Search results for "Pathway"

Cucurbitacins as inducers of cell death and a rich source of potential anticancer compounds.

2011

Triterpenes have been reported to induce cell death. One relevant group of this family of compounds is cucurbitacins, which have been studied as inducers of apoptosis in various cancer cell lines. The most significant mechanisms with regard to the apoptotic effects of cucurbitacins are their ability to modify transcriptional activities via nuclear factors or genes and their capability to activate or inhibit pro- or anti-apoptotic proteins. Still, while the majority of studies on these compounds have dealt with their apoptotic effects on cancer cell lines, several research groups have also explored their anti-inflammatory activities. In general, cucurbitacins are considered to be selective i…

The immunosuppressive activity of artemisinin‐type drugs towards inflammatory and autoimmune diseases

2021

The sesquiterpene lactone artemisinin from Artemisia annua L. is well established for malaria therapy, but its bioactivity spectrum is much broader. In this review, we give a comprehensive and timely overview of the literature regarding the immunosuppressive activity of artemisinin-type compounds toward inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Numerous receptor-coupled signaling pathways are inhibited by artemisinins, including the receptors for interleukin-1 (IL-1), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), β3-integrin, or RANKL, toll-like receptors and growth factor receptors. Among the receptor-coupled signal transducers are extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK), c-Jun N-terminal kinas…

Activation of Neurogenesis in Multipotent Stem Cells Cultured In Vitro and in the Spinal Cord Tissue After Severe Injury by Inhibition of Glycogen Sy…

2020

AbstractThe inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) can induce neurogenesis, and the associated activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling via GSK-3 inhibition may represent a means to promote motor function recovery following spinal cord injury (SCI) via increased astrocyte migration, reduced astrocyte apoptosis, and enhanced axonal growth. Herein, we assessed the effects of GSK-3 inhibition in vitro on the neurogenesis of ependymal stem/progenitor cells (epSPCs) resident in the mouse spinal cord and of human embryonic stem cell–derived neural progenitors (hESC-NPs) and human-induced pluripotent stem cell–derived neural progenitors (hiPSC-NPs) and in vivo on spinal cord tissue regenera…

Neurotransmitters involved in the habenular control of raphe-hippocampal circuit

1989

Selective Modulation of Aβ42 Production in Alzheimers Disease: Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Beyond

2006

The amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides and in particular the longer, highly amyloidogenic isoform Aβ42 are believed by many to be the central disease-causing agents in Alzheimers disease (AD). Consequently, academic and pharmaceutical laboratories have focused on elucidating the mechanisms of Aβ production and developing strategies to diminish Aβ formation for treatment or prevention of AD. The most substantial advances have been made with respect to inhibitors of the γ-secretase enzyme, which catalyzes the final step in the generation of Aβ from the amyloid precursor protein (APP). Highly potent γ-secretase inhibitors which suppress production of all Aβ peptides are available today. However, due to t…

Different β-adrenoceptor subtypes coupling to cAMP or NO/cGMP pathways: implications in the relaxant response of rat conductance and resistance vesse…

2013

Background and Purpose To analyse the relative contribution of β1-, β2- and β3-adrenoceptors (Adrb) to vasodilatation in conductance and resistance vessels, assessing the role of cAMP and/or NO/cGMP signalling pathways. Experimental Approach Rat mesenteric resistance artery (MRA) and aorta were used to analyse the Adrb expression by real-time-PCR and immunohistochemistry, and for the pharmacological characterization of Adrb-mediated activity by wire myography and tissue nucleotide accumulation. Key Results The mRNAs and protein for all Adrb were identified in endothelium and/or smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in both vessels. In MRA, Adrb1 signalled through cAMP, Adrb3 through both cAMP and cGMP…

The cAMP Pathway Sensitizes VR1 Expressed in Oocytes from <i>Xenopus laevis</i> and in CHO Cells

2003

The vanilloid receptor 1 (VR1) is a heat-activated cation channel which also responds to capsaicin and other chemical stimuli. Protein kinase C has a stimulatory effect on VR1 activity, either alone or after activation with capsaicin. The influence of the cAMP-signaling pathway on the effects of capsaicin is controversial. To clarify this, the actions of capsaicin and the modulatory effects of forskolin, pCPT-cAMP, and isobutylmethylxanthine were studied in <i>Xenopus laevis</i> oocytes expressing rat VR1 and in CHO cells expressing human VR1. Capsaicin activated the VR1 channel and increased the intracellular calcium concentration. The effects of capsaicin were enhanced by fors…

Pho85 and PI(4,5)P(2) regulate different lipid metabolic pathways in response to cold

2019

Lipid homeostasis allows cells to adjust membrane biophysical properties in response to changes in environmental conditions. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a downward shift in temperature from an optimal reduces membrane fluidity, which triggers a lipid remodeling of the plasma membrane. How changes in membrane fluidity are perceived, and how the abundance and composition of different lipid classes is properly balanced, remain largely unknown. Here, we show that the levels of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2], the most abundant plasma membrane phosphoinositide, drop rapidly in response to a downward shift in temperature. This change triggers a signaling cascade trans…

B-cell maintenance, response and surveillance (ML11)

2010

Symmetry Breaking and Establishment of Dorsal/Ventral Polarity in the Early Sea Urchin Embryo

2015

The mechanisms imposing the Dorsal/Ventral (DV) polarity of the early sea urchin embryo consist of a combination of inherited maternal information and inductive interactions among blastomeres. Old and recent studies suggest that a key molecular landmark of DV polarization is the expression of nodal on the future ventral side, in apparent contrast with other metazoan embryos, where nodal is expressed dorsally. A subtle maternally-inherited redox anisotropy, plus some maternal factors such as SoxB1, Univin, and p38-MAPK have been identified as inputs driving the spatially asymmetric transcription of nodal. However, all the mentioned factors are broadly distributed in the embryo as early as no…