title: Serum levels of homocysteine in mice with malignant tumours.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Oxygen radicals and malondialdehyde (MDA) are tumourigenic. Homocysteine generates oxygen radicals. The possibility exists that hyperhomocysteinemia is a risk factor for cancer.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate if serum levels of homocysteine and MDA are elevated in mice with malignant tumours.
  
  
  METHODS
  Levels of serum homocysteine and MDA were estimated in 22 control and 22 tumour-bearing Balb/c mice.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum homocysteine levels in control and tumour-bearing mice were 3.01+/-0.26 mumol/L and 4.05+/-0.46 mumol/L, respectively. The serum levels of MDA were 6.23+/-0.72 nmol/mL and 11.60+/-1.72 nmol/mL, respectively, in control and tumour-bearing mice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that cancer in mice is associated with an increase in serum levels of homocysteine and the lipid peroxidation product MDA. It is, however, not known if this rise in homocysteine and MDA is due to cancer or if this rise causes cancer.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology.
authors.forename: Mabood
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Qureshi
authors.forename: Xueshu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Inam
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ul-Haq
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.forename: Kailash
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Prasad