A major application field of preclinical MRI is linked to cancer research. It was therefore the aim of the Selleck OSI-027 current study to explore the potential of BT-MRI on tumor models in mice. Nude mouse xenograft models of different human tumors were used to test the suitability of the new BT-MRI system for visualisation of organs and tumors and for quantification of tumor progression. Methods NMR system and its characteristics A 21 MHz NMR benchtop prototype system “”MARAN DRX2″” (Oxford Instruments) capable of imaging with a horizontal bore of 23 mm diameter was used (Figure 1). The instrument is equipped with a temperature control unit and capable of T1 and T2 relaxation

measurements, the determination of diffusion coefficients and imaging. Figure 1 Prototype of the Benchtop-MRI system “”MARAN DRX2″” (Oxford Instruments). NMR imaging parameter The temperature was set to 37°C. Always 4 slices were simultaneously measured

with: slice distance: 3.5 mm, slice width: 3 mm, spin echo time TE: 9.8 ms, repetition time TR: 172 ms, averages: 32 or 16 (for time critical kinetics), total time: 715 s or 357 s, respectively, FOV: 40*40 mm. The pulse sequence was T2SE. The MRI acquisition parameters were optimized under some hardware selleck kinase inhibitor restrictions. TE is limited by the bandwidth of 10 KHz https://www.selleckchem.com/products/cilengitide-emd-121974-nsc-707544.html to 9.8 ms. An increase of the bandwidth allows shorter TE, however it leads also to stronger image distortions. A TR value of 150 ms gives an optimal contrast for marbled meat and also for mice. For 4 slices TR is limited to 171.4 ms. Therefore 172 ms was used for TR as a good compromise between best contrast and simultaneous acquisition of 4 slices. The resulting images are therefore aminophylline T1-weighted and range from hyperintense signals for fatty tissues to hypointense

signals for water. The higher number of averages was chosen to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. For kinetics of contrast agent distribution a rapid image acquisition may be essential. Therefore measurements with lesser averages were also performed, even though the image quality is reduced. Cell culture, xenograft tumor model, measurements and analyses Human colon carcinoma cell lines DLD-1, HCT8 and HT29 and human testicular germ cell tumor cell line 1411HP were maintained as monolayer cultures in RPMI-1640 with 10% FCS and streptomycin/penicillin. Cultures were grown at 37°C in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO2/95% air. Eight week old male athymic-nude Foxn1 nu/nu mice (Harlan Winkelmann, Germany) were injected s.c. with 3 × 106 tumor cells in both flanks. NMR Imaging of mice was performed once a week. For comparison, the size of the xenograft tumors was also measured by means of a calliper. For imaging with a positive MRI contrast agent mice received 150 μl of gadobenate dimeglumine (Gd-BOPTA; 0.03 mmol/kg in 0.9% NaCl) via tail vein injection.

The principle notions used in the marketing of DTC genetic tests are autonomy, empowerment, Luminespib manufacturer prevention, convenience, and privacy. One of the main aspects outlined in the vision of these companies is that individuals want to play a greater role in the process of obtaining, storing and protecting their

genetic information. They promote the notion that avoiding the traditional encounter with a healthcare professional will result in a better guarantee of privacy, at least with respect to insurance companies and employers. Moreover, DTC genetic tests allow consumers to collect their own saliva samples (from which DNA is then extracted) from the comfort of their own home. For some tests, the companies Citarinostat purchase argue that it eliminates the hassle of scheduling an appointment with a physician and it eliminates an appointment fee that would otherwise be billed in addition to the laboratory fee (Berg and Fryer-Edwards 2008). Companies also allege that this model will allow for the increased access of genetic technologies for all consumers. Furthermore, companies advance that this provides “the foundation for truly personalized medicine in which individuals are empowered not only with self-knowledge of their genetic risk, but

also with the ability to take informed actions to prevent disease and preserve health” (Ledley 2002). “No one is going to invest in a start-up company, or a large-scale scientific endeavor, such as the Human Genome Project, unless they genuinely believe it has the potential to yield Fosbretabulin mouse significant returns in a defined timescale” (Nightingale and Martin 2004). The same is true for direct-to-consumer genetic testing. The emergence of this field has rested heavily on the creation of high expectations in order to get access to researchers, venture capital, and customers. Now that companies are operating, it is a question of convincing the public that they need to buy these tests. Among many others, the following aspects will be important determinants of consumer

acceptance: the price, their belief, and understanding of marketing messages and whether this commercial product responds to their expectations and needs. Success and failure of the DTC market Presently, little PKC inhibitor is known about the actual number of genetic tests sold by DTC genetic testing companies. A few studies have shown that only a relatively small percentage of the US population is aware of the availability of direct-to-consumer genetic tests and only a fraction of these have purchased such tests (Goddard et al. 2007, 2009; Kolor et al. 2009). In a recent study by Wright and Gregory-Jones, the authors attempted to estimate the size of the DTC whole genome scan market using the Internet traffic on three companies’ websites as a proxy for their commercial activity (Wright and Gregory-Jones 2010).

