Search results for "DASE"

Corylus avellana: A Source of Diarylheptanoids With α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Activity Evaluated by in vitro and in silico Studies

2022

Corylus avellana hard shells, green leafy involucres, leaves, and male flowers have shown to be a source of diarylheptanoids, a class of natural products with promising biological activities. Cyclic diarylheptanoids, named giffonins, were isolated from the Italian cultivar “Tonda di Giffoni.” Even if many efforts have been made to establish the chemistry of these compounds, little is known about their biological properties. Herein, the inhibitory effects of diarylheptanoids isolated from C. avellana byproducts against α-glucosidase enzyme were evaluated. Molecular docking experiments disclosed the establishment of several key interactions between all the screened diarylheptanoids and the pr…

Italian Peninsula preserves an evolutionary lineage of the fat dormouse Glis glis L. (Rodentia: Gliridae)

2010

The present study examines the population genetic structure of fifty-nine specimens of Glis glis (Linneaus, 1766) from thirteen localities in central Europe, sequencing a 400-bp segment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) gene and a 673-bp segment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. The consensus tree obtained from Bayesian analysis revealed a robust dichotomy, showing two sister groups: one clade includes samples from a wide geographical area, extending from north-central Europe to northern Italy (major branch sensu Bilton), and the other comprises samples collected in central and southern Italy and in Sicily (Italian branch). According to the Tajima–Nei model, the two …

The Role of the α Cell in the Pathogenesis of Diabetes: A World beyond the Mirror

2021

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is one of the most prevalent chronic metabolic disorders, and insulin has been placed at the epicentre of its pathophysiological basis. However, the involvement of impaired alpha (α) cell function has been recognized as playing an essential role in several diseases, since hyperglucagonemia has been evidenced in both Type 1 and T2DM. This phenomenon has been attributed to intra-islet defects, like modifications in pancreatic α cell mass or dysfunction in glucagon’s secretion. Emerging evidence has shown that chronic hyperglycaemia provokes changes in the Langerhans’ islets cytoarchitecture, including α cell hyperplasia, pancreatic beta (β) cell dedifferentiati…

Sterigmatocystin-induced cytotoxicity via oxidative stress induction in human neuroblastoma cells.

2020

Abstract Sterigmatocystin (STE) is a mycotoxin produced by fungi of the genus Aspergillus. Considering that the effect of STE on neuronal system has not been well studied, the aim of the present study consists to investigate the cytotoxic effects of STE in human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells. Moreover, the role of oxidative stress and intracellular defense systems was assessed by evaluating reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, lipid peroxidation (LPO) and antioxidant no-enzymatic (GSH) levels and enzymatic (GPx, GST, CAT and SOD) activity. Our results revealed that STE decreased cell viability in a dose and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, after 24 h of exposure, STE induced an incr…

Immunohistochemical localization of the pro-peptide processing enzymes PC1/PC3 and PC2 in the human anal canal.

1997

Abstract HORsch, D., R. Day, N. G. Seidah, E. Weihe and M. K.-H. SchAFer. Immunohistochemical localization of the pro-peptide processing enzymes PC1/PC3 and PC2 in the human anal canal. Peptides 18(5) 755–760, 1997.—The distribution of prohormone/pro-peptide convertases PC1/PC3 and PC2 was investigated in the human anal canal by immunohistochemistry. Both prohormone convertases exhibited region-specific distribution patterns and were observed in neural and neuroendocrine cells and in nonneuroendocrine cellular elements. PC1/PC3 immunoreactivity was present in enteric neurons, subsets of nerve fibers, and neuroendocrine cells, and also in epithelial cells like intestinal stem cells, and a su…

Chromogranin A in the Mammalian Merkel Cell: Cellular and Subcellular Distribution

1989

Chromogranin-A (CGA), which accounts for more than half the soluble matrix protein in secretory granules of various neuroendocrine cells, has a wide spectrum of potential biological roles and is considered an important marker of the diffuse neuroendocrine system (DNES). Light and electron microscopic immunohistochemistry of mammalian skin revealed that Merkel cells are exclusively CGA-immunoreactive (ir) and that the immunoreaction is localized in the secretory granules. This finding supports the classification of the Merkel cell as a member of the DNES. The CGA immunoreactivity was restricted to Merkel cells of pigs and humans. In human embryonic skin, CGA was expressed in Merkel cells as …

Glucose lowering and anti-atherogenic effects of incretin-based therapies: GLP-1 analogues and DPP-4-inhibitors

2009

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic, progressive disease with a multi-faceted pathophysiology. Beyond the known defects of insulin resistance and beta-cell insufficiency, derangement of incretin hormones normally produced from the gut wall in response to food intake play an important role. In recent years, the 'incretin-based' therapies (IBTs) have been developed to address hyperglycemia through either mimicking the action of the endogenous incretin glucagon-like polypeptide (GLP-1) (GLP-1 receptor agonists) or by inhibiting the activity of the enzyme that degrades GLP-1 (the dipeptyl peptidase-4 inhibitors).We reviewed available evidence on the glucose lowering and anti-atherogenic effects of IBT…

A New Mutation in the Promoter Region of the PAX8 Gene Causes True Congenital Hypothyroidism with Thyroid Hypoplasia in a Girl with Down's Syndrome

2014

Thyroid dysfunction is common in newborn infants with Down's syndrome (DS), but defects causing classic thyroid dysgenesis (TD) with permanent congenital hypothyroidism (CH) have not been described.We studied a girl with DS and CH who had a mutation in the promoter sequence of the PAX8 gene.A female infant was found to have trisomy 21 and CH, with a venous thyrotropin (TSH) of150 mU/L and a free thyroxine (fT4) of 15.1 pmol/L (day 12). Thyroid peroxidase antibodies and thyroglobulin antibodies were elevated. Scintigraphy showed normal uptake, but ultrasound identified a small gland with heterogenous echotexture and cystic changes. Sequence analysis of the PAX8 gene revealed a new heterozygo…

In vitro and in vivo detection of end-products of MPO-driven oxidative and nitrosative stress in human endocardial endothelial cells from patients af…

2008

Aging of the musculoskeletal system: How the loss of estrogen impacts muscle strength.

2019

Skeletal muscle weakness occurs with aging and in females this is compounded by the loss of estrogen with ovarian failure. Estrogen deficiency mediates decrements in muscle strength from both inadequate preservation of skeletal muscle mass and decrements in the quality of the remaining skeletal muscle. Processes and components of skeletal muscle that are affected by estrogens are beginning to be identified. This review focuses on mechanisms that contribute to the loss of muscle force generation when estrogen is low in females, and conversely the maintenance of strength by estrogen. Evidence is accumulating that estrogen deficiency induces apoptosis in skeletal muscle contributing to loss of…