Obesity is an independent risk factor for breast cancer, and obese breast cancer patients exhibit a higher risk for larger tumor burden and increased metastasis. Obesity, as associated with metabolic syndrome, results in an increase in circulating insulin-like growth factor (IGF), which acts as a mitogen. In addition, higher plasma level of adipocytokine leptin is associated with obesity. In th...

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) exhibits antiestrogenic properties, including the inhibition of estrogen-induced uterine growth and proliferation. The inhibition of estrogen-mediated gene expression through ER/AhR cross-talk has been proposed as a plausible mechanism; however, only a limited number of inhibited responses have been investigated that are unlikely to fully account for t...

Vasopressin and ANG II, which are known to play a major role in renal water and sodium reabsorption, are mainly coupled to the cAMP/PKA and phosphoinositide pathways, respectively. There is evidence for cross talk between these intracellular signaling pathways. We therefore hypothesized that vasopressin-induced water reabsorption could be attenuated by ANG II AT(1) receptor blockade in rats. To...

We have previously shown that butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid fiber fermentation product, induces colonocyte apoptosis via a nonmitochondrial, Fas-mediated, extrinsic pathway. Interestingly, fermentable fiber when combined with fish oil containing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) exhibits an enhanced ability to induce apoptosis and protect against colon tumorigenesis. To determine the mol...

BACKGROUND This study was performed to investigate whether ginseng has a protective effect in an experimental mouse model of cyclosporine-induced pancreatic injury. METHODS Mice were treated with cyclosporine (30 mg/kg/day, subcutaneously) and Korean red ginseng extract (0.2 or 0.4 g/kg/day, oral gavage) for 4 weeks while on a 0.01% salt diet. The effect of ginseng on cyclosporine-induced pan...

Motorcycle exhaust (ME) from two-stroke engines contains many toxicants and poses a potential health hazard. The major objectives of the present study were to investigate the male reproductive toxicity of ME and the underlying mechanisms of toxicity. Male Wistar rats were exposed to ME by inhalation 1 h each in the morning and afternoon, Monday through Friday. Exposures to 1:50 diluted ME for 4...

Quercetin and resveratrol are known to have beneficial effects on the diabetes and diabetic complication, however, the effects of combined treatment of these compounds on diabetes are not fully revealed. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the combined antidiabetic action of quercetin (QE) and resveratrol (RS) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. To test the effec...

The primary cytotoxic mechanism of camptothecin has been proposed to involve an interaction between the replication machinery and the camptothecin-mediated topoisomerase I-DNA cleavable complex (Y. H. Hsiang, M.G. Lihou, and L.F. Liu, Cancer Res., 49:5077-5082, 1989). In the present study, we show that killing of V79 cells by the topoisomerase II poisons 4'-(9-acridinylamino)methanesulfon-m-ani...