Search results for "α"
showing 10 items of 449 documents
α-Tocopherol-induced radical scavenging activity in carbon nanotubes for thermo-oxidation resistant ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene-based na…
2014
?-Tocopherol, a natural antioxidant molecule, was physically immobilized on the outer surface of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and the resulting functionalised particles (f-CNTs) were dispersed in ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene aiming at improving its thermo-oxidation resistance. The success of the functionalization was assessed through spectroscopic and thermal analysis, and the influence of the filler on the thermo-oxidative stability of the nanocomposites was investigated through rheological analyses and infrared spectroscopy. We found that the addition of only 1 wt.% of f-CNTs brings about a surprisingly high oxidation resistance, with a five/ten-fold increase of the i…
Targeting V-ATPase in primary human monocytes by archazolid potently represses the classical secretion of cytokines due to accumulation at the endopl…
2014
The macrolide archazolid inhibits vacuolar-type H(+)-ATPase (V-ATPase), a proton-translocating enzyme involved in protein transport and pH regulation of cell organelles, and potently suppresses cancer cell growth at low nanomolar concentrations. In view of the growing link between inflammation and cancer, we investigated whether inhibition of V-ATPase by archazolid may affect primary human monocytes that can promote cancer by sustaining inflammation through the release of tumor-promoting cytokines. Human primary monocytes express V-ATPase, and archazolid (10-100nM) increases the vesicular pH in these cells. Archazolid (10nM) markedly reduced the release of pro-inflammatory (TNF-α, interleuk…
A Molecular Dynamics-Shared Pharmacophore Approach to Boost Early-Enrichment Virtual Screening: A Case Study on Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Rec…
2016
Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations can be used, prior to virtual screening, to add flexibility to proteins and study them in a dynamic way. Furthermore, the use of multiple crystal structures of the same protein containing different co-crystallized ligands can help elucidate the role of the ligand on a protein's active conformation, and then explore the most common interactions between small molecules and the receptor. In this work, we evaluated the contribution of the combined use of MD on crystal structures containing the same protein but different ligands to examine the crucial ligand-protein interactions within the complexes. The study was carried out on peroxisome proliferator-activat…
TRACE ELEMENT BEHAVIOUR IN SEAWATER DURING PYROCLASTIC ETNA'S ACTIVITY IN 2001. CONCURRENT EFFECTS OF NUTRIENTS AND FORMATION OF ALTERATION MINERALS
2010
From July 13 2001 began the most intense Etna's eruptive activity in the last 300 years. While this phenomenon occurred the oceanographic cruise ANSIC 01 was carrying out. Therefore the unique opportunity is arisen to investigate the chemical effects on marine system of delivery of large amount of pyroclastic particles (about 1 g m-2) into seawater. Comparing collected trace element data with those analysed during the oceanographic cruise JUVENILE 99, carried out two years before, large enrichments in V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu and Pb contents have been recognised and attributed to leaching of freshly-erupted volcanic ash. Further comparison between to-day and previous collected trace element da…
Behaviour-modifying compounds for management of the red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Oliver).
2014
BACKGROUND: Populations of red palm weevil (RPW), a severe pest of palms in Mediterranean countries, might be limited by semiochemical-based behaviour-disrupting methods. We evaluated the effects of electroantennogram (EAG)-active plant volatiles on the behaviour of RPWs from Italy and Israel. In field experiments, α-pinene, citronellol, geraniol, citral and 1-octen-3-ol were tested for their ability to disrupt attraction to pheromone-kairomone and molasses baited traps. Those that were found to be disruptive in the field were evaluated in a laboratory choice bioassay in individual cages for their effect on RPW female feeding and oviposition. RESULTS: Field experiments showed reduced captur…
Mechanism of Antibacterial Activity via Morphology Change of α-AgVO3: Theoretical and Experimental Insights
2017
The electronic configuration, morphology, optical features, and antibacterial activity of metastable α-AgVO3 crystals have been discussed by a conciliation and association of the results acquired by experimental procedures and first-principles calculations. The α-AgVO3 powders were synthesized using a coprecipitation method at 10, 20, and 30 °C. By using a Wulff construction for all relevant low-index surfaces [(100), (010), (001), (110), (011), (101), and (111)], the fine-tuning of the desired morphologies can be achieved by controlling the values of the surface energies, thereby lending a microscopic understanding to the experimental results. The as-synthesized α-AgVO3 crystals display a …
Effet anti-tumoral de l'acide docosahexaénoïque : implication des microARNs et du TNFalpha
2015
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid with anti-inflammatory and anti-tumoral properties. The anti-tumor effect of DHA in colorectal cancer might be attributed to direct anti-proliferative action on cancer cells and to its ability to reduce inflammatory status involved in tumor growth. Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNFa) is an inflammatory cytokine with paradoxical effect in cancer biology. According to the cellular context, TNFa activates RIP1 kinase dependent signaling pathway leading to proliferation or cell death. Our aim was to evaluate the role of TNFa in anti-proliferative effect of DHA in colon cancer cells and to precise the molecular mechanisms regulat…
Rôle du récepteur nucléaire d'activation et de prolifération des péroxysomes (PPAR-alpha) dans la modulation de l'inflammation et l'activation des ce…
2010
We assessed, in this study, the effects of PPARα deficiency on the expression of mRNAencoding for insulin gene transcription factors in pancreatic β-cells along with thoseimplicated in inflammation in adipose tissues. On fasting, the adult PPARα-null mice werehypoglycemic. Serum insulin concentrations and its pancreatic mRNA transcripts weredownregulated in PPARα-null mice, suggesting that PPARα gene deletion contributes to lowinsulin gene transcription. The PPARα gene deletion downregulates the mRNA expression ofinsulin gene transcription factors, i.e., Pdx-1, Nkx6.1 and MafA. Besides, the pancreaticfunction was diminished by PPARα deficiency as PPARα-null mice expressed low pancreaticGlut…
Role of the small heat shock protein alphaB-crystallin in pulmonary fibrosis and its implication in the signaling pathway of the Transforming Growth …
2013
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has no effective current treatment. It is characterized by a sub-pleural onset and the presence of myofibroblasts, responsible for the excessive extracellular matrix synthesis. Transforming Growth Factor (TGF)-β1 is considered as the major profibrotic cytokine. Its signaling pathway occurs through the Smads proteins, including Smad4. TGF-β1 allows the differentiation of lung fibroblasts and epithelial and mesothelial cells into myofibroblasts. AB-crystallin is a small heat shock protein overexpressed in liver, renal and vascular fibrosis and can be induced by TGF-β1. In this study, we assessed the role of αB-crystallin in pleural and pulmonary fibrosis. W…
Rôle des protéines de choc thermique dans la régulation du facteur de transcription HIF
2011
Both HIF1α and HIF2α proteins are highly involved in the development of pathologies, such as cancers, which are prime public health issues. These proteins are primarily controlled at the protein level by ubiquitin-dependant degradation, and regulate numerous cellular processes which are likely to favor the development of these diseases. A recent issue in therapeutic research is to identify partners that might regulate the expression and the activity of the HIFα proteins, with the aim to elaborate targeted therapies. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) form a family of proteins whose main function is to regulate protein homeostasis in cells, which they achieve through interaction with the ubiquitin-p…