Search results for "Cyclopropanes"
showing 10 items of 61 documents
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…
Randomised controlled trial of montelukast plus inhaled budesonide versus double dose inhaled budesonide in adult patients with asthma
2003
Background: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) affect many inflammatory pathways in asthma but have little impact on cysteinyl leukotrienes. This may partly explain persistent airway inflammation during chronic ICS treatment and failure to achieve adequate asthma control in some patients. This double blind, randomised, parallel group, non-inferiority, multicentre 16 week study compared the clinical benefits of adding montelukast to budesonide with doubling the budesonide dose in adults with asthma. Methods: After a 1 month single blind run in period, patients inadequately controlled on inhaled budesonide (800 µg/day) were randomised to receive montelukast 10 mg + inhaled budesonide 800 µg/day (n…
Efficacy of leukotriene receptor antagonist in chronic urticaria. A double-blind, placebo-controlled comparison of treatment with montelukast and cet…
2001
Background The cause and pathogenesis of chronic urticaria are still poorly understood. IgE-independent reactions, are common in adult patients with chronic urticaria, who have daily spontaneous occurrence of weals. H1-receptor antagonists (antihistamines) are the major class of therapeutic agents used in the management of urticaria and angioedema. Nevertheless, chronic urticaria is often difficult to treat and may not be controlled by antihistamines alone. It has been postulated that mediators other than histamine, such as kinins, prostaglandin and leukotrienes, may be responsible for some of the symptoms in urticaria which are not controlled by antihistamines. In this study, which was ran…
Randomized placebo-controlled trial comparing desloratadine and montelukast in monotherapy and desloratadine plus montelukast in combined therapy for…
2004
BACKGROUND: H 1 -receptor antagonists are considered to be particularly effective in reducing pruritus, and they are therefore recommended as first-line treatment in patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU). Recently, antileukotriene receptors have been used in patients with CIU, either administered as monotherapy or combined with H 1 -receptor antagonists. OBJECTIVE: We compared the clinical efficacy of 5 mg of desloratadine administered once daily either as monotherapy or combined with a leukotriene antagonist, 10 mg of montelukast daily, and 10 mg of montelukast administered daily as monotherapy for the treatment of patients affected by CIU with placebo. METHODS: One hundred sixt…
Efficacy and safety of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir in renally impaired patients with chronic HCV infection
2019
Background and aims Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection increases the risk of incident chronic kidney disease (CKD) and progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Previously available direct-acting antiviral regimens are not approved for patients with advanced CKD across all HCV genotypes. Methods EXPEDITION-5 is a phase 3 study to evaluate efficacy and safety of the fixed-dose combination of glecaprevir and pibrentasvir (G/P) for chronic HCV infection (genotype 1 through 6) in adults without cirrhosis or with compensated cirrhosis and with stage 3b, 4 or 5 CKD. Patients received approved duration of G/P according to HCV genotype, cirrhosis status and prior HCV treatment experienc…
Efavirenz: What is known about the cellular mechanisms responsible for its adverse effects
2017
The HIV infection remains an important health problem worldwide. However, due to the efficacy of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART), it has ceased to be a mortal condition, becoming a chronic disease instead. Efavirenz, the most prescribed non-nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), has been a key component of cART since its commercialization in 1998. Though still a drug of choice in many countries, its primacy has been challenged by the arrival of newer antiretroviral agents with better toxicity profiles and treatment adherence. The major side effects related to EFV have been widely described in clinical studies, however the mechanisms that participate in their pat…
The phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor roflumilast augments the Th17-promoting capability of dendritic cells by enhancing IL-23 production, and impairs th…
2016
Phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitors serve to prevent degradation of the intracellular second messenger cAMP, resulting in broad anti-inflammatory effects on different cell types including immune cells. Agents that elevate cAMP levels via activation of adenylate cyclase have been shown to imprint a Th17-promoting capacity in dendritic cells (DCs). Therefore, we studied the potential of therapeutically relevant PDE inhibitors to induce a pronounced Th17-skewing capacity in DCs. Here we show that mouse bone marrow-derived (BM-) DCs when treated with the PDE4 inhibitor roflumilast (ROF, trade name: Daxas) in the course of stimulation with LPS (ROF-DCs) evoked elevated IL-17 levels in cocultur…
Neuronal Bioenergetics and Acute Mitochondrial Dysfunction: A Clue to Understanding the Central Nervous System Side Effects of Efavirenz
2014
Background. Neurological pathogenesis is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and differences in neuronal/glial handling of oxygen and glucose. The main side effects attributed to efavirenz involve the CNS, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Methods. Human cell lines and rat primary cultures of neurons and astrocytes were treated with clinically relevant efavirenz concentration. Results. Efavirenz alters mitochondrial respiration, enhances reactive oxygen species generation, undermines mitochondrial membrane potential, and reduces adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels in a concentration-dependent fashion in both neurons and glial cells. However, it activates adenosine monophospha…
PDE4 inhibitors as new anti-inflammatory drugs: effects on cell trafficking and cell adhesion molecules expression.
2004
Phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) is a major cyclic AMP-hydrolyzing enzyme in inflammatory and immunomodulatory cells. The wide range of inflammatory mechanisms under control by PDE4 points to this isoenzyme as an attractive target for new anti-inflammatory drugs. Selective inhibitors of PDE4 have demonstrated a broad spectrum of anti-inflammatory activities including the inhibition of cellular trafficking and microvascular leakage, cytokine and chemokine release from inflammatory cells, reactive oxygen species production, and cell adhesion molecule expression in a variety of in vitro and in vivo experimental models. The initially detected side effects, mainly nausea and emesis, appear at least pa…
Profile of stress and toxicity gene expression in human hepatic cells treated with Efavirenz
2012
Hepatic toxicity and metabolic disorders are major adverse effects elicited during the pharmacological treatment of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Efavirenz (EFV), the most widely used non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), has been associated with these events, with recent studies implicating it in stress responses involving mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in human hepatic cells. To expand these findings, we analyzed the influence of EFV on the expression profile of selected stress and toxicity genes in these cells. Significant up-regulation was observed with Cytochrome P450, family 1, subfamily A, polypeptide 1 (CYP1A1), which indicated m…