This review summarizes the results of long-term researches of the authors who studied the mechanisms of aging and the effectiveness of peptide bioregulators in preventing age-related diseases in laboratory animals. The data is provided on the evaluation of peptides effects which were produced using the most modern techniques in scientific institutions in Russia and abroad. The main attention is paid to the ability of peptide bioregulators to increase the life span and inhibit the carcinogenesis in animals.

The effect of dopamine (DA) on the viability and morphology of cultured tumor THP-1 cells (human acute monocytic leukemia) was studied. DA in concentration of 10(-5) M had virtually no effect on the culture, while in concentration of 10(-4) M to 10(-3) M it stopped the growth and caused a sharp increase in cell death after 24 and 48 hours. Incubation with DA reduced the cell diameter, progressively increased their vacuolization and intensity of fluorescence after treatment by Falck method. Electron microscopical study has shown that cells exposed for 1 day to DA in the concentrations starting with 10(-4) M, demonstrated smoothing of their surface with the disappearance of microvilli and clasmatosis vesicles, actin filaments perforating the plasma membrane, the emergence of an increasingly dense network of filaments in the cytosole and karyoplasm and, finally, apoptotic cell death. It is suggested that the oncotherapeutic cellular target for DA is a cytosolic G-actin, which at a certain DA concentration, turns into filaments that damage the cells, break the cell cycle and cause cell death.

Sixty one male 129/Sv mice were exposed to a single intraperitoneal injection of 1 g per kilo of urethane dissolved in 0.9% normal saline. Starting the next day from the injection the study group mice were given 1200 mg metformin per liter of drinking water 5 days a week for 26 weeks. The control group mice received pure drinking water. Six months after the urethane treatment the mice were killed and the morphology samples were taken. Twenty five of 31 (96.7%) control group mice developed tumors (lung adenomas and thymic lymphomas), while tumor development was observed in 25 of 31 (80.7%; p<0.05) mice exposed to metformin. Solid or trabecular lung adenomas developed in 90% of the control group mice and in 77% of the metformin group mice (p=0.119). Therefore, it is a first evidence of tumor-inhibitory effect of metformin in mice.

This study compares the anti-carcinogenic activity of calcium glucarate, potassium glucarate, and potassium glucuronate in cervix and esophagus induced cancer murine models. The cervical cancer induction was performed by tampons moistened with 0.1% solution of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a) anthracene (DMBA) applied intravaginally twice a week for 6 weeks in mice. Esophageal cancer was induced by oral administration of 10 mg of N-methyl-N-benzylnitrosoamine (MBNA) with drinking water for 1 month in rats. The 2 g per kilo of studied substances was administered orally with food immediately after the exposure to cancerogens for the period of 11 months. Compared to the control group the calcium glucarate, potassium glucarate and potassium glucuronate introduction reduced the incidence of cervical cancers by 20.4%, 32.1%, and 30.0% (p<0.05), accordingly; calcium glucarate introduction decreased only the medium number of the esophagus tumors by 44.3% (p<0.05); potassium glucarate and potassium glucuronate reduced the incidence of esophagus tumors by 35.1% and 61.3% (p<0.05) and their number by 32% and 58.5% (p<0.05), accordingly. Compared with calcium glucarate, potassium salts of glucaric and glucuronic acids inhibit cervical and esophageal carcinogenesis more effectively.

Research during the past decade has shown that epigenetic events have a key role in carcinogenesis and tumour progression. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) comprise structurally diverse compounds that are a group of targeted epigenetic anticancer agents. Here we explored the in vitro efficacy of HDACi such as sodium butyrate (BuNa), valproic acid (VaNa) and several novel HDAC inhibitors for the treatment of cancer. Both BuNa and VaNa inhibited cancer cell proliferation in a time--and dose-dependent fashion. In the present study we demonstrated the significant effect of two novel HDACi, Adipo or BuNHOH, able to induce apoptosis of cancer cells, but not of normal line. Since HDAC inhibitors have been proposed as radio--or chemosensitizers in cancer therapy, we have studied the radiosensitizing effect of sodium butyrate on cancer cells. The combination of BuNa and radiation significantly inhibited tumor cell growth. Besides, combining Cisplatin or Gemzar with HDAC inhibitors results in synergistic antiproliferative activity that could be therapeutically exploited. These results suggest that HDACi acts as an antitumor agent and that combining HDAC inhibitors with radio or--chemotherapeutic strategy may provide a novel chemotherapeutic treatment of cancers insensitive to traditional antitumor agents.

In this mini-review the basic evidence about anticancer properties of ursolic acid (UA), the compound belonging to the class of triterpenoids, is given. Beside inhibiting tumor cell growth in vitro and in vivo and activating of apoptosis, UA (as well as some other related and not related compounds) is capable to induce PTEN (a tumor suppressor mutation of which is rather often discovered in human tumors including endometrial cancer type I) and amount/activity of brown fat. The latter action may explain obesity-preventing capacity of UA that also may lead to an additional antiblastomogenic effect.