syringae pv. phaseolicola NPS3121, which suggests that regulation

of gene expression within the Pht cluster has integrated into the global regulatory mechanisms. However, it is still necessary to dissect in detail the regulatory mechanism of the IHF protein and identify other regulators that will enable us to elucidate the regulatory pathway for phaseolotoxin production in P. syringae pv. phaseolicola NPS3121. Methods Bacterial strains, media and growth conditions The bacterial strains and plasmids check details used in this study are listed in Additional file 2, Table S1. P. syringae strains: pv. phaseolicola NPS3121, pv. phaseolicola CLY233 and pv. tomato DC3000 were grown on M9 minimal medium at 18°C or 28°C. Pre-inoculums (25 ml) of P. syringae strains were grown overnight at 28°C in M9 medium with glucose (0.8%) as the carbon source. The cells were inoculated into 50 ml M9 minimal medium at OD600 nm 0.1 and the cultures were incubated at 18°C and 28°C until they reached the transition phase (OD600 nm 1.0). Escherichia coli wild type and mutant derivative strains, were routinely grown on Luria-Bertani (LB) medium at 37°C. When required, the following antibiotics were added: carbenicillin 100 μg μl-1, kanamycin 50 μg μl-1,

rifampin 50 μg μl-1. Molecular biology techniques Routine techniques were performed using standard protocols [48]. Genomic DNA of P. syringae pv. phaseolicola NPS3121 was isolated as described Ilomastat nmr previously [49]. Plasmid DNA was isolated from E. coli using the QIAGEN®: plasmid midi kit following the manufacturer’s instructions. PCR products were amplified with High Fidelity DNA Polymerase and Platinum supermix (Invitrogen, California USA) and purified with the Vitamin B12 QIAquick® gel extraction kit (QIAGEN). Restriction enzymes were used according to manufacturer’s instructions. Primers were designed using Vector NTI Software (Invitrogen, California USA)

with reference to the previously reported Pht cluster sequence (Gen Bank DQ141263) [10]. The oligonucleotide primers used in this study are listed in Additional file 2, Table S2. Gel mobility shift assays The probes used in gel shift assays were obtained by PCR amplification using the oligonucleotide pairs shown in Additional file 2. The https://www.selleckchem.com/products/bmn-673.html double-stranded probes were end-labeled with ( 32P)-ATP using T4 polynucleotide kinase enzyme (Invitrogen, California USA). Gel shift assays were performed as previously described, with some modifications [50]. Briefly, protein extracts were prepared from P. syringae pv. phaseolicola NPS3121 grown in M9 minimal medium at 18°C and 28°C until reaching the transition phase (OD600 nm of 1.0). Cultures were centrifuged and the pellet was rinsed once with 1/20 volume of cold extraction buffer (25 mM Tris-HCl pH 8.0, 0.1 mM EDTA, 1 mM DTT, 10% glycerol and 0.

thermocellum. An ORF recently suggested as a putative pyruvate

kinase homologue, Cthe1955 [24], had relatively minimal MEK162 price expression during cellulose fermentation (Figure 4). C. thermocellum however has two copies of the gene encoding pyruvate phosphate dikinase (Cthe1253 and Cthe1308), which catalyzes the reverse reaction for conversion of pyruvate to PEP. This enzyme is suggested to play an anabolic role in gluconeogenesis and consistent with this, Cthe1253 is upregulated in stationary phase during growth on cellulose. Sparling and colleagues have proposed an alternate route for conversion of PEP to pyruvate via oxaloacetate and malate (Figure 4; Sparling, personal communication). Genes encoding all three enzymes in this alternative route, the gluconeogenic PEP carboxykinase (Cthe2874), malate dehydrogenase (Cthe0345), and malic enzyme (Cthe0344), were

expressed find more at high levels, suggesting that this putative pathway is active in C. thermocellum during growth on Selleck CP673451 cellulose. C. thermocellum contains two clusters of genes (Cthe2390-2393 and Cthe2794-2797) encoding the gamma, delta, alpha and beta subunits, respectively, of the thiamine-pyrophosphate (TPP) dependent pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase (POR) which catalyzes the oxidation of pyruvate to acetyl-CoA. While all the genes in the Cthe2390-2393 cluster displayed maximal expression during cellulose fermentation, only a single gene in the Cthe2794-2797 cluster, encoding

