferative and apoptosis-inducing effects of 4-HPR in the androgen-sensitive human prostate cancer cell line LNCaP. 4-HPR decreased the number of viable LNCaP cells (as measured by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay) in a dose-dependent manner. Although 4-HPR exerted a modest G1 cell-cycle block (as determined by flow cytometry), its effect on reduced cell number appeared to result primarily from induction of apoptosis (as measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and flow-cytometric assays). The mitogenic effects of R1881, a non-metabolizable androgen that potently induces LNCaP cell proliferation, was completely blocked by greater than 0.5 microM 4-HPR. Furthermore, increasing the R1881 concentration in the presence of 2.0 microM 4-HPR increased apoptotic cell death. 4-HPR decreased prostate-specific antigen (PSA) protein levels in conditioned medium and decreased PSA mRNA expression. 4-HPR also decreased the ratio of bcl-2 to bax mRNA expression in LNCaP cells by approximately 45%, indicating that the apoptotic effects of 4-HPR may be mediated, at least in part, by alterations in the bcl-2/bax-regulated apoptotic pathway. N-acetylcysteine (4 mM) completely blocked the anti-proliferative and apoptotic-inducing effects of 4-HPR, suggesting that an oxidative mechanism may be involved. We concluded that (i) 4-HPR exerts growth-suppressive and apoptotic effects on LNCaP cells, (ii) 4-HPR can interact with androgen to suppress proliferation and induce apoptosis, (iii) the apoptotic effects of 4-HPR may be mediated in part by the bcl-2/bax pathway, and (iv) a pro-oxidant mechanism may contribute to the anti-proliferative and apoptotic-inducing effects of 4-HPR.

Androgens↗

Development of a database for assessing dietary phytoestrogen intake.

For the past two decades, epidemiologists have observed lower risks of lung, breast, prostate, colon, and other cancers in populations that frequently consume fruits and vegetables. Numerous phytoestrogens have been shown to be anticarcinogenic under experimental conditions and may account for at least part of the cancer-prevention effects of fruit and vegetable consumption. These plant constituents include isoflavonoids, coumestans, lignans, phytosterols, and flavonoids. DietSys, the nutrient analysis program associated with the National Cancer Institute Health Habits and History Questionnaire (HHHQ), and other nationally available nutrient analysis databases do not fully assess these constituents. Therefore, we modified DietSys to include these components in foods on the basis of published values. In addition, as part of an epidemiological study of prostate cancer, we modified the food-frequency component of the HHHQ to include the main foods contributing to phytoestrogen intake. Although there are limitations to the consistency and quality of many of the values because they were gathered from a variety of sources, our approach should provide a useful first tool for assessing the epidemiological association between phytoestrogen consumption and cancer risk. Furthermore, this work has already facilitated the identification of the major dietary contributors with phytoestrogen activity and prioritized future laboratory analyses of specific foods toward the development of a more complete and accurate database.

Anticarcinogenic Agents↗

Phytoestrogen intake and prostate cancer: a case-control study using a new database.

In the last several years, attention has been focused on comparing the Western diet, which is rich in fat, protein, and refined carbohydrates, with the Asian diet, which is rich in phytoestrogens, as a possible explanation for the contrasting rates of clinically relevant prostate cancer. Phytoestrogens, plant-derived nutrients, include several isoflavones, flavonoids, lignans, phytosterols, and coumestans, some of which have been postulated as having anticarcinogenic properties. Using a new database, we examined the role of phytoestrogen intake and prostate cancer risk in 83 Caucasian cases and 107 controls. Controls reported consuming higher amounts of foods containing genistein, daidzein, and coumestrol and lower amounts of foods containing campesterol and stigmasterol. Multivariate analysis, after adjustment for age, family history of prostate cancer, alcohol consumption, and total calorie intake, showed an inverse association between coumestrol (p = 0.03) and daidzein (p = 0.07) and prostate cancer risk. Genistein, the most studied phytoestrogen, showed a slight protective effect (p = 0.26). However, a positive association was found between campesterol (p = 0.08) and stigmasterol (p = 0.03) and risk of prostate cancer. These results are suggestive of a possible relationship between phytoestrogen intake and prostate cancer risk. Larger comprehensive studies are needed to further refine the role of phytoestrogen intake in prostate cancer risk.

