For many centuries, Mexican valerian (Valeriana edulis ssp. procera) has been an important medici... more For many centuries, Mexican valerian (Valeriana edulis ssp. procera) has been an important medicinal plant in Mexican phytotherapy. Historically, external applications, for example for bleeding wounds, were of prime importance. However, this botanical drug is also used in case of nervousness (〉nervios〈). Valepotriates are the main group of biologically active natural products in Valeriana edulis ssp. procera. Compared to V. officinalis, less pharmacological/clinical research has been conducted on Mexican valerian. However, in a recent small clinical study (20 patients) on the effectiveness of a standardised, hydro-alcoholic Valeriana edulis ssp. procera extract on insomnia, some parameters were influenced significantly.
Glucocorticoids (GCs) are anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive steroid molecules secreted by t... more Glucocorticoids (GCs) are anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive steroid molecules secreted by the adrenal gland and regulated by the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. GCs present a circadian release pattern under normal conditions; they increase their release under stress conditions. Their mechanism of action can be via the receptor-independent or receptor-dependent pathway. The receptor-dependent pathway translocates to the nucleus, where the ligand-receptor complex binds to specific sequences in the DNA to modulate the transcription of specific genes. The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and its endogenous ligand cortisol (CORT) in humans, and corticosterone in rodents or its exogenous ligand, dexamethasone (DEX), have been extensively studied in breast cancer. Its clinical utility in oncology has mainly focused on using DEX as an antiemetic to prevent chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. In this review, we compile the results reported in the literature in recent years...
Despite efforts to promote health policies focused on screening and early detection, cervical can... more Despite efforts to promote health policies focused on screening and early detection, cervical cancer continues to be one of the leading causes of mortality in women; in 2020, estimated 30,000 deaths in Latin America were reported for this type of tumor. While the therapies used to treat cervical cancer have excellent results in tumors identified in early stages, those women who are diagnosed in locally advanced and advanced stages show survival rates at 5 years of <50%. Molecular patterns associated with clinical response have been studied in patients who present resistance to treatment; none of them have reached clinical practice. It is therefore necessary to continue analyzing molecular patterns that allow us to identify patients at risk of developing resistance to conventional therapy. In this study, we analyzed the global methylation profile of 22 patients diagnosed with locally advanced cervical cancer and validated the genomic results in an independent cohort of 70 patients...
The presence of germline and somatic deleterious mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes has impor... more The presence of germline and somatic deleterious mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes has important clinical consequences for breast cancer (BC) patients. Analysis of the mutational status in BRCA genes is not yet common in public Latin American institutions; thus, our objective was to implement high-performance technology with highly reliable results with the possibility of analyzing several patients simultaneously, therefore reducing cost and work time. A prospective cohort of 252 unrelated sporadic breast cancer patients from the Mexican-mestizo population were analyzed using next generation sequencing (NGS) based on ion semiconductor sequencing. We found 28 pathogenic mutations (25 in BRCA1 and 13 in BRCA2), 11 of which had not been reported previously in Hispanic or Latin American populations. A total of 38 patients were positive for a pathogenic mutation representing 15% of our Mexican women cohort with breast cancer; 25 for BRCA1; and 13 for BRCA2. Our results revealed that...
Tumour biology : the journal of the International Society for Oncodevelopmental Biology and Medicine, 2017
Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women worldwide, which mainly affects de... more Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women worldwide, which mainly affects developing countries. The patients who suffer a recurrence and/or progression disease have a higher risk of developing distal metastases. Proteases comprising the degradome given its ability to promote cell growth, migration, and invasion of tissues play an important role during tumor development and progression. In this study, we used high-density microarrays and quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction to evaluate the degradome profile and their inhibitors in 112 samples of patients diagnosed with locally advanced cervical cancer. Clinical follow-up was done during a period of 3 years. Using a correlation analysis between the response to treatment and the development of metastasis, we established a molecular signature comprising eight degradome-related genes (FAM111B, FAM111A, CFB, PSMB8, PSMB9, CASP7, PRSS16, and CD74) with the ability to discriminate patients at ris...