Letril (amygdaline) is one of drugs of alternative therapy for cancer that is used over three decades and relates to cyanogenic glycosides received from kernels of various fruits (almonds, apricots, peaches, etc. The basis of suggestion of letril as antitumor agent is hypotheses about selective fermentative splitting of amygdaline in tumor cells with developing of cyanide that should cause to apoptosis as a result of aerobic glycolysis suppression. None of these assumptions found their experimental confirmation. In clinical trials there was established inefficiency of letril with a very high probability to develop severe cyanide intoxication. Despite obtained scientific data and absence of permission from the supervising institutions (FDA) letril is still advertised, produced and distributed as anti-tumor drug.

There was studied effect of recombinant form of human breast milk component-lactoferrin, received from milk of goats-producers (neolactoferrin), on growth of transplantable tumor of the cervix in mice (TTC-5). Neolactoferrin in dose of 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg of animals' mass inhibited the rate of tumor growth. The most effective was the dose of 200 mg/kg, which was entered a week before transplantation. In contrast to the control group, in groups where neolactoferrin was entered it was fixed resorption of TTC-5 in 6 mice. Repeated transplantation TTC-5 to these mice led to reducing of the rate of tumor growth and increasing of duration of their lives. To investigate if tumor-braking effect neolactoferrin connected with direct effect on the tumor or due to the general effect of the organism, TTC-5 cells were transformed in culture and they were exposed by neolactoferrin in dose of 10 and 100 mkg/ml. In investigated doses neolactoferrin did not influence on tumor cells growth. There is discussed possible mechanism of anti-tumor effect of neolactoferrin.

Molecular chaperons can effectively activate innate and adaptive anti-tumor immune response. In the model of intracranial glioma C6 in Wistar rats we assessed immunomodulatory activity of recombinant protein Hsp70 in case of local, intratumoral injection. Single intratumoral infusion of chaperone had led to dramatic delay in tumor volume growth (on MRI of rat brain), which was accompanied by increase in survival rates. Incubation of rat spleenocytes with C6 cells elevated the levels of INF-gamma, that shows an immunologically specific T-cell response. With immunohistochemical assay we observed a marked infiltration of the tumor by T-lymphocytes and NK-cells. Thus, purified Hsp70 can efficiently induce innate and adaptive anti-tumor response and could be used as adjuvant in treatment of malignant brain tumors of central nervous system.

This review presents data on frequency of second tumors that develop after therapy for malignant tumors in children as well as correlation links between their development and morphological variants of primary tumor, risk factors and methods of initial treatment. There are shown tumors, which therapy more often induces development of second malignancies.

Current approaches to treatment of malignant tumors are rather close to an achievement of their limit. One of the new trends of treatment is target therapy based on intended influence on any molecular target. At the present time the most precise attention is paid to receptors and signaling systems that take part in regulation of the main vital processes of cells: proliferation, apoptosis, neoangiogenesis. One of possible variants of target therapy could be action on to signaling system Notch. Contemporary reference data show a link between this intracellular way of signal transmission and regulation of proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis of tumor cells.

Russian Academy for Further Medical Education, St. Petersburg A clinical-statistical analysis of chemotherapeutic treatment of 198 gynecological cancer patients in an outpatient clinic and 226 ones in a hospital. It was concluded that was no difference in the treatment effectiveness, as well as in the incidence of hematological and non-hematological complications.

Blood was sampled from the caudal vein of rats, incubated with cyclophosphamide with autoblood, exposed to red light (0.31 Jcm2) and re-injected into the femoral vein. Lighting in conjunction with the antitumor action of the drug was followed by significant inhibition of large-size tumors, longer survival and development of integral criteria which describe cumulative antitumor effect.

Influence of selenium on induced carcinogenesis of the prostate and other organs was studied in male Wistar rats. Carcinogenesis was induced (68) by using our modification of a combined double-stage model including surgical castration, single administration of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) and long-term promotion by a mix of testosterone ethers (MTE). Seven days after MNU injection the rats were randomized to form 2 groups. Controls were fed drinking water while the study group - water containing sodium selenite 4mg/l, daily - till the end of the experiment. Controls (12) were not exposed to any treatment. They were followed up for 55 weeks until sacrificed. Apparent benign prostatic hyperplasia developed in rats subjected to castration, MNU and MTE. Also, such precancerous lesions as prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) and prostate cancer including metastatic one were detected. Malignant lymphoma, other than in target tissues, was the most frequent. Prostate pathological changes and lymphomas were not registered in intact rats. Unlike rats treated with MNU and MTE and fed untreated drinking water, selenium did not influence significantly the development of prostate intraepithelial neoplasia but reduced multiplicity of prostate cancer by 44.6%. Simultaneously, the incidence of induced malignant lymphomas decreased by 26.4%.

Malignant peritoneal effusions often arise in patients with ovarian carcinoma. They are a hazardous complication of cancer. Systematic intraperitoneal chemotherapy is not necessarily followed by long-term remission and may even induce untoward side effects. Intraperitoneal interleukin-2 (IL-2) and IL-2/lymphokine-activated killers (LAK) biotherapy showed high efficacy in treatment of ovarian carcinoma patients suffering from peritoneal effusions. The objective effect was 80.1% and 82.6%, respectively. Our results suggest that intraperitoneal biotherapy may be extended to dealing with malignant peritoneal effusions in ovarian carcinoma.