Anticarcinogenic Agents↗

Splenic marginal zone B-cell and thymic T-cell lymphomas in p53-deficient mice.

The molecular pathology and histogenesis of lymphomas in 56 retired breeder male and 14 12-week-old male homozygous p53-deficient (p53-/-) mice (C57BL/6TacfBR-[KO]p53 N4) were evaluated. Lymphomas were assessed by serial morphologic techniques, immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry, and analysis of T cell receptor (TCR) or immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) gene rearrangements. We found two common types of lymphomas. T-cell lymphomas arose in the thymus through a sequence of lymphocyte depletion, medullary hyperplasia, and unilateral lymphoma. Tumor cells were CD3+, CD90+, and usually TCRalpha/beta+ and possessed clonal TCRbeta gene rearrangements. Thymic lymphoblastic lymphomas (LL) were highly malignant and quickly metastasized to the splenic white pulp and liver, even when the thymus was only slightly increased in weight. In the spleen, a novel lymphoma was found. Marginal zone hyperplasia led to marginal zone lymphoma (MZL), a well-differentiated lymphoma that usually expressed CD45R (B220) and CD5 at low levels and that had clonal IgH gene rearrangements. IgH gene rearrangements were also seen in spleens with marginal zone hyperplasias only. Hyperplastic and neoplastic marginal zone B cells expressed IgM at low to normal levels, as seen by FACS analysis and immunohistochemistry. These tumors only metastasized to the liver at a later stage, as they became less differentiated. Several mice had both types of tumors present in the spleen. Two B-cell lymphoblastic lymphomas of uncertain origin were also found. In this article, we discuss the possible mechanisms responsible for development of the lymphomas seen in these p53-deficient mice.

Animals↗

p53-independent inhibition of nitric oxide generation by cancer preventive interventions in ex vivo mouse peritoneal macrophages.

We have previously reported that dietary interventions with purported anti-inflammatory activity delay spontaneous tumorigenesis in p53-deficient (p53-/-) mice. In the present study, 4 weeks of calorie restriction or the dietary administration of chemopreventive steroids dehydroepiandrosterone and 16alpha-fluoro-5-androsten-17-one significantly reduced the inducible generation of nitric oxide (NO) in ex vivo peritoneal macrophages from male p53 wild-type and p53-/- mice relative to the respective ad libitum-fed controls; expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase II (NOS2) protein was also markedly decreased compared with respective controls. These findings suggest that the p53-independent suppression of inducible NO production observed in this study may contribute to the anti-cancer effects of these preventive interventions in p53-/- mice.

Androstenes↗

Inflammatory breast carcinoma incidence and survival: the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results program of the National Cancer Institute, 1975-1992.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the cause of inflammatory breast carcinoma (IBC), the most aggressive form of breast cancer. To the authors' knowledge, no studies have investigated whether IBC risk factors are different from those for breast carcinoma overall, and there has been only one report of IBC incidence and survival patterns. METHODS: The authors used data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program of the National Cancer Institute for the period 1975-1992 to calculate age-adjusted incidence and survival rates for 913 white and 121 African American women with IBC involving dermal invasion of lymphatic ducts and 166,375 white and 13,674 African American women with other types of breast carcinoma (non-IBC). RESULTS: Between 1975-1977 and 1990-1992, IBC incidence doubled, increasing among whites from 0.3 to 0.7 cases per 100,000 person-years and among African Americans from 0.6 to 1.1 cases. However, rates for African Americans varied due to the small numbers of IBC cases. The twofold increase in IBC incidence was higher than that observed for non-IBC during the same period (27% for African Americans and 25% for whites). IBC patients were significantly younger at diagnosis than non-IBC patients; and among both IBC and non-IBC patients, African Americans were younger than whites. Overall survival was significantly worse for IBC patients than for non-IBC patients and for African Americans than for whites. Among whites, 3-year survival improved more for IBC patients than for non-IBC patients between 1975-1979 and 1988-1992, increasing from 32% to 42% for IBC patients (P=0.0001) and from 80% to 85% for non-IBC patients (P=0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The disparities observed in incidence trends and age at diagnosis, particularly according to race, highlight the need for further investigation of the differences between IBC and non-IBC incidence.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Calorie restriction reduces ulcerative dermatitis and infection-related mortality in p53-deficient and wild-type mice.

