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Chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) enhances the carcinogenic potential of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) and accelerates the onset of tumor development in Swiss albino mice

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Cell Stress and Chaperones Aims and scope

Abstract

Social stressors evolving from individual and population interactions produce stress reactions in many organisms (including humans), influencing homeostasis, altering the activity of the immunological system, and thus leading to various pathological states including cancer and their progression. The present study sought to validate the effectiveness of chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) in cancer promotion and to assess oxidative stress outcomes in terms of various in vivo biochemical parameters, oxidative stress markers, DNA damage, and the development of skin tumors in Swiss albino mice. Animals were randomized into different groups based on their exposure to CUS alone, 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) alone (topical), and DMBA-12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) (topical) and exposure to CUS prior to DMBA or DMBA-TPA treatments and sacrificed after 16 weeks of treatment. Prior exposure to CUS significantly increased the pro-oxidant effect of carcinogen, depicted by compromised levels of antioxidants in the circulation and skin, accompanied by enhanced lipid peroxidation, plasma corticosterone, and marker enzymes as compared to DMBA-alone or DMBA-TPA treatments. DNA damage results corroborated the above biochemical outcomes. Also, the development of skin tumors (in terms of their incidence, tumor yield, and tumor burden) in mice in the presence and absence of stress further strongly supported our above biochemical measurements. CUS may work as a promoter of carcinogenesis by enhancing the pro-oxidant potential of carcinogens. Further studies may be aimed at the development of interventions for disease prevention by identifying the relations between psychological factors and DNA damage.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks are due to University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi, for financial support to the author (N. Suhail) in the form of a scholarship. The authors are grateful to UGC-SAP (Special Assistance Programme), DST-FIST (Department of Science and Technology), and Aligarh Muslim University for the facilities.

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  1. Nida Suhail

    Present address: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Applied Medical Sciences, Northern Borders University, Arar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh (U.P.), India

    Nida Suhail, Nayeem Bilal, Shirin Hasan, Ghulam Md. Ashraf & Naheed Banu

  2. Department of Surgery, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois, USA

    Shirin Hasan

  3. Amity Institute of Biotechnology (AIB), Amity University Uttar Pradesh (AUUP), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (U.P.), 226010, India

    Ausaf Ahmad

  4. King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Ghulam Md. Ashraf

  5. College of Medical Rehabilitation, Qassim University, Qassim, P.O. Box 2100, Buraydah, 51451, Saudi Arabia

    Naheed Banu

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  1. Nida Suhail
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Correspondence to Nida Suhail.

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Suhail, N., Bilal, N., Hasan, S. et al. Chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) enhances the carcinogenic potential of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) and accelerates the onset of tumor development in Swiss albino mice. Cell Stress and Chaperones 20, 1023–1036 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12192-015-0632-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12192-015-0632-x

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