Search results for " caspase"

In vitro anticholinergic drugs affect CD8+ peripheral blood T-cells apoptosis in COPD

2011

Novel pharmacological strategies are aimed at the resolution of systemic inflammation in COPD potentiating peripheral blood T-cell (PBT-cell) apoptosis. Although muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) M(3) and choline-acetyltransferase (ChAT) participate in the airway inflammation of COPD, their role in PBT-cell apoptosis remains unexplained. We evaluated in PBT-cells from COPD patients, smoker (S) and control (C) subjects: (1) apoptosis (by annexin V binding), (2) mAChR M(3) and ChAT expression, acetylcholine (ACh)-binding; (3) choline levels in serum and PBT-cells extracts. We tested the effects of Tiotropium (Spiriva(®)) and hemicholinium-3 (HCh-3) on apoptosis, NFκB pathway, caspas…

Bruce/apollon promotes hippocampal neuron survival and is downregulated by kainic acid

2005

Prolonged or excess stimulation of excitatory amino acid receptors leads to seizures and the induction of excitotoxic nerve cell injury. Kainic acid acting on glutamate receptors produces degeneration of vulnerable neurons in parts of the hippocampus and amygdala, but the exact mechanisms are not fully understood. We have here investigated whether the anti-apoptotic protein Bruce is involved in kainic acid-induced neurodegeneration. In the rat hippocampus and cortex, Bruce was exclusively expressed by neurons. The levels of Bruce were rapidly downregulated by kainic acid in hippocampal neurons as shown both in vivo and in cell culture. Caspase-3 was activated in neurons exhibiting low level…

A possible biomarker for methadone related deaths

2017

Abstract Methadone (MTH) concentrations in those dying of MTH toxicity totally overlap concentrations where the presence of MTH is only an incidental finding, making it very difficult to make distinctions in actual cases. A biomarker, be it anatomical or biochemical for MTH toxicity is badly needed, particularly if that markers were known to disrupt effective ventilation. Because the brainstem houses the regulatory centers for cardiorespiratory-control enters, it would seem to be the most likely anatomical site to seek abnormalities in cardiorespiratory control. Objective To locate and describe the cells of nucleus of the solitary tract (TS)(NTS) in human brainstem and determine if neuronal…

Monocytes from patients with rheumatoid arthritis and type 2 diabetes mellitus display an increased production of interleukin (IL)-1β via the nucleot…

2015

Summary A better understanding about the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) showed that inflammatory cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin (IL)-1β play a pivotal role, mirroring data largely reported in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). IL-1β is produced mainly by monocytes (MO), and hyperglycaemia may be able to modulate, in the cytoplasm of these cells, the assembly of a nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat containing family pyrin (NLRP3)-inflammosome, a cytosolic multi-protein platform where the inactive pro-IL-1β is cleaved into active form, via caspase-1 activity. In this paper, we evaluated the production of IL-1 β …

Caspase 9 and Caspase 3 Immunohistochemical Reactivity Pattern in Skeletal and Cardiac Muscle at Different Times After Death: A New Tool for Postmort…

Learning Overview: After attending this presentation, attendees will understand the importance of the identification of new markers that could be used as possible PMI indicators, especially in contexts in which the reliance on the classic thanatochronological triad—livor, rigor, and algor mortis—is not conclusive. Impact on the Forensic Science Community: This presentation will impact the forensic science community by highlighting the relationship between the activation pattern of caspases 9 and 3 on skeletal and cardiac muscle samples and PMI. The determination of the amount of time elapsed from one’s death to the recovery of the body—the so-called PMI—has always relied on the evaluation o…

Traditional Chinese herbal medicine at the forefront battle against COVID-19: Clinical experience and scientific basis.

2020

Abstract Background Throughout the 5000-year history of China, more than 300 epidemics were recorded. Traditional Chinese herbal medicine (TCM) has been used effectively to combat each of these epidemics’ infections, and saved many lives. To date, there are hundreds of herbal TCM formulae developed for the purpose of prevention and treatment during epidemic infections. When COVID-19 ravaged the Wuhan district in China in early January 2020, without a deep understanding about the nature of COVID-19, patients admitted to the TCM Hospital in Wuhan were immediately treated with TCM and reported later with >90% efficacy. Approach We conducted conduct a systematic survey of various TCM herbal pre…

Parthenolide induces caspase-independent and AIF mediated cell death in tumor cells

2012

GD3 ganglioside directly targets mitochondria in a bcl-2-controlled fashion.

2000

Lipid and glycolipid diffusible mediators are involved in the intracellular progression and amplification of apoptotic signals. GD3 ganglioside is rapidly synthesized from accumulated ceramide after the clustering of death-inducing receptors and triggers apoptosis. Here we show that GD3 induces dissipation of DeltaPsim and swelling of isolated mitochondria, which results in the mitochondrial release of cytochrome c, apoptosis inducing factor, and caspase 9. Soluble factors released from GD3-treated mitochondria are sufficient to trigger DNA fragmentation in isolated nuclei. All these effects can be blocked by cyclosporin A, suggesting that GD3 is acting at the level of the permeability tran…

Parthenolide induces caspase-independent and AIF-mediated cell death in human osteosarcoma and melanoma cells

2013

The mechanism of the cytotoxic effect exerted by parthenolide on tumor cells is not clearly defined today. This article shows that parthenolide stimulates in human osteosarcoma MG63 and melanoma SK-MEL-28 cells a mechanism of cell death, which is not prevented by z-VAD-fmk and other caspase inhibitors. In particular treatment with parthenolide rapidly stimulated (1-2 h) reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation by inducing activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK 1/2) and NADPH oxidase. This event caused depletion of thiol groups and glutathione, NF-κB inhibition, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation, cell detachment from the matrix, and cellular shrinkage. The increa…

Effect of transfection with PLP2 antisense oligonucleotides on gene expression of cadmium-treated MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells

2012

Emerging evidence indicates that cadmium (Cd) is able to regulate gene expression, drastically affecting the pattern of transcriptional activity in human normal and pathological cells. We have already shown that exposure of MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells to 5 μM CdCl(2) for 96 h, apart from significantly affecting mitochondrial metabolism, induces modifications of the expression level of genes coding for members of stress response-, mitochondrial respiration-, MAP kinase-, NF-κB-, and apoptosis-related pathways. In the present study, we have expanded the knowledge on the biological effects of Cd-breast cancer cell interactions, indicating PLP2 (proteolipid protein-2) as a novel member of the…