MicroRNAs are non-coding short RNAs that target the 3′ untranslated region of messenger RNAs (mRN... more MicroRNAs are non-coding short RNAs that target the 3′ untranslated region of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and lead to their degradation or to translational repression. Several microRNAs have been designated as oncomirs, owing to their regulating tumor suppressor genes. Interestingly, a few of them have been found to target multiple genes whose simultaneous suppression contributes to the development of a tumoral phenotype. Here, we have showed that miR-26a is overexpressed in colorectal cancer data obtained from TCGA Research Network and in human colon cancer pathological specimens; moreover, an orthotopic in vivo model of colon cancer showed overexpression of miR-26a, while Rb1 expression inversely correlated to miR-26a in TCGA Research Network data, pathological samples, and the in vivo model. Then, by means of luciferase assay, we demonstrated that miR-26a targets the 3′ untranslated region of Rb1 mRNA directly. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of miR-26a targeting Rb1 in co...
For many centuries, Mexican valerian (Valeriana edulis ssp. procera) has been an important medici... more For many centuries, Mexican valerian (Valeriana edulis ssp. procera) has been an important medicinal plant in Mexican phytotherapy. Historically, external applications, for example for bleeding wounds, were of prime importance. However, this botanical drug is also used in case of nervousness (〉nervios〈). Valepotriates are the main group of biologically active natural products in Valeriana edulis ssp. procera. Compared to V. officinalis, less pharmacological/clinical research has been conducted on Mexican valerian. However, in a recent small clinical study (20 patients) on the effectiveness of a standardised, hydro-alcoholic Valeriana edulis ssp. procera extract on insomnia, some parameters were influenced significantly.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is among the top three most deadly cancers worldwide. The survival rate f... more Colorectal cancer (CRC) is among the top three most deadly cancers worldwide. The survival rate for this disease has not been reduced despite the treatments, the reason why the search for therapeutic alternatives continues to be a priority issue in oncology. In this research work, we tested our successful pharmacological combination of three drugs, metformin, doxorubicin, and sodium oxamate (triple therapy, or TT), as an autophagy inducer. Firstly, we employed western blot (WB) assays, where we observed that after 8 h of stimulation with TT, the proteins Unc-51 like autophagy activating kinase 1(ULK1), becline-1, autophagy related 1 protein (Atg4), and LC3 increased in the CRC cell lines HCT116 and SW480 in contrast to monotherapy with doxorubicin. The overexpression of these proteins indicated the beginning of autophagy flow through the activation of ULK1 and the hyperlipidation of LC3 at the beginning of this process. Moreover, we confirm that ULK1 is a bona fide target of hsa-miR...
For many centuries, Mexican valerian (Valeriana edulis ssp. procera) has been an important medici... more For many centuries, Mexican valerian (Valeriana edulis ssp. procera) has been an important medicinal plant in Mexican phytotherapy. Historically, external applications, for example for bleeding wounds, were of prime importance. However, this botanical drug is also used in case of nervousness (〉nervios〈). Valepotriates are the main group of biologically active natural products in Valeriana edulis ssp. procera. Compared to V. officinalis, less pharmacological/clinical research has been conducted on Mexican valerian. However, in a recent small clinical study (20 patients) on the effectiveness of a standardised, hydro-alcoholic Valeriana edulis ssp. procera extract on insomnia, some parameters were influenced significantly.
Glucocorticoids (GCs) are anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive steroid molecules secreted by t... more Glucocorticoids (GCs) are anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive steroid molecules secreted by the adrenal gland and regulated by the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. GCs present a circadian release pattern under normal conditions; they increase their release under stress conditions. Their mechanism of action can be via the receptor-independent or receptor-dependent pathway. The receptor-dependent pathway translocates to the nucleus, where the ligand-receptor complex binds to specific sequences in the DNA to modulate the transcription of specific genes. The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and its endogenous ligand cortisol (CORT) in humans, and corticosterone in rodents or its exogenous ligand, dexamethasone (DEX), have been extensively studied in breast cancer. Its clinical utility in oncology has mainly focused on using DEX as an antiemetic to prevent chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. In this review, we compile the results reported in the literature in recent years...
Despite efforts to promote health policies focused on screening and early detection, cervical can... more Despite efforts to promote health policies focused on screening and early detection, cervical cancer continues to be one of the leading causes of mortality in women; in 2020, estimated 30,000 deaths in Latin America were reported for this type of tumor. While the therapies used to treat cervical cancer have excellent results in tumors identified in early stages, those women who are diagnosed in locally advanced and advanced stages show survival rates at 5 years of <50%. Molecular patterns associated with clinical response have been studied in patients who present resistance to treatment; none of them have reached clinical practice. It is therefore necessary to continue analyzing molecular patterns that allow us to identify patients at risk of developing resistance to conventional therapy. In this study, we analyzed the global methylation profile of 22 patients diagnosed with locally advanced cervical cancer and validated the genomic results in an independent cohort of 70 patients...
