Search results for "AGENTS"

Bright spots in the darkness of cancer: A review of starfishes-derived compounds and their anti-tumor action

2019

The fight against cancer represents a great challenge for researchers and, for this reason, the search for new promising drugs to improve cancer treatments has become inevitable. Oceans, due to their wide diversity of marine species and environmental conditions have proven to be precious sources of potential natural drugs with active properties. As an example, in this context several studies performed on sponges, tunicates, mollusks, and soft corals have brought evidence of the interesting biological activities of the molecules derived from these species. Also, echinoderms constitute an important phylum, whose members produce a huge number of compounds with diverse biological activities. In…

Just lip prints? No: there could be something else

2004

Relative expression of cholesterol transport-related proteins and inflammation markers through the induction of 7-ketosterol-mediated stress in Caco-…

2013

Human diets contain sterol oxidation products that can induce cytotoxic effects, mainly caused by cholesterol oxides. However, phytosterol oxides effects have been less extensively investigated. This study evaluates the production of inflammatory biomarkers (IL-1β, IL-8, IL-10, TNFα) and the influence of gene expression transporters and enzymes related to cholesterol absorption and metabolism (NPC1L1, ABCG5/8, HMGCoA, ACAT) produced by 7-ketosterols (stigmasterol/cholesterol) in Caco-2 cells. These effects were linked to intracellular signaling pathways by using several inhibitors. Results showed 7-ketostigmasterol to have a greater proinflammatory potential than 7-ketocholesterol. In non-p…

In vitro antitumor effects of the cold-water extracts of Mediterranean species of genus Pleurotus (higher Basidiomycetes) on human colon cancer cells

2014

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the cold-water extracts of Pleurotus eryngii var. ferulae (CWE-Pef) and Pleurotus nebrodensis (CWE-Pn), 2 of the most prized wild and cultivated edible mushrooms, can affect the tumor phenotype of human colon cancer HCT116 cells. Our results showed that treatment with CWE- Pef and CWE-Pn resulted in a significant inhibition of the viability of HCT116 cells and promoted apoptosis, as also demonstrated by the increase of Bax-to-Bcl-2 messenger RNA ratio. Moreover, we observed that both extracts were able to inhibit cell migration and to affect homotypic and heterotypic cell-cell adhesion. It also was found that treatment with CWE-Pef and CWE-Pn ne…

Anti-inflammatory agents from plants: Progress and potential

2011

The identification of substances that can promote the resolution of inflammation in a way that is homeostatic, modulatory, efficient, and well-tolerated by the body is of fundamental importance. Traditional medicines have long provided front-line pharmacotherapy for many millions of people worldwide. Medicinal extracts are a rich source of therapeutic leads for the pharmaceutical industry. The use of medicinal plant therapies to treat chronic illness, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), is thus widespread and on the rise.The aim of this review is to present recent progress in clinical anti-inflammatory studies of plant extracts and compound leads such a…

Investigations on the Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Triterpenoids fromDiospyros leucomelas*

1995

Three triterpenes were isolated from Diospyros leucomelas and identified as betulin, betulinic acid, and ursolic acid. They showed anti-inflammatory activity in the carrageenan and serotonin paw edema tests and TPA and EPP ear edema tests. The blockade of their effects by progesterone, actinomycin D, and cycloheximide has served to determine the mechanism of action in relationship with that of glucocorticoids. Betulinic acid was the most affected and therefore a mode of action similar to these drugs may be postulated for it.

Morelloflavone, a novel biflavonoid inhibitor of human secretory phospholipase A2 with anti-inflammatory activity

1997

Abstract The flavanonylflavone morelloflavone inhibited secretory phospholipase A 2 (PLA 2 ) in vitro , with a high potency on the human recombinant synovial and bee venom enzymes ( IC 50 = 0.9 and 0.6 μM, respectively). The inhibition was apparently irreversible. In contrast, the compound was inactive on cytosolic PLA 2 activity from human monocytes. Morelloflavone scavenged reactive oxygen species generated by human neutrophils ( IC 50 = 2.7 and 1.8 μM for luminol and lucigenin, respectively) but did not modify cellular responses such as degranulation or eicosanoid release. This biflavonoid exerted anti-inflammatory effects in animal models, with a potent inhibition of 12-O-tetradecanoylp…

Cinnamaldehyde Induces Expression of Efflux Pumps and Multidrug Resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

2019

Essential oils or their components are increasingly used to fight bacterial infections. Cinnamaldehyde (CNA), the main constituent of cinnamon bark oil, has demonstrated interesting properties in vitro against various pathogens, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In the present study, we investigated the mechanisms and possible therapeutic consequences of P. aeruginosa adaptation to CNA. Exposure of P. aeruginosa PA14 to subinhibitory concentrations of CNA caused a strong albeit transient increase in the expression of operons that encode the efflux systems MexAB-OprM, MexCD-OprJ, MexEF-OprN, and MexXY/OprM. This multipump activation enhanced from 2- to 8-fold the resistance (MIC) of PA14 to …

Mesoporous Silica-Based Materials with Bactericidal Properties

2019

[EN] Bacterial infections are the main cause of chronic infections and even mortality. In fact, due to extensive use of antibiotics and, then, emergence of antibiotic resistance, treatment of such infections by conventional antibiotics has become a major concern worldwide. One of the promising strategies to treat infection diseases is the use of nanomaterials. Among them, mesoporous silica materials (MSMs) have attracted burgeoning attention due to high surface area, tunable pore/particle size, and easy surface functionalization. This review discusses how one can exploit capacities of MSMs to design and fabricate multifunctional/controllable drug delivery systems (DDSs) to combat bacterial …

Differential Effects of Antibiotic Therapy on the Structure and Function of Human Gut Microbiota

2013

The human intestinal microbiota performs many essential functions for the host. Antimicrobial agents, such as antibiotics (AB), are also known to disturb microbial community equilibrium, thereby having an impact on human physiology. While an increasing number of studies investigate the effects of AB usage on changes in human gut microbiota biodiversity, its functional effects are still poorly understood. We performed a follow-up study to explore the effect of ABs with different modes of action on human gut microbiota composition and function. Four individuals were treated with different antibiotics and samples were taken before, during and after the AB course for all of them. Changes in the…