Search results for "QD"
showing 10 items of 2226 documents
Estrogen Receptor Signaling and the PI3K/Akt Pathway Are Involved in Betulinic Acid-Induced eNOS Activation
2016
Betulinic acid (BA) is a naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpenoid with anti-inflammatory, antiviral and anti-cancer properties. Beneficial cardiovascular effects such as increased nitric oxide (NO) production through enhancement of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) activity and upregulation of eNOS expression have been demonstrated for this compound. In the present study, immortalized human EA.hy 926 endothelial cells were incubated for up to 1 h with 1–100 µM BA and with the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors LY294002 and wortmannin, or the estrogen receptor (ER) antagonist ICI 182,780. Phosphorylation status of eNOS and total eNOS protein were analyzed by Western blotting us…
Chemical Composition of Herbal Macerates and Corresponding Commercial Essential Oils and Their Effect on Bacteria Escherichia coli
2017
This study addresses the chemical composition of some commercial essential oils (clove, juniper, oregano, and marjoram oils), as well as appropriate herbal extracts obtained in the process of cold maceration and their biological activity against selected Escherichia coli strains: E. coli ATTC 25922, E. coli ATTC 10536, and E. coli 127 isolated from poultry waste. On the basis of the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS) analysis, it was found that the commercial essential oils revealed considerable differences in terms of the composition and diversity of terpenes, terpenoids and sesquiterpenes as compared with the extracts obtained from plant material. The commercial clove, oregano, a…
Curcumin at Low Doses Potentiates and at High Doses Inhibits ABT-737-Induced Platelet Apoptosis
2021
Curcumin is a natural bioactive component derived from the turmeric plant Curcuma longa, which exhibits a range of beneficial activities on human cells. Previously, an inhibitory effect of curcumin on platelets was demonstrated. However, it is unknown whether this inhibitory effect is due to platelet apoptosis or procoagulant platelet formation. In this study, curcumin did not activate caspase 3-dependent apoptosis of human platelets, but rather induced the formation of procoagulant platelets. Interestingly, curcumin at low concentration (5 µM) potentiated, and at high concentration (50 µM) inhibited ABT-737-induced platelet apoptosis, which was accompanied by inhibition of ABT-737-mediated…
Intercellular Connectivity and Multicellular Bioelectric Oscillations in Nonexcitable Cells: A Biophysical Model
2018
Bioelectricity is emerging as a crucial mechanism for signal transmission and processing from the single-cell level to multicellular domains. We explore theoretically the oscillatory dynamics that result from the coupling between the genetic and bioelectric descriptions of nonexcitable cells in multicellular ensembles, connecting the genetic prepatterns defined over the ensemble with the resulting spatio-temporal map of cell potentials. These prepatterns assume the existence of a small patch in the ensemble with locally low values of the genetic rate constants that produce a specific ion channel protein whose conductance promotes the cell-polarized state (inward-rectifying channel). In this…
MicroRNA as crucial regulators of gene expression in estradiol-treated human endothelial cells.
2018
Background/Aims: Estrogen signalling plays an important role in vascular biology as it modulates vasoactive and metabolic pathways in endothelial cells. Growing evidence has also established microRNA (miRNA) as key regulators of endothelial function. Nonetheless, the role of estrogen regulation on miRNA profile in endothelial cells is poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to determine how estrogen modulates miRNA profile in human endothelial cells and to explore the role of the different estrogen receptors (ERα, ERβ and GPER) in the regulation of miRNA expression by estrogen. Methods: We used miRNA microarrays to determine global miRNA expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cel…
TGF-β Serum Levels in Diabetic Retinopathy Patients and the Role of Anti-VEGF Therapy.
2020
Transforming growth factor &beta
Cold Atmospheric Plasma Promotes Regeneration-Associated Cell Functions of Murine Cementoblasts In Vitro
2021
The aim of the study was to examine the efficacy of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) on the mineralization and cell proliferation of murine dental cementoblasts. Cells were treated with CAP and enamel matrix derivates (EMD). Gene expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), bone gamma-carboxyglutamate protein (BGLAP), periostin (POSTN), osteopontin (OPN), osterix (OSX), collagen type I alpha 1 chain (COL1A1), dentin matrix acidic phosphoprotein (DMP)1, RUNX family transcription factor (RUNX)2, and marker of proliferation Ki-67 (KI67) was quantified by real-time PCR. Protein expression was analyzed by immunocytochemistry and ELISA. ALP activity was determined by ALP assay. Von Kossa and alizarin r…
Photocrosslinked Dextran-Based Hydrogels as Carrier System for the Cells and Cytokines Induce Bone Regeneration in Critical Size Defects in Mice
2018
Modified biomaterials have for years been the focus of research into establishing new bone substitutes. In our preceding in vitro study employing different cell cultures, we developed chemically and mechanically characterized hydrogels based on photocrosslinkable dextran derivatives and demonstrated their cytocompatibility and their beneficial effects on the proliferation of osteoblasts and endothelial cells. In the present in vivo study, we investigate photocrosslinked dextran-based hydrogels in critical size defects in mice to evaluate their potential as carrier systems for cells or for a specific angiogenesis enhancing cytokine to induce bone formation. We could demonstrate that, with op…
Entropic Interactions between Two Knots on a Semiflexible Polymer.
2017
Two knots on a string can either be separated or intertwined, and may even pass through each other. At the microscopic scale, such transitions may occur spontaneously, driven by thermal fluctuations, and can be associated with a topological free energy barrier. In this manuscript, we study the respective location of a trefoil ( 3 1 ) and a figure-eight ( 4 1 ) knot on a semiflexible polymer, which is parameterized to model dsDNA in physiological conditions. Two cases are considered: first, end monomers are grafted to two confining walls of varying distance. Free energy profiles and transition barriers are then compared to a subset of free chains, which contain exactly one 3 1 and one 4 1 kn…
Mitochondrial DNA Replacement Techniques to Prevent Human Mitochondrial Diseases.
2021
Background: Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) diseases are a group of maternally inherited genetic disorders caused by a lack of energy production. Currently, mtDNA diseases have a poor prognosis and no known cure. The chance to have unaffected offspring with a genetic link is important for the affected families, and mitochondrial replacement techniques (MRTs) allow them to do so. MRTs consist of transferring the nuclear DNA from an oocyte with pathogenic mtDNA to an enucleated donor oocyte without pathogenic mtDNA. This paper aims to determine the efficacy, associated risks, and main ethical and legal issues related to MRTs. Methods: A bibliographic review was performed on the MEDLINE and Web of S…