Loperamide the TPP-binding beta subunit of the POR protein complex (Cthe2797), had high transcript levels which decreased in stationary phase (Figure 4). This is in contrast to studies by Sparling and colleagues who reported expression of Cthe2794-97 transcripts by RT-PCR during log phase of growth on alpha-cellulose with only weak expression of the Cthe2390-93 cluster [13]. However, the observed trends in gene expression may be due to differences in culture conditions between the two studies. While qPCR analysis was done with batch cultures in Balch tubes with no pH control [13], microarray analysis in this study was conducted with samples from controlled fermentations in bioreactors with pH control. Mixed-acid fermentation C. thermocellum encodes several genes involved in the mixed-acid fermentation pathways for conversion of pyruvate to organic acids (lactate, formate, acetate) and ethanol (Additional file 5, Expression of genes downstream of PEP). These include two putative lactate dehydrogenase genes (ldh; Cthe0345, Cthe1053) involved in conversion of pyruvate to lactate. Previous studies have reported detecting LDH activity in cell extracts of C. thermocellum [14, 25, 26] and RT-PCR analysis has shown expression of both ldh genes during cellulose batch and continuous fermentations [11, 13]. LDH, Cthe1053, cloned and expressed in E.

Oncogene 2004, 23:7047–7052.PubMedCrossRef 87. Hu Y, Cherton-Horvat G, Dragowska V, Baird S, Korneluk RG, Durkin JP, Mayer LD, LaCasse EC: Antisense oligonucleotides targeting XIAP induce apoptosis and enhance chemotherapeutic activity against human

lung cancer cells in vitro and in vivo . Clin Cancer Res 2003, 9:2826–2836.PubMed 88. Ohnishi K, Scuric Z, Schiesti RH, Okamoto N, Takahashi A, Ohnishi T: siRNA targeting NBS1 or XIAP increases radiation sensitivity of human cancer cells independent of TP53 status. Radiat Res 2006, 166:454–462.PubMedCrossRef 89. Yamaguchi Y, Shiraki K, Fuke H, Inoue T, Miyashita K, Yamanaka Y, Saitou Y, Sugimoto K, Nakano T: Targeting of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein or Survivin by short interfering RNAs sensitises hepatoma cells to TNF-related apoptosis-inducing find more ligand- and chemotherapeutic

agent-induced cell death. Oncol Rep 2005, 12:1211–1316. 90. Grossman D, McNiff JM, Li F, Altieri DC: Expression and targeting of the apoptosis inhibitor, Survivin, in human melanoma. J Invest Dermatol 1999,113(6):1076–1081.PubMedCrossRef 91. Sharma PLX-4720 solubility dmso H, Sen S, Lo ML Mraiggiò, Singh N: Antisense-mediated downregulation of antiapoptotic proteins induces apoptosis and sensitises head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells to chemotherapy. Cancer Biol Ther 2005, 4:720–727.PubMedCrossRef 92. Du ZX, Zhang HY, Gao DX, Wang HQ, Li YJ, Liu GL: Antisurvivin Ribose-5-phosphate isomerase oligonucleotides inhibit growth and induce apoptosis in human medullary thyroid carcinoma cells. Exp Mol Med 2006, 38:230–240.PubMed 93. Kami K, Doi R, Koizumi M, Toyoda E, Mori T, Ito D, Kawaguchi Y, Fujimoto K, Wada M, Miyatake S, Imamura M: Downregulation of Survivin by siRNA diminishes radioresistance of pancreatic cancer cells. Surgery 2005,138(2):299–305.PubMedCrossRef 94. Liu Q, Dong C, Li L, Sun J, Li C, Li L: Inhibitory

