Figure 4
Effect on treatment on tumor zinc and metallothionein content.
(A) Schematic depiction of zinc and metallothioneins and their importance in benign and malignant prostate cells. In malignant cells, ZIP transporters are inhibited through the Ras-Raf-Mek-Erk cascade, resulting in a decrease of Zn2+ ions in the cytosol. This phenomenon, together with Bcl-2 activity, inhibits the pro-apoptotic activity of cytochrome 1 c (CytC) in these cells. MT expression is closely linked to the Zn amount in the intracellular space. (B) Zinc levels in PC- 3 tumors after administration of liposomal sarcosine and antisarAbs. (C) Relative expression levels of mRNAs encoding different human metallothionein isoforms (1B, 1X and 1M) in tumor tissue after administration of liposomal sarcosine and antisarAbs, analyzed using electrochemical microarray. (D) Determination of total MTs using the Brdicka reaction after sample denaturation. Values are expressed as the mean of three independent replicates (n = 3). Vertical bars indicate standard error. Asterisks indicate significant differences (p < 0.05) compared to the group treated with empty liposomes.
