Chemotherapy modulates the biological activity of breast cancer patients plasma: the protective properties of black chokeberry extract.

In breast cancer patients (before and during anti-cancer therapy) oxidative/nitrative damage to various molecules is observed. Furthermore, anti-cancer treatments may also influence the hemostatic properties of blood platelets and plasma. The aim of our study was to assess the effect of oxidative/nitrative stress (estimated by measurements of the levels of carbonyl groups and 3-nitrotyrosine in proteins--ELISA and C-ELISA methods, respectively; lipid peroxidation and total antioxidant level--TAS) on the selected parameters of hemostatic activity of plasma (the process of fibrin polymerization and lysis) collected from breast cancer patients after surgery and after various phases of chemotherapy (doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide). Subsequently, we also evaluated the level of oxidative/nitrative stress and hemostatic activity in plasma from these patients in the presence of the commercial extract of Aronia melanocarpa (Aronox®) in vitro. Patients were hospitalized in Department of Oncological Surgery and Department of Chemotherapy in Medical University of Lodz, Poland. We observed increased levels of biomarkers of oxidative/nitrative stress in plasma from patients with breast cancer (before or after surgery and after various phases of chemotherapy) in comparison to healthy group. Our further experiments demonstrated the hemostatic activity of plasma from the investigated patients differs from hemostatic properties of plasma obtained from healthy volunteers. We also recognize the existence of a relationship between oxidative stress (measured by the level of carbonyl groups) and changes of hemostasis in breast cancer patients after I and IV phases of chemotherapy. Moreover, the obtained results showed that the commercial extract from A. melanocarpa berries significantly reduced, in in vitro system, the oxidative/nitrative stress and hemostasis changes in plasma from breast cancer patients, after surgery and different phases of chemotherapy. Considering the data presented in this study, we suggest that the oxidative/nitrative stress in plasma obtained from breast cancer patients (not only before or after the surgery, but also after various phases of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide chemotherapy) may induce changes of hemostatic activity, which may contribute to thrombosis in these patients. Our results also suggest that the commercial extract of A. melanocarpa may be regarded as a promising new source of bioactive antioxidant natural compounds for breast cancer patients.