effects of the survivin siRNA transfection on human lung adenocarcinoma cells SPCA1 and SH77. Zhongguo Fei Ai Za Zhi 2011,14(1):18–22.PubMed 95. Zhang X, Li N, Wang YH, Huang Y, Xu NZ, Wu LY: Effects of Survivin siRNA on growth, apoptosis and chemosensitivity of ovarian cancer cells SKOV3/DDP. Zhonghua Zhong Liu Za Zhi 2009,31(3):174–177.PubMed 96. Yang CT, Li JM, Weng HH, Li YC, Chen HC, Chen MF: Adenovirus-mediated transfer of siRNA against Survivin enhances the radiosensitivity of human non-small cell lung cancer cells. Cancer Gene Ther 2010, 17:120–130.PubMedCrossRef 97. Pennati M, Folini M, BMS345541 price Zaffaroni N: Targeting Survivin in cancer therapy: fulfilled promises and open questions. Carcinogenesis 2007,28(6):1133–1139.PubMedCrossRef 98. Sun H, Liu L, Lu J, Qiu S, Yang CY, Yi H, Wang S: Cyclopeptide Smac mimetics as antagonists of IAP proteins. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2010,20(10):3043–3046.PubMedCrossRef 99.

The completion of nine large genome-wide association studies [8, 9] introduced single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as risk factors for BC disease [10]. Despite considerable progress, their commercial exploitation in clinical applications remains controversial [11, 12]. In addition, the potential functional influence of specific SNPs on tracer PET uptake needs further investigations in human cancer diseases. Indeed, the first study demonstrating an association between a human SNP (rs3025039 of the Vascular Endothelial

Growth Factor A, abbreviated as VEGFA) and FDG uptake in BC, has included a restricted number of 37 ductal BC patients without metastases [13]. Although, the possible correlation between gene polymorphisms and FDG uptake MK-0457 supplier is considered an innovative and interesting example of translational medicine approach, where information from multiple sources are combined aiming to a more personalized care, the number of INCB28060 cost scientific papers is still limited [13–18]. Nowadays, candidate targets used for these studies are polymorphisms in

the GLUcose Transporter 1 gene (GLUT1 also known as SLC2A1) and the following three hypoxia-related genes: Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1alpha (HIF-1a), VEGFA and apurinic/apyrimidinic APEX nuclease 1 (APEX1) [13–18]. GLUT family members are often over-expressed in most human malignancies [19] and are involved in tumour initiation and progression. However, they are LY2874455 mouse already present in the respective non-cancerous tissue of origin. The class I transporters (GLUT1), and to a much less extent GLUT3, are the most frequently over-expressed genes in cancer cells. Their over-expression positively correlates with several adverse tumour characteristics and PET uptake in BC [20] and various other malignancies [21–23]. Regarding the role of GLUT1 on PET imaging, only two authors have shown that rs841853and rs710218

GLUT1 SNPs influence tracer PET uptake [14, 15]. These two SNPs were considered to be able to determine variations on the behaviour of the glucose transporter in various human diseases, such as diabetic nephropathy and clear-cell renal carcinoma [24, 25], where a high significant allele frequency in the population investigated was found, suggesting oxyclozanide their potential clinical application. The rs841853 SNP is located in a non-protein coding region (intron 2 of the GLUT1 gene) and seems to have a role in recruiting glucose over the membrane, accelerating growth cell rate. The rs710218 SNP is positioned in the promoter region of the GLUT1 gene adjacent to a putative HIF-1a binding site [26]. HIF-1a controls oxygen delivery and metabolic adaptation to hypoxia via angiogenesis and glycolysis, respectively and it also regulates, under hypoxic conditions, the expression of genes, like the GLUT1 gene.

When asked about her views on cheating, Student 9 said that observing so many of her friends

talk about their sexual and emotional affairs openly made her realize things like this “just happen.” Intercultural relationships was one of the topics about which seven of the participants said that their attitudes had become more accepting and positive as a result of exposure to these relationships in the host country. For instance, 23 year old Ph.D. Student 10, who is currently dating an American man, mentioned that as a result of living in the US, she sees intercultural dating as more normal and acceptable. She specifically added: Inter-cultural couples that I see look very happy, so, I think that if people are not extremely religious, you can be really happy and even possibly see more happier than you would be with a Turkish man. Because the person you are with would attribute a lot of your differences to cultural reasons rather than taking them personally. This is Cell Cycle inhibitor especially true for sex and virginity. If I were to ask my male friends, they would say that they would be more accepting of a non-virgin foreigner than a Turkish girl. Echoing similar views, Student 3 said: I thought

that being from different cultural backgrounds would cause a great deal of problems, because you come from different worlds, however living in the United States made me think differently. United States is like the ‘living room’ of the world where so many people of different Selleckchem BAY 80-6946 ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds come together and mingle.