The presence of germline and somatic deleterious mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes has impor... more The presence of germline and somatic deleterious mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes has important clinical consequences for breast cancer (BC) patients. Analysis of the mutational status in BRCA genes is not yet common in public Latin American institutions; thus, our objective was to implement high-performance technology with highly reliable results with the possibility of analyzing several patients simultaneously, therefore reducing cost and work time. A prospective cohort of 252 unrelated sporadic breast cancer patients from the Mexican-mestizo population were analyzed using next generation sequencing (NGS) based on ion semiconductor sequencing. We found 28 pathogenic mutations (25 in BRCA1 and 13 in BRCA2), 11 of which had not been reported previously in Hispanic or Latin American populations. A total of 38 patients were positive for a pathogenic mutation representing 15% of our Mexican women cohort with breast cancer; 25 for BRCA1; and 13 for BRCA2. Our results revealed that...
Tumour biology : the journal of the International Society for Oncodevelopmental Biology and Medicine, 2017
Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women worldwide, which mainly affects de... more Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women worldwide, which mainly affects developing countries. The patients who suffer a recurrence and/or progression disease have a higher risk of developing distal metastases. Proteases comprising the degradome given its ability to promote cell growth, migration, and invasion of tissues play an important role during tumor development and progression. In this study, we used high-density microarrays and quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction to evaluate the degradome profile and their inhibitors in 112 samples of patients diagnosed with locally advanced cervical cancer. Clinical follow-up was done during a period of 3 years. Using a correlation analysis between the response to treatment and the development of metastasis, we established a molecular signature comprising eight degradome-related genes (FAM111B, FAM111A, CFB, PSMB8, PSMB9, CASP7, PRSS16, and CD74) with the ability to discriminate patients at ris...
MicroRNAs are non-coding short RNAs that target the 3′ untranslated region of messenger RNAs (mRN... more MicroRNAs are non-coding short RNAs that target the 3′ untranslated region of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and lead to their degradation or to translational repression. Several microRNAs have been designated as oncomirs, owing to their regulating tumor suppressor genes. Interestingly, a few of them have been found to target multiple genes whose simultaneous suppression contributes to the development of a tumoral phenotype. Here, we have showed that miR-26a is overexpressed in colorectal cancer data obtained from TCGA Research Network and in human colon cancer pathological specimens; moreover, an orthotopic in vivo model of colon cancer showed overexpression of miR-26a, while Rb1 expression inversely correlated to miR-26a in TCGA Research Network data, pathological samples, and the in vivo model. Then, by means of luciferase assay, we demonstrated that miR-26a targets the 3′ untranslated region of Rb1 mRNA directly. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of miR-26a targeting Rb1 in co...
For many centuries, Mexican valerian (Valeriana edulis ssp. procera) has been an important medici... more For many centuries, Mexican valerian (Valeriana edulis ssp. procera) has been an important medicinal plant in Mexican phytotherapy. Historically, external applications, for example for bleeding wounds, were of prime importance. However, this botanical drug is also used in case of nervousness (〉nervios〈). Valepotriates are the main group of biologically active natural products in Valeriana edulis ssp. procera. Compared to V. officinalis, less pharmacological/clinical research has been conducted on Mexican valerian. However, in a recent small clinical study (20 patients) on the effectiveness of a standardised, hydro-alcoholic Valeriana edulis ssp. procera extract on insomnia, some parameters were influenced significantly.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is among the top three most deadly cancers worldwide. The survival rate f... more Colorectal cancer (CRC) is among the top three most deadly cancers worldwide. The survival rate for this disease has not been reduced despite the treatments, the reason why the search for therapeutic alternatives continues to be a priority issue in oncology. In this research work, we tested our successful pharmacological combination of three drugs, metformin, doxorubicin, and sodium oxamate (triple therapy, or TT), as an autophagy inducer. Firstly, we employed western blot (WB) assays, where we observed that after 8 h of stimulation with TT, the proteins Unc-51 like autophagy activating kinase 1(ULK1), becline-1, autophagy related 1 protein (Atg4), and LC3 increased in the CRC cell lines HCT116 and SW480 in contrast to monotherapy with doxorubicin. The overexpression of these proteins indicated the beginning of autophagy flow through the activation of ULK1 and the hyperlipidation of LC3 at the beginning of this process. Moreover, we confirm that ULK1 is a bona fide target of hsa-miR...
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Papers by Nadia Jacobo