In rodents calorie restriction (CR) reduces cancer incidence, improves health by delaying age-related declines in physiologic measures, and extends both median and maximal life span. The mechanisms underlying the various beneficial effects of CR remain undefined. In this study, heterozygous p53-deficient (p53(+/-)) mice (in which the inactivation of one allele of the p53 tumor suppressor gene increases susceptibility to spontaneous and carcinogen-induced tumor development) and wild-type (WT) litter mates were subjected to a two-stage skin carcinogenesis protocol with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. Instead of skin carcinomas, however, the chemical treatment protocol caused ulcerous skin lesions, and 89% of mice fed ad libitum died from infection/septicemia. When WT mice were restricted to 60% of the average calorie intake of the respective ad libitum group, however, only 33% developed such lesions, and the CR mice survived twice as long on average as the ad libitum mice. CR also extended life span in p53(+/-) mice, but 50% of p53(+/-) mice subjected to CR still developed skin ulcers and mean life span was shorter than that seen in WT mice. Differences in response to CR between WT and p53(+/-) mice may be due to the reduction in p53 gene dosage, dissimilarity in the application of the CR treatment, or both. These results suggest that some of the beneficial effects of CR may need full expression of p53 for complete realization.

Animals↗

Inflammatory breast cancer and body mass index.

PURPOSE: No studies have investigated the etiology of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), the most lethal form of breast cancer. Because high body mass index (BMI) is associated with decreased risk of premenopausal breast cancer but increased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, we evaluated whether high BMI was a risk factor for IBC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a case-comparison study, we matched by ethnicity and registration date 68 IBC patients treated at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center from 1985 to 1996 with 143 patients with non-IBC and 134 patients with cancer at sites other than the breast or reproductive tract (non-breast cancer). The non-breast cancer group was used in lieu of a population-based, healthy control group, which was not available. RESULTS: IBC patients were younger at menarche and the time of their first live birth than non-IBC and non-breast cancer patients. The proportion of premenopausal IBC patients was higher than the proportion of premenopausal women in the comparison groups, although differences were not significant. There were no differences in height, but IBC patients were heavier (77.6 kg) than non-IBC (70.0 kg) and non-breast cancer patients (68.0 kg). After adjusting for other factors, women in the highest BMI tertile (BMI > 26.65 kg/m2) relative to the lowest tertile (BMI < 22.27) had significantly increased IBC risk (IBC v non-IBC, odds ratio [OR] = 2.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.05 to 5.73; IBC v non-breast cancer, OR = 4.52, 95% CI = 1.85 to 11.04). This association was not significantly modified by menopausal status and was independent of age at menarche, family history of breast cancer, gravidity, smoking status, and alcohol use. CONCLUSION: Our investigation showed that high BMI was significantly associated with an increased risk of IBC. This association did not vary by menopausal status, although IBC patients were more likely to be premenopausal. Confirming our findings and identifying other IBC risk factors may provide directions for future research on the aggressive nature of IBC.

Adult↗

Androgen regulation of the human pseudoautosomal gene MIC2, a potential marker for prostate cancer.

Using the differential display-polymerase chain reaction technique to identify androgen-responsive genes in the human prostatic tumor cell line LNCaP, we cloned an expression tag homologous to the human pseudoautosomal gene MIC2. The role of MIC2 in the prostate had not previously been studied. We used a series of cell lines derived from LNCaP that varied in their degree of differentiation and metastatic potential to assess the relationship between MIC2 expression and androgen responsiveness in prostate cancer. The expression of MIC2 mRNA and its product E2 was upregulated by androgen in a dose- and time-dependent manner in the parental LNCaP line and correlated with the expression of prostate-specific antigen. In the LNCaP sublines and an androgen-repressed invasive human prostate cancer cell line (ARCaP), MIC2 gene expression was not regulated by androgen and was associated with poorer differentiation, decreased androgen sensitivity, and higher metastatic potential. Immunohistochemical analyses indicated that E2 was expressed in tissues from patients with primary prostate cancer (16 of 20), in fetal prostatic tissues (low levels in all 10 fetal tissues assessed), and sporadically in benign prostatic hyperplasia tissues (one of four). The normal prostate tissues did not show positive E2 staining, with the exception of one central-zone section from one of the eight normal prostate samples assessed. These findings suggest that deregulation of expression of the human pseudoautosomal gene MIC2 occurred in the prostate.

12E7 Antigen↗