Although there is evidence of the benefits of propolis on human health, the vast majority of studies have been conducted using animal models. The present study includes the chemical characterization and clinical evaluation of the effects of the oral administration of propolis solution on the oxidative status and modulation of lipids in a human population in Talca, Chile. Chemical characterization of propolis, total phenol, flavonoids, and total antioxidant capacity were determined by ORAC. Identification of phenols and flavonoids in propolis was assessed by HPLC-DAD. A double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted. Subjects provided informed consent form and the Bioethics Committee of the Universidad de Talca approved protocol. Eligible subjects (n = 67) were randomized in two groups: propolis (n = 35) and placebo (n = 32). All subjects were evaluated at 0 (baseline), 45, and 90 days. In the propolis group, we observed that increases in HDL-c went from 53.9 ± 11.9 to 65.8 ± 16.7 mg/dL (p < 0.001) from baseline to 90 days. Compared to placebo subjects, consumption of propolis induced a net increase in GSH levels (p < 0.0001) and a decrease (p < 0.001) in TBARS levels for the propolis group. Our findings indicate potential benefits of propolis use in human health. The use of propolis appears to have positive effects on oxidative status and improvement of HDL-c, both of which contribute to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is highly responsive to neoadjuvant polychemotherapy regimens including anthracyclines, taxanes, and, more recently, carboplatin. However, there is inadequate information on the individual contribution of each of these agents to the global activity of the combinations, and the use of combinations of up to four of these drugs is associated with relevant toxicity. Identifying single-drug activity in the clinical neoadjuvant setting is challenging. We developed patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) from several chemotherapy-naïve TNBC samples to assess the antitumor activity of single drugs and combinations of drugs. PDXs were established from chemotherapy-naïve TNBC samples. Nine TNBC PDX models (all of which corresponded to a basal-like phenotype according to the PAM50 classifier) were treated with carboplatin, docetaxel, and doxorubicin and the combination of docetaxel and carboplatin. Only one of nine PDX models showed sensitivity to doxorubicin, while eight of nine PDX models showed sensitivity to docetaxel and carboplatin as single agents. The 3 PDX models derived from patients with gBRCA-1 or gPALB2 mutations were very sensitive to carboplatin single agent. All 6 PDX models from patients without hereditary germ-line mutations showed increased sensitivity to the combination of docetaxel and carboplatin. In the present study, docetaxel and carboplatin single agents were active drugs against basal-like TNBC, while doxorubicin monotherapy showed low activity. The combination of docetaxel and carboplatin was more effective than the drugs used as single agents, except in the PDX from patients with gBRCA1/PALB2 mutations.

PURPOSE Genetic heterogeneity between primary tumors and their metastatic lesions has been documented in several breast cancer studies. However, the selection of therapy for patients with metastatic breast cancer and the search for biomarkers for targeted therapy are often based on findings from the primary tumor, mainly because of the difficulty of distant metastasis core biopsies. New methods for monitoring genomic changes in metastatic breast cancer are needed (ie, circulating tumor DNA [ctDNA] genomic analysis). The objectives of this study were to assess the concordance of genomic variants between primary and metastatic tumor tissues and the sensitivity of plasma ctDNA analysis to identify variants detected in tumor biopsies. PATIENTS AND METHODS Next-generation sequencing technology was used to assess the genomic mutation profile of a panel of 54 cancer genes in matched samples of primary tumor, metastatic tumor, and plasma from 40 patients with metastatic breast cancer. RESULTS Using Ion Torrent technology (ThermoFisher Scientific, Waltham, MA), we identified 110 variants that were common to the primary and metastatic tumors. ctDNA analysis had a sensitivity of 0.972 in detecting variants present in both primary and metastatic tissues. In addition, we identified 13 variants in metastatic tissue and ctDNA not present in primary tumor. CONCLUSION We identified genomic variants present in metastatic biopsies and plasma ctDNA that were not present in the primary tumor. Deep sequencing of plasma ctDNA detected most DNA variants previously identified in matched primary and metastatic tissues. ctDNA might aid in therapy selection and in the search for biomarkers for drug development in metastatic breast cancer.

Direct and selective C(sp 2 )-H/C(sp 2 )-H crossdehydrogenative coupling has become a promising strategy to increase molecular complexity with a high atom economy. This study describes an efficient and straightforward protocol for the regioselective C3-H/C3-H cross-coupling of 4-hydroxycoumarin derivatives with quinoxalin-2(1H)-ones, including late-stage modification of natural drugs, promoted by visible light under aerobic conditions at room temperature. With this approach, a wide range of hybrid drug-like molecules were prepared, using air as the terminal oxidant. Remarkably, the C4-OH group at the coumarin ring is essential for the reaction and has been used as a handle for diverse functionalizations of the final products. Moreover, sunlight can promote the reaction under very mild and sustainable conditions, even on a gram scale. Qualitative and semi-quantitative tools were used to demonstrate the greenness advance of this methodology over previously reported ones. Several experiments were conducted to propose a plausible mechanism for this transformation.