Search results for "Cantharidin"
showing 6 items of 6 documents
Could male tergal secretions be considered as a nuptial gift in the Madeira cockroach?
2008
International audience; Many male insects provide somatic nuptial gifts that may strongly influence reproductive fitness, ensuring effective copulation or mediating paternal resource benefits in offspring. Although the courtship feeding behaviour on tergal gland secretions has been described in numerous cockroaches, studies on the function of these so-called nuptial gifts are lacking in this group. In this study, we examined, in the Madeira cockroach, Leucophaea maderae, the functional significance of tergal secretions by manipulating their availability on the back of males. We tested whether male tergal secretions function as a form of mating effort, and/or as a form of paternal investment…
Molecular modes of action of cantharidin in tumor cells
2005
Cancer chemotherapy is often limited by patient's toxicity and tumor drug resistance indicating that new drug development and modification of existing drugs is critical for improving the therapeutic response. Traditional Chinese medicine is a rich source of potential anticancer agents. In particular, cantharidin (CAN), the active principle ingredient from the blister beetle, Mylabris, has anti-tumor activity, but the cytotoxic mechanism is unknown. In leukemia cells, cantharidin induces apoptosis by a p53-dependent mechanism. Cantharidin causes both DNA single- and double-strand breaks. Colony-forming assays with knockout and transfectant cells lines showed that DNA polymerase beta, but not…
Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) for molecular targeted therapies of tumours.
2009
Scientific progress in genetics, cell and molecular biology has greatly ameliorated our comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms of neoplastic transformation and progression. The rapidly advancing identification of molecular targets in human cancers during the last decade has provided an excellent starting point for the development of novel therapeutics. A huge variety of potential molecular targets have been identified, many of which are already in the market for therapeutic purposes. It is now becoming possible to target pathways and/or molecules that are crucial in maintaining the malignant phenotype. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is often considered as alternative or…
Pharmacogenomics of cantharidin in tumor cells.
2014
Cantharis vesicatoria (blister beetle) is used in Chinese medicine and has been categorized as highly toxic in the Chinese pharmacopeia. In Europe, Cantharis patches have been used since ages to treat various skin-related diseases. We investigated the cytotoxicity of the Cantharis ingredient, cantharidin, in 41 tumor cell lines (Oncotest panel) and compared the results with those of 60 cell lines of the National Cancer Institute, USA. We found profound activity at low micromolar concentrations (log ₁₀IC₅₀ values between -6.980 and 5.009 M). Cantharidin bound to protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) with higher affinity (-8.12 kcal/mol) than to PP1 (-6.25 kcal/mol) in molecular docking analyses. Usi…
Zur Permeation der Serumeiwei�e in die Haut und ihrer quantitativen Bestimmung am Modell der Cantharidenblase
1964
Mittels chemischer und immunochemischer Methoden wurde vergleichend der Gehalt an Proteinen in Cantharidenblasen und Blutserum bestimmt. Erstmals werden auch quantitative Untersuchungen von Praalbumin, α2-M-Globulin, Coeruloplasmin, Haptoglobin und Transferrin im Cantharidenblaseninhalt vorgenommen. Dabei fanden sich statistisch gesicherte Unterschiede zwischen Cantharidenblasen- und Seruminhalt im Sinne tieferer Werte in den Blasen bei Gesamteiweis, Praalbumin abs., α2-M-Globulin abs., α2-Globulin abs. und rel.-%, Coeruloplasmin abs., β-Globulin abs., Transferrin abs. und γ-Globulin abs. Albumin abs. und rel.-% wiesen signifikante Unterschiede in Richtung hoherer Werte in den Cantharidenbl…