Search results for " Drug"
showing 10 items of 3138 documents
Hydrogen peroxide induces programmed cell death features in cultured tobacco BY-2 cells, in a dose-dependent manner
2001
Active oxygen species (AOS), especially hydrogen peroxide, play a critical role in the defence of plants against invading pathogens and in the hypersensitive response (HR). This is characterized by the induction of a massive production of AOS and the rapid appearance of necrotic lesions is considered as a programmed cell death (PCD) process during which a limited number of cells die at the site of infection. This work was aimed at investigating the mode of cell death observed in cultures of BY-2 tobacco cells exposed to H(2)O(2). It was shown that H(2)O(2) is able to induce various morphological cell death features in cultured tobacco BY-2 cells. The hallmarks of cell death observed with fl…
Innovative alternative technologies to extract carotenoids from microalgae and seaweeds
2016
Marine microalgae and seaweeds (microalgae) represent a sustainable source of various bioactive natural carotenoids, including β-carotene, lutein, astaxanthin, zeaxanthin, violaxanthin and fucoxanthin. Recently, the large-scale production of carotenoids from algal sources has gained significant interest with respect to commercial and industrial applications for health, nutrition, and cosmetic applications. Although conventional processing technologies, based on solvent extraction, offer a simple approach to isolating carotenoids, they suffer several, inherent limitations, including low efficiency (extraction yield), selectivity (purity), high solvent consumption, and long treatment times, w…
Essential oil variability in a collection of Ocimum basilicum L. (basil) cultivars.
2016
Ocimum basilicum L. (Lamiaceae) is an aromatic plant of great tradition in the Mediterranean area. Its economic importance is growing up determining an expansion of cultivation. This paper evaluated the morphological traits, the chemical profiles, and antibacterial activity of 21 cultivars of basil belonging to Ê»Genoveseʼ, Ê»Napoletanoʼ, and Ê»Purple basilʼ types. The cultivars were characterized by different growth rate and morphological traits. The chemical composition of the oils analyzed by GC and GC/MS analysis, supported by the PCA analysis, underlined the strong influence of chemotype. It is noteworthy that estragole, never present in Genovese and purple basil types, occurred in …
Larvicidal Activity of Essential Oils of Five Apiaceae Taxa and Some of Their Main Constituents Against Culex quinquefasciatus.
2018
Apiaceae are aromatic herbs producing essential oils which are used on an industrial scale for various purposes. Notably, Apiaceae essential oils may replace synthetic insecticides keeping most of their efficacy and avoiding environmental pollution and human poisoning. In the present work, we explored the insecticidal potential of the essential oils from five Apiaceae taxa, namely Sison amomum, Echinophora spinosa, Heracleum sphondylium subsp. sphondylium, Heracleum sphondylium subsp. ternatum, and Trachyspemum ammi, as well as their major constituents (sabinene, p-cymene, terpinolene, myristicin, and thymol), against the filariasis vector Culex quinquefasciatus. For the purpose, the essent…
Loading and release of the complex [Pt(DTBTA)(DMSO)Cl]Cl·CHCl3 with the 2,2′-dithiobis(benzothiazole) ligand into mesoporous silica and studies of an…
2018
Abstract Synthetic delivery systems have great potential for overcoming problems associated with systemic toxicity that accompanies chemotherapy with the use of cisplatin and family of platinum anticancer drugs. Mesoporous silicates have been studied in context of drug delivery and drug targeting. In this paper we report the studies of loading and release of a platinum complex, [Pt(DTBTA)(DMSO)Cl]Cl∙CHCl3 (1) where DTBTA = 2,2′-dithiobis(benzothiazole), that was recently synthesized and structurally characterized. Evaluation in vitro of antitumor activity against a human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) showed a very potent activity of complex(1). Therefore, we thought to incorporate this co…
Functionalized halloysite nanotubes: Efficient carrier systems for antifungine drugs
2018
Abstract Halloysite-cyclodextrin hybrid was employed as carrier for sustained release of clotrimazole for vaginal or buccal treatment of Candidiasis. The nanocarrier was obtained by functionalization of halloysite surface with cyclodextrin moieties by means of microwave irradiation, with the final goal to obtain a scaffold for the covalent linkage of cysteamine hydrochloride. The interaction between clotrimazole and the pristine components, namely cyclodextrin and halloysite, was thoroughly investigated by several techniques such as DSC, TGA, UV–vis spectroscopy and some adsorption studies were, also, carried out. The release of the antifungine molecule was finally investigated in a medium …
Betulinic Acid Exerts Cytotoxic Activity Against Multidrug-Resistant Tumor Cells via Targeting Autocrine Motility Factor Receptor (AMFR).
2018
Betulinic acid (BetA) is a naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpene isolated from the outer bark of white-barked birch trees and many other medicinal plants. Here, we studied betulinic acid's cytotoxic activity against drug-resistant tumor cell lines. P-glycoprotein (MDR1/ABCB1) and BCRP (ABCG2) are known ATP-binding cassette (ABC) drug transporters that mediating MDR. ABCB5 is a close relative to ABCB1, which also mediates MDR. Constitutive activation of the EGF receptor is tightly linked to the development of chemotherapeutic resistance. BetA inhibited P-gp, BCRP, ABCB5 and mutation activated EGFR overexpressing cells with similar efficacy as their drug-sensitive parental counterparts. …
Spectrophotometric study of DNA interactions with ftorafur and its elementoorganic derivatives
2017
ABSTRACTFtorafur is an antimetabolite antitumour drug successfully used for treatment of various tumours. It is generally accepted that ftorafur is converted to 5-fluoruracil. However, some data indicate direct interactions of the compound with DNA. To test this hypothesis we have performed spectrophotometric study of DNA interactions of ftorafur and some of its elementoorganic derivatives with DNA. UV-VIS spectra of the tested compounds were recorded in absence and presence of increasing amounts of DNA. DNA caused a hypochromic effect in spectra of ftorafur, similar, but weaker effect was observed in 5-fluoruracil spectra. Trimethylgermyl derivative of ftorafur manifested a higher DNA-bind…
Genomic characterization of a local epidemic Pseudomonas aeruginosa reveals specific features of the widespread clone ST395
2017
International audience; Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a ubiquitous opportunistic pathogen with several clones being frequently associated with outbreaks in hospital settings. ST395 is among these so-called 'international' clones. We aimed here to define the biological features that could have helped the implantation and spread of the clone ST395 in hospital settings. The complete genome of a multidrug resistant index isolate (DHS01) of a large hospital outbreak was analysed. We identified DHS01-specific genetic elements, among which were identified those shared with a panel of six independent ST395 isolates responsible for outbreaks in other hospitals. DHS01 has the fifth largest chromosome of …
Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease
2017
Background: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, …