Living here made me see how a Chinese and an Tyrosine-protein kinase BLK Indian can be in the same room and get along. I couldn’t’ imagine that while I was in Turkey. When talking about divorce, three participants reported that their views on divorce changed significantly. For instance, 27 year old, Ph.D. Student 12, who has a Scottish boyfriend, mentioned that if a woman gets divorced in Turkey, people judge and think less of her, whereas in the United States, it’s “perfectly ok, or at least acceptable and even probable to get a divorce, especially if two people cannot get along.” Although most of the participants’ views on same sex relationships had not changed, those who changed their views attributed this to exposure to these relationships in the host country. For instance, Student 9 said: I was really turned off by the idea of same-sex relationships while I was living in Turkey, I can’t even remember meeting any gay people in Turkey. However, now after meeting many people who are openly gay, I started to think that it is more normal and that it could be anybody.

Clin Cancer Res 2010,16(4):1129–1139.PubMedCrossRef 29. Petrocca F, Vecchione A, Croce CM: Emerging role of miR-106b-25/miR-17–92 clusters in the control of Dactolisib mw transforming

growth factor beta signaling. Cancer Res 2008,68(20):8191–8194.PubMedCrossRef 30. Bierie B, Moses HL: Tumour microenvironment: TGFbeta: the molecular Jekyll and Hyde of cancer. Nat Rev Cancer 2006,6(7):506–520.PubMedCrossRef Entospletinib 31. Joshi A, Cao D: TGF-beta signaling, tumor microenvironment and tumor progression: the butterfly effect. Front Biosci 2010, 15:180–194.PubMedCrossRef Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Authors’ contributions JJ carried out most of the experiments and organized data for the manuscript. PF and LK performed histopathological diagnosis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma and participated

in manuscript drafting. MS, RL, AP, JM and RV participated in data organization and manuscript drafting. OS performed project design, coordinated the study and writing of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.”
“Introduction Glioma is the most common and aggressive see more form of brain tumors that affects adults. Despite advances in surgical and clinical neuro-oncology, malignant glioma prognosis remains poor due to its diffuse and invasive nature. To date, the molecular pathogenesis of glioma is still unclear. As a result, a major research effort has been directed at identification of specific genes which might play important roles in glioma carcinogenesis. The ECRG4 gene [GenBank accession

no.AF325503] was initially identified and cloned by Bi et al[1, 2] by comparing differential gene expression between human normal esophageal epithelia and ESCCs from high incidence Osimertinib in vitro families in Linxian County of Northern China. Further, this group [3, 4] and Mori [5] found that ECRG4 expression was significantly decreased in ESCC tissues and cell lines compared to normal adult esophageal epithelia. Hypermethylation of CpG islands of gene promoter often causes transcriptional silencing of genes, including tumor suppressor genes [6–10]. Previous studies reported promoter hypermethylation and reduced expression of ECRG4 in advanced esophageal, prostate carcinomas, colorectal carcinoma, and glioma[3, 11, 12] Together with a study in esophageal cancer cell lines[4], these reports suggest that ECRG4 may play a tumor suppressor role in certain cancers including glioma. However, the function and mechanisms mediated by the loss of ECRG4 expression in glioma remains unclear. In the present study, we examined the expression of ECRG4 in gliomas and explored its role as a tumor-suppressor gene in glioma cells in vitro. We provided a preliminary molecular mechanism of ECRG4-mediated suppression of glioma cell growth.

Factors other than differences in test circumstances, or loss to follow-up have to be sought to explain the differences between cross-sectional and longitudinal results with respect to static muscle endurance. Younger workers who participated in sports for 3 h per week or more had the best muscular capacity, but older workers

who participated in sports between 0 and 3 h per week had better muscular capacity selleck compound than those who were inactive or participated in sports for 3 h per week or more. Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial GM6001 License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited. References Alaranta H, Hurri H, Heliovaara M, Soukka A, Harju R (1994) Non-dynamometric trunk performance tests: reliability and normative data. Scand J Rehabil Med 26:211–215PubMed Asmussen E, Heeboll-Nielsen K (1962) Isometric muscle strength in relation to age in men and women. Ergonomics 5:167–169. doi:10.​1080/​0014013620893057​0

