Search results for "ck"
showing 10 items of 18632 documents
MerTK receptor cleavage promotes plaque necrosis and defective resolution in atherosclerosis
2017
Atherothrombotic vascular disease is often triggered by a distinct type of atherosclerotic lesion that displays features of impaired inflammation resolution, notably a necrotic core and thinning of a protective fibrous cap that overlies the core. A key cause of plaque necrosis is defective clearance of apoptotic cells, or efferocytosis, by lesional macrophages, but the mechanisms underlying defective efferocytosis and its possible links to impaired resolution in atherosclerosis are incompletely understood. Here, we provide evidence that proteolytic cleavage of the macrophage efferocytosis receptor c-Mer tyrosine kinase (MerTK) reduces efferocytosis and promotes plaque necrosis and defective…
Hepatitis C Virus Eradication by Direct Antiviral Agents Improves Carotid Atherosclerosis in patients with Severe Liver Fibrosis.
2018
Abstract BACKGROUND AND AIM: Recent studies suggest an association between HCV infection and cardiovascular damage, including carotid atherosclerosis, with a possible effect of HCV clearance on cardiovascular outcomes. We aimed to examine whether HCV eradication by direct antiviral agents (DAA) improves carotid atherosclerosis in HCV-infected patients with advanced fibrosis/compensated cirrhosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred eighty-two consecutive HCV patients with advanced fibrosis or compensated cirrhosis were evaluated by virological, anthropometric and metabolic measurements. All patients underwent DAA-based antiviral therapy according to AISF/EASL guidelines. Intima-media thickne…
Development of Novel Peptide-Based Michael Acceptors Targeting Rhodesain and Falcipain-2 for the Treatment of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)
2017
This paper describes the development of a class of peptide-based inhibitors as novel antitrypanosomal and antimalarial agents. The inhibitors are based on a characteristic peptide sequence for the inhibition of the cysteine proteases rhodesain of Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and falcipain-2 of Plasmodium falciparum. We exploited the reactivity of novel unsaturated electrophilic functions such as vinyl-sulfones, -ketones, -esters, and -nitriles. The Michael acceptors inhibited both rhodesain and falcipain-2, at nanomolar and micromolar levels, respectively. In particular, the vinyl ketone 3b has emerged as a potent rhodesain inhibitor (k2nd = 67 × 106 M-1 min-1), endowed with a picomolar b…
Autism Related Neuroligin-4 Knockout Impairs Intracortical Processing but not Sensory Inputs in Mouse Barrel Cortex
2016
Neuroligin-4 (Nlgn4) is a cell adhesion protein that regulates synapse organization and function. Mutations in human NLGN4 are among the causes of autism spectrum disorders. In mouse, Nlgn4 knockout (KO) perturbs GABAergic synaptic transmission and oscillatory activity in hippocampus, and causes social interaction deficits. The complex profile of cellular and circuit changes that are caused by Nlgn4-KO is still only partly understood. Using Nlgn4-KO mice, we found that Nlgn4-KO increases the power in the alpha frequency band of spontaneous network activity in the barrel cortex under urethane anesthesia in vivo. Nlgn4-KO did not affect single-whisker-induced local field potentials, but suppr…
Transcytosis of Bacillus subtilis extracellular vesicles through an in vitro intestinal epithelial cell model
2020
Bacterial EVs have been related to inter-kingdom communication between probiotic/pathogenic bacteria and their hosts. Our aim was to investigate the transcytosis process of B. subtilis EVs using an in vitro intestinal epithelial cell model. In this study, using Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy, we report that uptake and internalization of CFSE-labeled B. subtilis EVs (115 nm ± 27 nm) by Caco-2 cells are time-dependent. To study the transcytosis process we used a transwell system and EVs were quantified in the lower chamber by Fluorescence and Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis measurements. Intact EVs are transported across a polarized cell monolayer at 60–120 min and increased after 240 min …
Antiproliferative effect of plant sterols at colonic concentrations on Caco-2 cells
2017
Abstract Plant sterols (PS) have been incorporated to foods due to their cholesterol-lowering effect. Because of their low intestinal absorption (0.5–2%), they can reach the colon and exert local actions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antiproliferative effect of individual (β-sitosterol, campesterol and stigmasterol) and combined PS in colon cancer cells (Caco-2) at human colonic concentrations after simulated gastrointestinal digestion of a PS enriched milk-based fruit beverage. β-Sitosterol, campesterol and stigmasterol induced significant cell viability reduction (13–59% vs control), but only stigmasterol produced an overproduction of reactive oxygen species (92% vs control).…
Synthesis and antiproliferative activity of a natural like glycoconjugate polycyclic compound
2016
Abstract A natural like O -glycoconjugate polycyclic compound 4 was obtained by a multistep procedure starting from N -(3-methyl-1-(4-nitrophenyl)-1 H -pyrazol-5-yl)acetamide. The glycosyl derivative 4 showed antiproliferative activity against all the tumoral cell lines of the NCI panel in the range 0.47–5.43 μ M. Cytofluorimetric analysis performed on MDA-MB231, a very aggressive breast cancer cell line, which does not express estrogen, progesterone and HER-2/neu receptors, showed that 4 is able to induce prolonged cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and morphological signs of differentiation. These events are correlated with down-regulation of both cyclin B1 and cdc2, the cyclins involved in…
CHK1 inhibitor sensitizes resistant colorectal cancer stem cells to nortopsentin
2021
Summary Limited therapeutic options are available for advanced colorectal cancer (CRC). Herein, we report that exposure to a neo-synthetic bis(indolyl)thiazole alkaloid analog, nortopsentin 234 (NORA234), leads to an initial reduction of proliferative and clonogenic potential of CRC sphere cells (CR-CSphCs), followed by an adaptive response selecting the CR-CSphC-resistant compartment. Cells spared by the treatment with NORA234 express high levels of CD44v6, associated with a constitutive activation of Wnt pathway. In CR-CSphC-based organoids, NORA234 causes a genotoxic stress paralleled by G2-M cell cycle arrest and activation of CHK1, driving the DNA damage repair of CR-CSphCs, regardless…
Physiological concentrations of phytosterols enhance the apoptotic effects of 5-fluorouracil in colon cancer cells
2018
Abstract Combining natural products as co-adjuvants in 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) chemotherapy might enhance the effectiveness of 5-FU by avoiding a high dosage and/or reducing treatment times. We explored the anticancer efficacy of the phytosterols (PS) at concentrations achievable in the human colon, as well as their potential as sensitizing agents of human colon cancer cells (Caco-2 and HT-29) to 5-FU treatment. Cells proliferation, combination index, cell cycle, apoptosis, caspases activation, ROS production, and ΔΨm were determined. Co-treatment (PS+5-FU) had an antiproliferative additive effect, and moreover, in general a significantly improved efficacy was observed on cell cycle arrest at…
PTP1B phosphatase as a novel target of oleuropein activity in MCF-7 breast cancer model.
2019
Phosphatase PTP1B has become a therapeutic target for the treatment of type 2-diabetes, whereas recent studies have revealed that PTP1B plays a pivotal role in pathophysiology and development of breast cancer. Oleuropein is a natural, phenolic compound with anticancer activity. The aim of this study was to address the question whether PTP1B constitutes a target for oleuropein in breast cancer MCF-7 cells. The cellular MCF-7 breast cancer model was used in the study. The experiments were performed using cellular viability tests, Elisa assays, immunoprecipitation, flow cytometry analyses and computer modelling. Herein, we evidenced that the reduced activity of phosphatase PTP1B after treatmen…