Search results for " agent"
showing 10 items of 7765 documents
Advances in the treatment of cutaneous lupus erythematosus.
2016
Lupus erythematosus (LE) is a multifactorial autoimmune disease with clinical manifestations of differing severity which may present with skin manifestations as primary sign of the disease (cutaneous lupus erythematosus, CLE) or as part of a disease spectrum (systemic lupus erythematosus, SLE). To date, no drugs are approved specifically for the treatment of CLE and only single agents have been applied in randomized controlled trials. Therefore, topical and systemic agents are used “off-label”, primarily based on open-label studies, case series, retrospective analyses, and expert opinions. In contrast, several agents, such as hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine, cyclophosphamide, azathioprine,…
Mitophagy in human astrocytes treated with the antiretroviral drug Efavirenz: Lack of evidence or evidence of the lack
2019
Efavirenz (EFV), a first generation non-nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitor widely employed in combination antiretroviral therapy regimens over the last 20 years, has been associated with a wide range of neuropsychiatric effects and has also been linked with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND). EFV has been reported to alter mitochondrial dysfunction and bioenergetics in different cell types, including astrocytes. Here, we analyzed whether this mitochondrial effect is associated with alterations in autophagy and, more specifically, mitophagy. U251-MG cells were exposed to EFV (10 and 25 μM; 24 h) and the effect was compared with that of CCCP - an uncoupler of the m…
In Vitro Study of the Cytotoxic, Cytostatic, and Antigenotoxic Profile of Hemidesmus indicus (L.) R.Br. (Apocynaceae) Crude Drug Extract on T Lymphob…
2018
In traditional Indian medicine, the crude drug Hemidesmus indicus rootâcommonly known as Indian sarsaparillaâis used alone or in poly-herbal preparations for the treatment of a wide range of diseases. The present study focuses on the cancer chemopreventive and therapeutic potential of H. indicus extracts on an acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line (CCRF-CEM). With this aim in mind, we subjected H. indicus roots to two subsequent extractions (hydro-alcoholic extraction and soxhlet extraction). As DNA damage is an important prerequisite for the induction of mutations/cancer by genotoxic carcinogens, cancer chemoprevention may be achieved by preventing genotoxicity. Through an integrated …
Preventive effects of guanosine on intestinal inflammation in 2, 4-dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (DNBS)-induced colitis in rats
2018
Background: Guanosine, a guanine-based purine, is an extracellular signaling molecule exerting anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects in several in vivo and in vitro injury models. We aimed to investigate its protective effects on 2, 4-dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (DNBS)-induced colitis in rat. Methods: Rats were divided into five groups and colitis was induced by intracolonic instillation of DNBS (15 mg/rat). Guanosine (4 or 8 mg/kg) was administered for 6 days i.p. starting the day of the colitis induction. Body weight loss, stool consistency, colon weight/length, histological analysis, myeloperoxidase activity (MPO) and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels were assessed. Immunoblotting …
From Ecology to Biotechnology, Study of the Defense Strategies of Algae and Halophytes (from Trapani Saltworks, NW Sicily) with a Focus on Antioxidan…
2019
This study aimed at the characterization of the antioxidant power of polyphenol extracts (PE) obtained from the algae Cystoseira foeniculacea (CYS) (Phaeophyta) and from the halophyte Halocnemum strobilaceum (HAL), growing in the solar saltworks of western Sicily (Italy), and at the evaluation of their anti-microfouling properties, in order to correlate these activities to defense strategies in extreme environmental conditions. The antioxidant properties were assessed in the PE based on the total antioxidant activity test and the reducing power test
First report on the presence of Alloxan in bleached flour by LC-MS/MS method
2017
Abstract In this work the presence of Alloxan in bread, pastry and cake bleached flour was investigate in order to verify possible risk for consumers related to the use of chemicals for flour bleaching. A selective UHPLC–MS/MS method has been developed and validated for the purpose. Alloxan is one of the possible minor side products of oxidation after chemical bleaching of wheat flours, when several chemical agents are used. One hundred and seventy-five flour samples were analyzed for Alloxan determination. The validation of the method was performed in accordance with the ISO/IEC/EN 17025 for linearity, detection limit, quantification limit, accuracy, precision and ruggedness determination.…
Effect of green tea extract on enteric viruses and its application as natural sanitizer
2017
In this work, the effect of green tea extract (GTE) was assessed against murine norovirus (MNV) and hepatitis A virus (HAV) at different temperatures, exposure times and pH conditions. Initially, GTE at 0.5 and 5 mg/ml were individually mixed with each virus at 5 log TCID50/ml and incubated 2 h at 37 °C at different pHs (from 5.5 to 8.5). GTE affected both viruses depending on pH with higher reductions observed in alkaline conditions. Secondly, different concentrations of GTE (0.5 and 5 mg/ml) were mixed with viral suspensions and incubated for 2 or 16 h at 4, 25 and 37 °C at pH 7.2. A concentration-, temperature- and exposure time-dependent response was showed by GTE in suspension tests, w…
Neuropharmacology of the mesolimbic system and associated circuits on social hierarchies
2018
Most socially living species are organized hierarchically, primarily based on individual differences in social dominance. Dominant individuals typically gain privileged access to important resources, such as food, mating partners and territories, whereas submissive conspecifics are often devoid of such benefits. The benefits associated with a high social status provide a strong incentive to become dominant. Importantly, motivational- and reward-related processes are regulated, to a large extent, by the mesolimbic system. Consequently, several studies point to a key role for the mesolimbic system in social hierarchy formation. This review summarizes the growing body of literature that implic…
Design, synthesis and preliminary evaluation of dopamine-amino acid conjugates as potential D1 dopaminergic modulators.
2016
Abstract The dopamine-amino acid conjugate DA-Phen was firstly designed to obtain a useful prodrug for the therapy of Parkinson's disease, but experimental evidence shows that it effectively interacts with D1 dopamine receptors (D1DRs), leading to an enhancement in cognitive flexibility and to the development of adaptive strategies in aversive mazes, together with a decrease in despair-like behavior. In this paper, homology modelling, molecular dynamics, and site mapping of D1 receptor were carried out with the aim of further performing docking studies on other dopamine conjugates compared with D1 agonists, in the attempt to identify new compounds with potential dopaminergic activity. Two n…
The therapeutic potential of inorganic polyphosphate: A versatile physiological polymer to control coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
2021
Rationale: The pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is advancing rapidly. In particular, the number of severe courses of the disease is still dramatically high. An efficient drug therapy that helps to improve significantly the fatal combination of damages in the airway epithelia, in the extensive pulmonary microvascularization and finally multiorgan failure, is missing. The physiological, inorganic polymer, polyphosphate (polyP) is a molecule which could prevent the initial phase of the virus life cycle, the attachment of the virus to the target cells, and improve the epithelial integrity as well as the mucus barrier. Results: Surprisingly, polyP matches perfectly with the ca…