CrossRef Bemben MG (1998) Age-related alterations in muscular endurance. Sports Med 25:259–269. doi:10.​2165/​00007256-199825040-00004 PubMedCrossRef Bemben MG, Massey BH, Bemben DA, Misner JE, Boileau RA (1996) Isometric intermittent endurance of four muscle groups in men aged 20–74 years. Med Sci Sports find more Exerc 28:145–154. doi:10.​1097/​00005768-199601000-00026 PubMedCrossRef Biering-Sørensen F (1984) Physical measurements as risk indicators for low-back

trouble over a one-year period. Spine 9:106–119. doi:10.​1097/​00007632-198403000-00002 PubMedCrossRef Borg G (1990) Psychophysical scaling with applications in physical work and the perception of exertion. Scand J Work Environ Health 16(Suppl 1):55–58PubMed Brach JS, Simonsick EM, Kritchevsky S, Yaffe K, Newman AB (2004) The association between physical function and lifestyle activity and exercise in the health, aging and body composition Sclareol study. J Am Geriatr Soc 52:502–509. doi:10.​1111/​j.​1532-5415.​2004.​52154.​x PubMedCrossRef Cohen J (2003) Applied multiple regression: correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences, 3rd edn. Erlbaum, London De Zwart BC, Frings-Dresen MH, Van Dijk FJ (1995) Physical workload and the aging worker: a review of the literature. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 68:1–12. doi:10.​1007/​BF01831627 PubMedCrossRef De Zwart BC, Broersen JP, Frings-Dresen MH, Van Dijk FJ (1997) Musculoskeletal complaints in The Netherlands in relation to age, gender and physically demanding work. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 70:352–360PubMedCrossRef Era P, Schroll M, Hagerup L, Schultz-Larsen JK (2001) Changes in bicycle ergometer test performance and survival in men and women from 50 to 60 and from 70 to 80 years of age: two longitudinal studies in the Glostrup (Denmark) population. Gerontology 47:136–144. doi:10.

This indicates that MWNT inhibits the development of smaller/younger Selleckchem DMXAA vessels only. Our report is consistent with the results of another study showing that pristine MWNT displayed an anti-angiogenic effect on an in vivo VEGFA/bFGF-induced model [33] and in in vitro HUVEC

tubule formation assays [34]. However, doxorubicin conjugated with single-wall nanotubes had the opposite effects [35]. As expected, nanoparticles had less impact on the development of older vessels. Only ND, which exerted the strongest anti-angiogenic properties, induced a significant decrease in vessel length and the number of branch points. However, ND did not change the area of older vessels (100 to 200 μm). Reduced length and branching without significant changes in vessel area suggest that MRT67307 ic50 ND can inhibit the development of vessels with dimensions that slightly exceed 100 μm and smaller. The present results give new insights into the bioactive properties of ND and clearly show that this selleck products carbon nanoparticle can be considered for use in low-toxicity

anti-angiogenic therapy. Interestingly, our results demonstrated pro-angiogenic activity of pristine C60, which increased the number of branch points and vessel length. Fullerene C60 has been used to inhibit cancer growth [36] and is used as photosensitisers in photodynamic therapy [37]. However, Zogovic et al. [38] studied the effect of nanocrystaline fullerene on melanoma tumour and showed that fullerene, probably by immunosuppression, had tumour-promoting activity and increased the production of nitric oxide (NO), which can promote angiogenesis [39].

Furthermore, other reactive oxygen species can Amino acid also induce angiogenesis [40]. The ability of C60 to generate reactive oxygen species has been previously demonstrated [41, 42]. NO promotes angiogenesis by up-regulating the expression of the VEGFA receptor [43], which is consistent with our report. This appears to be the most probable mechanism underlying fullerene pro-angiogenic effects and may only be specific for pristine nanoparticles. Hydroxylated C60 has been shown to protect cells in vitro form oxidative stress, while pristine nanoparticles show pro-oxidant capacity [44, 45]. Moreover, C60 modified with multihydroxylated metal can simultaneously down-regulate more than ten angiogenic factors and significantly decrease the capillary vessels of tumours (average size 1.2 cm in diameter) [46]. Murugesan et al. [33] demonstrated that pristine MWNT and C60 inhibited the angiogenesis induced by exogenous VEGFA or bFGF. Our results indicated that C60 had the opposite effect on vessels not stimulated by exogenous pro-angiogenic factors. This suggests that C60 can have both anti- and pro-angiogenic activity depending on the physiological state of blood vessels. Conclusions We compared the anti-angiogenic properties of pristine carbon nanomaterials.