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Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant property of Silymarin (SM) extracted from the seed of Silybum marianum and its anticancer activity on KB and A549 cell lines following 24, 48, and 72 h of treatment. Methods: Ten grams of powdered S. marianum seeds were defatted using n-hexane for 6 hours and then extracted by methanol. The Silymarin extracted of extraction components. The extracted components of Silymarin were measured by spectrophotometric assay and HPLC analysis. 2, 2- diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, phenol content, total flavonoid content, and total antioxidant capacity were measured to detect the antioxidant properties of SM. The anticancer activity of the SM on cell lines evaluated by MTT. Results: In HPLC analysis, more than 50% of the peaks were related to silybin A and B. SM was reduced DPPH (the stable free radical) with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 6.56 μg/ ml in comparison with butylated hydroxyl toluene (BHT), which indicated an IC50 of ~3.9 μg/ ml. The cytotoxicity effect of SM on the cell lines was studied by MTT assay. The cytotoxicity effect of the extracted Silymarin on KB and A549 cell lines was observed up to 80 and 70% at 156 and 78 μg/ml, respectively. The IC50 value of the extracted SM on KB and A549 cell lines after 24 hours of treatment was seen at 555 and 511 μg/ml, respectively. Conclusion: Due to the good antioxidant and anticancer properties of the isolated Silymarin, its use as an anticancer drug is suggested.

Background: Prostate Stem Cell Antigen (PSCA) is a small cell surface protein, overexpressed in 90% of prostate cancers. Determination of epitopes that elicit an appropriate response to the antibody generation is vital for diagnostic and immunotherapeutic purposes for prostate cancer treatment. Presently, bioinformatics B-cell prediction tools can predict the location of epitopes, which is uncomplicated, faster, and more cost-effective than experimental methods. Objective: We aimed to predict a novel linear peptide for Prostate Stem Cell Antigen (PSCA) protein in order to generate anti-PSCA-peptide (p) antibody and to investigate its effect on prostate cancer cells. Methods: In the current study, a novel linear peptide for PSCA was predicted using in silico methods that utilize a set of linear B-cell epitope prediction tools. Polyclonal antibody (anti-PSCA-p antibody “Patent No. 99318”) against PSCA peptide was generated. The antibody reactivity was determined by the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and its specificity by immunocytochemistry (ICC), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and Western Blotting (WB) assays. The effect of the anti-PSCA-p antibody on PSCA-expressing prostate cancer cell line was assessed by Methylthiazolyldiphenyl- Tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Results: New peptide-fragment of PSCA sequence as “N-CVDDSQDYYVGKKN-C” (PSCA-p) was selected and synthesized. The anti-PSCA-p antibody against the PSCA-p showed immunoreactivity with PSCA-p specifically bound to PC-3 cells. Also, the anti-PSCA-p antibody strongly stained the prostate cancer tissues as compared to Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) and normal tissues (P < 0.001). As the degree of malignancy increased, the staining intensity was also elevated in prostate cancer tissue (P < 0.001). Interestingly, the anti-PSCA-p antibody showed anti-proliferative effects on PC-3 cells (31%) with no growth inhibition effect on PSCA-negative cells. Conclusion: In this study, we developed a new peptide sequence (PSCA-p) of PSCA. The PSCA-p targeting by anti-PSCA-p antibody inhibited the proliferation of prostate cancer cells, suggesting the potential of PSCA-p immunotherapy for future prostate cancer studies.

Background: Androgens play a major role in the carcinogenesis of prostate cancer (PCa) and the growth of PCa cells is based on the level of androgens. New Gene Expressed in Prostate (NGEP) and LIM-domain-only1 (LMO1) are two proteins that seem to play important roles in prognosis and progress of PCa, respectively. Previous studies reported androgen-dependent NGEP and LMO1 translocation into the nucleus associated with androgen receptor in an androgen-dependent manner. However, the effects of natural androgens such as testosterone on NGEP and LMO1 gene expression have not been investigated and not clear whether androgens can affect NGEP and LMO1 gene expression. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of testosterone on NGEP and LMO1 gene expression in PCa cells. Methods: We investigated NGEP, LMO1 and prostate specific antigen (PSA; as positive control) gene expression in LNCaP cells by Real Time RT-PCR in the presence of various testosterone concentrations (5,10, 20 and 50nM) after 24 and 48 hours of incubation. Results: Our results showed that NGEP gene expression was significantly increased in LNCaP cells in the presence of 5mM testosterone after 24 and 48hours, ~4.5 and 3.5 folds respectively in comparison with the control. The LMO1 expression was increased ~ 2.8 folds at 5nM testosterone after 48 hours of incubation when compared with the control. Conclusion: Both NGEP and LMO1 up-regulations occurred at a limited range of testosterone concentration. This androgen dependency was relatively lower than that of PSA. Additional studies are required to clearly evaluate the effect of androgens on NGEP and LMO1 protein expression and functions.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a crucial health problem. Prevention of the disease requires rapid diagnosis. Rapid liquid culture systems, nucleic acid amplification tests, and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) are among the rapid tests used for detecting Mycobacteriumspecies. However, these tests are expensive and require extensive equipment and expertise, which is hardly affordable in resource-poor countries. Although direct microscopy is performed routinely as an initial step for detection of the bacteria, it is not sufficiently sensitive. As a result, we thought of establishing a low-cost immunological test that can potentially replace direct microscopy with higher sensitivity and specificity.

Glanzmann's thrombasthenia is a rare congenital bleeding disorder characterized by lack of platelet aggregation induced by most agonists. The disease is caused by different mutations in either GPIIb or GPIIIa genes that lead to a lack or dysfunction of the IIb3. Western blot analysis was performed on the platelet lysates of 95 patients with Glanzmann's thrombasthenia who were referred to the Iranian Blood Transfusion and Hemophilia Clinic. Glanzmann's thrombasthenia was diagnosed based on clinical findings and were classified according to Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia Italian Team (GLATIT) protocol. The platelet glycoprotein expression pattern in Iranian patients with Glanzmann's thrombasthenia was studied and the relationship between the platelet glycoprotein expression levels and clinical symptoms were investigated. Loss or severe reduction of platelet GpIIb and GpIIIa were observed in majority of patients (78). The remaining patients (22) showed a relatively sharp decline to the normal amounts of the glycoproteins. None of the patients showed expression of CD41 without CD61. Statistical analysis showed no significant relationship between clinical symptoms and expression of platelet glycoproteins. Different patterns of platelet glycoproteins expression suggest that there is variety of mutations in the patients. Unlike the universal Glanzmann's thrombasthenia database, the majority of Iranian patients may suffer from a GpIIIa gene mutation. This study also confirmed a lack of correlation between clinical manifestation and GPIIbIIIa expression in the patients.