Background: Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have attracted considerable attention due to the variety of their applications in medicine and other sciences. AgNPs have been used in vitro for treatment of various diseases, such as hepatitis B and herpes simplex infections as well as colon, cervical, and lung cancers. In this study, we assessed the effect on proliferation, adhesion, and apoptosis in breast cancer cell lines of different molecular profiles (MCF7, HCC1954, and HCC70) exposed to AgNPs (2–9 nm). Methods: Breast cancer cell lines were incubated in vitro; MTT assay was used to assess proliferation. Adhesion was determined by real-time analysis with the xCELLingence system. Propidium iodide and fluorescein isothiocyanate-Annexin V assay were used to measure apoptosis. The transcriptome was assessed by gene expression microarray and Probabilistic Graphical Model (PGM) analyses. Results: The results showed a decreased adhesion in breast cancer cell lines and the control exposed to AgNPs was noted in 24 hours (p≤0.05). We observed a significant reduction in the proliferation of MCF7 and HCC70, but not in HCC1954. Apoptotic activity was seen in all cell lines exposed to AgNPs, with an apoptosis percentage of more than 60% in cancer cell lines and less than 60% in the control. PGM analysis confirmed, to some extent, the effects of AgNPs primarily on adhesion by changes in the extracellular matrix. Conclusion: Exposure to AgNPs causes an antiproliferative, apoptotic, and anti-adhesive effect in breast cancer cell lines cultured in vitro. More research is needed to evaluate the potential use of AgNPs to treat different molecular profiles of breast cancer in humans.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is characterized by joint destruction, chronic inflammation, and autoantibody production. IL-21/IL-21R plays an essential role in the immunopathology of RA. Elevated IL-21 serum levels have been associated with RA and disease activity. Here, we evaluated the association of IL-21/IL-21R polymorphisms and IL-21 serum levels with RA. The study included 275 RA patients and 280 Control subjects (CSs). Single nucleotide polymorphisms IL-21 (rs2055979 and rs2221903) and IL-21R (rs3093301) were genotyped using PCR-RFLP. Clinical activity was evaluated by DAS28-ESR; IL-21 and anti-CCP serum levels were quantified by ELISA. The IL-21 rs2055979 AA genotype was higher in RA patients than in the CS group (p = 0.0216, OR = 1.761, 95% CI = 1.085–2.859); furthermore, RA patients showed anti-CCP elevated levels compared to the CA genotype (p = 0.0296). The IL21R rs3093301 AA genotype was also higher in RA patients than in the CS group (p = 0.0122, OR = 1.965, 95% CI = 1.153–3.348). The AT haplotypes of IL-21 rs2055979 and rs2221903 were more frequent (49%) in the RA group (p = 0.006). IL-21 serum levels were significantly elevated in the RA group, but without an association with IL-21 polymorphisms. In conclusion, IL-21 rs2255979 and IL-21R rs3093301 are associated with a higher risk of RA, and could be a genetic marker. Moreover, the elevated IL-21 levels in RA suggest that IL-21/IL-21R could be a therapeutic target in RA.

Uncontrolled proliferation and death resistance are two hallmarks of cancer cells. Breast cancer (BC) has the highest incidence and mortality in women worldwide and national; subtype triple negative (TN) is the most aggressive type because it is not susceptible to conventional therapy. Since 2004, the World Health Organization (WHO) approved use of alternative treatments as adjuvants based on evidence of its benefits. Since then, different natural alternatives to treat cancer have been studied, including Origanum vulgare (Ov) and carvacrol (Crv), one of its main compounds. However, cytotoxic potential of these products has not been studied in this subtype of BC. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxic effect of Ov and Crv on TN BC cell line (HCC-70). Lethal dose 50 was determined on control cell line HaCaT through 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays with Ov and Crv stimulus in different doses and concentrations; the found dose was used on the HCC-70 cell line. The results were evaluated by ANOVA, finding that Ov reduced the proliferation by 94.05% ± 0.11 (p < 0.001) and Crv by 93.43% ± 0.21 (p < 0.001) compared to untreated cells. This suggests that both Ov and Crv present a powerful cytotoxic effect against the HCC-70 cell line and are promising options that should receive further study.