Ricerc@Sapienza

Introduction: Long-term survivors of ovarian cancer are a unique group of patients in whom prognostic factors for long-term survival have been poorly described. Such factors may provide information for a more personalized therapeutic approach. The objective of this study is to determine further characteristics of long-term survivors with high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

PURPOSE: Thyroid disorders are clinically associated with impaired fertility in women, and these abnormalities can be improved by restoring the euthyroid state. The exact mechanisms of thyroid effect on female fertility are not well known; however, it is conceivable that thyroid hormones (THs) might act on ovarian physiology via receptors in granulosa cells. This work is aimed at evaluating the effects of THs on non-tumoral granulosa cells and follicles.

A realistic picture of our world shows that it is heavily polluted everywhere. Coastal regions and oceans are polluted by farm fertilizer, manure runoff, sewage and industrial discharges, and large isles of waste plastic are floating around, impacting sea life. Terrestrial ecosystems are contaminated by heavy metals and organic chemicals that can be taken up by and accumulate in crop plants, and water tables are heavily contaminated by untreated industrial discharges.

The aim of the present in vitro study was to compare the effects of synthetic and plant-derived mTOR regulators on healthy human ovarian cells. We compared the effect of two synthetic mammalian mTOR blockers MC2141 and MC2183 with that of natural/plant-derived mTOR blocker rapamycin and mTOR activator resveratrol on cultured human ovarian granulosa cells. We evaluated the accumulation of markers for the mTOR system (sirtuin 1; SIRT 1), proliferation (PCNA), and apoptosis (caspase 3) along with the expression of the transcription factor p53 by quantitative immunocytochemistry.