Activity of Cordycepin From Cordyceps sinensis Against Drug-Resistant Tumor Cells as Determined by Gene Expression and Drug Sensitivity Profiling

Cordycepin is one of the substantial components of the parasitic fungus Cordyceps sinensis as well as other Cordyceps species. It exerts various effects such as antimetastatic, antiinflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective activities. Assorted studies revealed in vitro and in vivo anticancer influence of cordycepin and put forward its potential for cancer therapy. However, the role of multidrug resistance-associated mechanisms for the antitumor effect of cordycepin has not been investigated in great detail thus far. Therefore, we searched cordycepin’s cytotoxicity with regard to well-known anticancer drug resistance mechanisms, including ABCB1, ABCB5, ABCC1, ABCG2, EGFR, and TP53, and…

Cytotoxicity of aloe-emodin towards several drug sensitive cells and their resistant counterparts

Ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, chemical ecology and invasion biology of Acanthus mollis L.

Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Acanthus mollis L. (Bear's Breeches) is a wide-spread medicinal and ornamental plant and is particularly suited to exemplarily illustrate the diverse aspects of invasion biology by neophytes. Since ancient times, it has been a popular Mediterranean ornamental plant in horticulture and served as model for the decoration of column capitals in architecture. Aim of the study In the present review, we aimed to give an overview about ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, chemical ecology, and invasion biology of A. mollis. Thus, the importance of plantation cultivation in the presence of ecologically problematic species and environmental protection were emphas…

Mitosis Inhibitors and Medicinal Plants: Neurotoxicity and Neuroprotection

Cancer is one of the devastating diseases worldwide, causing desperate outcomes and high mortality rates. Despite undeniable improvements in cancer treatment, many patients with malignancies still suffer from adverse drug reactions, among which peripheral neurotoxicity holds great importance. Peripheral neuropathy as a representation of peripheral neurotoxicity is a usual complication of chemotherapy, reducing the life quality of individuals since it can adversely induce sensory and motor dysfunctions influencing patients’ life. Mitosis inhibitors are substantially administered drugs during chemotherapy. However, these drugs may induce the occurrence of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuro…

Chrysophanol- and nepodin-8-O-β-D-glucopyranoside from Rumex acetosella, the cytotoxicity towards drug sensitive and multi- drug resistant T leukaemia cancer cells

Therapeutic targeting of SNAIL, RKIP, and YY1 in tumor metastasis and drug resistance

Abstract Cancer is the leading cause of deaths worldwide and is of great importance. Metastasis-inducing the majority of cancer related deaths is a principal problem in cancer treatment. Therefore, therapy regimes preventing metastasis formation are of prominent importance to improve the outcome of malignant diseases. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a predominant process associated with the onset of metastasis and converts epithelial cells to mesenchymal cells. In this chapter, we concentrated on three proteins involved in the metastasis and EMT: RKIP, SNAIL, and YY1. Briefly, SNAIL and YY1 are overexpressed in many cancers, while RKIP is downregulated. Therefore, these prote…

Cytotoxicity of main anthraquinone aglycons towards drug sensitive and multi drug resistant T leukaemia cancer cells

Structure determination and preliminary cytotoxicity researches of the compounds isolated from Rumex acetosella L. on leukemia cells

Phytochemical inhibitors of the NLRP3 inflammasome for the treatment of inflammatory diseases

The NLRP3 inflammasome holds a crucial role in innate immune responses. Pathogen- and danger-associated molecular patterns may initiate inflammasome activation and following inflammatory cytokine release. The inflammasome formation and its-associated activity are involved in various pathological conditions such as cardiovascular, central nervous system, metabolic, renal, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Although the mechanism behind NLRP3-mediated disorders have not been entirely illuminated, many phytochemicals and medicinal plants have been described to prevent inflammatory disorders. In the present review, we mainly introduced phytochemicals inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome in addition…

Biopiracy of natural products and good bioprospecting practice

Made available in DSpace on 2018-11-26T16:27:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2016-02-15 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Background: Biopiracy mainly focuses on the use of biological resources and/or knowledge of indigenous tribes or communities without allowing them to share the revenues generated out of economic exploitation or other non-monetary incentives associated with the resource/knowledge. Methods: Based on collaborations of scientists from five continents, we have created a communication platform to discuss not only scientific topics, but also more general issues with social relevance. This platform was termed 'PhytCancer -Phytotherapy to Fight Cancer' (www.phy…

Aloe-emodin's cytotoxicity against CCRF-CEM cells: NF-κB as a major player induces apoptosis

Immunotoxicity of Therapeutic Antibodies and Nanoparticles.

Therapeutic antibodies and nanotherapeutic drugs are of great concern due to their widespread use against numerous diseases worldwide. They are frequently used for targeted therapy under the assumption that they cause fewer side effects than nontargeted drugs. Despite their specificity and particular design for therapeutic actions, they might still exhibit unintended adverse effects in the immune system. Immunotoxicity reactions are mediated by immunomodulation, including immunostimulation and immunosuppression. The present review gives an overview on the adverse immunotoxic effects induced by therapeutic antibodies as well as nanotherapeutic drugs. In this context, future methods combining…

Small molecule inhibitors and stimulators of inducible nitric oxide synthase in cancer cells from natural origin (phytochemicals, marine compounds, antibiotics)

Nitric oxide synthases (NOS) are a family of isoforms, which generate nitric oxide (NO). NO is one of the smallest molecules in nature and acts mainly as a potent vasodilator. It participates in various biological processes ranging from physiological to pathological conditions. Inducible NOS (iNOS, NOS2) is a calcium-independent and inducible isoform. Despite high iNOS expression in many tumors, the role of iNOS is still unclear and complex with both enhancing and prohibiting actions in tumorigenesis. Nature presents a broad variety of natural stimulators and inhibitors, which may either promote or inhibit iNOS response. In the present review, we give an overview of iNOS-modulating agents w…

Biopiracy versus One-World Medicine-From colonial relicts to global collaborative concepts.

Abstract Background Practices of biopiracy to use genetic resources and indigenous knowledge by Western companies without benefit-sharing of those, who generated the traditional knowledge, can be understood as form of neocolonialism. Hypothesis The One-World Medicine concept attempts to merge the best of traditional medicine from developing countries and conventional Western medicine for the sake of patients around the globe. Study design Based on literature searches in several databases, a concept paper has been written. Legislative initiatives of the United Nations culminated in the Nagoya protocol aim to protect traditional knowledge and regulate benefit-sharing with indigenous communiti…