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Gastric cancer represents a diffuse and aggressive neoplasm, whose mortality index is among the highest in the world. Predisposing factors are E-cadherin mutations, Helicobacter pylori infection, and a diet rich in salted and smoked food, with a low intake of fresh fruits and vegetables. Here, we analyzed the effect of total lipophilic extracts of two Southern Italy tomato varieties, San Marzano and Corbarino, on an in vitro model of gastric cancer, YCC-1, YCC-2 and YCC-3 cell lines, characterized by different aggressiveness. Our results showed a possible role of these two varieties of tomatoes against typical neoplastic features. The treatment with tomato extracts affected cancer cell ability to grow both in adherence and in semisolid medium, reducing also cell migration ability. No toxic effects were observed on non-tumoral cells. We found, on gastric cancer cell lines, effects on both cell cycle progression and apoptosis modulation. The extent of antineoplastic effects, however, did not seem to correlate with the carotenoid content and antioxidant activity of the two tomato varieties. Our data indicate that San Marzano and Corbarino intake might be further considered as nutritional support not only in cancer prevention, but also for cancer patient diet., (© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

pRb2/p130 is a key tumor suppressor, whose oncosuppressive activity has mainly been attributed to its ability to negatively regulate cell cycle by interacting with the E2F4 and E2F5 transcription factors. Indeed, pRb2/p130 has been found altered in various cancer types in which it functions as a valuable prognostic marker. Here, we analyzed pRb2/p130 expression in gastric cancer tissue samples of diffuse histotype, in comparison with their normal counterparts. We found a cytoplasmic localization of pRb2/p130 in cancer tissue samples, whereas, in normal counterparts, we observed the expected nuclear localization. pRb2/p130 cytoplasmic delocalization can lead to cell cycle deregulation, but considering the emerging involvement of pRb2/p130 in other key cellular processes, it could contribute to gastric tumorigenesis also through other mechanisms. Our data support the necessity of further investigations to verify the possibility of using pRb2/p130 as a biomarker or potential therapeutic target for diffuse gastric cancer., (© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Hematopoietic stem cells derive regulatory information also from parathyroid hormone (PTH). To explore the possibility that PTH may have a role in regulation of other stem cells residing in bone marrow, such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) we assessed the effect of this hormone on the in vitro behavior of MSCs and EPCs. We evidenced that MSCs were much more responsive to PTH than EPCs. PTH increased the proliferation rate of MSCs with a diminution of senescence and apoptosis. Taken together, our results may suggest a protective effect of PTH on MSCs that reduces stress phenomena and preserve genome integrity. At the opposite, PTH did not modify the fate of EPCs in culture., ((c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)