scholarly journals State of the Art in the Studies on Crotamine, a Cell Penetrating Peptide from South American Rattlesnake

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irina Kerkis ◽  
Mirian A. F. Hayashi ◽  
Alvaro R. B. Prieto da Silva ◽  
Alexandre Pereira ◽  
Paulo Luiz De Sá Júnior ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bioactive Peptides ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
South American ◽  
Structural And Functional Properties ◽  
Cell Penetrating ◽  
Melanoma Model ◽  
A Cell

Animal venoms comprise a naturally selected cocktail of bioactive peptides/proteins and other molecules, each of which playing a defined role thanks to the highly specific interactions with diverse molecular targets found in the prey. Research focused on isolation, structural, and functional characterizations of novel natural biologics (bioactive peptides/proteins from natural sources) has a long way to go through from the basic science to clinical applications. Herein, we overview the structural and functional characteristics of the myoneurotoxin crotamine, firstly isolated from the South American rattlesnake venom. Crotamine is the first venom peptide classified as a natural cell penetrating and antimicrobial peptide (CPP and AMP) with a more pronounced antifungal activity. In contrast to other known natural CPPs and AMPs, crotamine demonstrates a wide spectrum of biological activities with potential biotechnological and therapeutic values. More recent studies have demonstrated the selectivein vitroanticancer activity of crotamine.In vivo, using a murine melanoma model, it was shown that crotamine delays tumor implantation, inhibits tumor cells proliferation, and also increases the survival of mice engrafted with subcutaneous melanoma. The structural and functional properties and also the possible biotechnological applications of minimized molecules derived from crotamine are also discussed.

Tamarix articulata (T. articulata) - An Important Halophytic Medicinal Plant with Potential Pharmacological Properties

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 285-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah M. Alnuqaydan ◽  
Bilal Rah
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plant ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
In Vivo Model ◽  
Drug Candidate ◽  
Phytochemical Analysis ◽  
Pharmacological Properties

Background:Tamarix Articulata (T. articulata), commonly known as Tamarisk or Athal in Arabic region, belongs to the Tamaricaece species. It is an important halophytic medicinal plant and a good source of polyphenolic phytochemical(s). In traditional medicines, T. articulata extract is commonly used, either singly or in combination with other plant extracts against different ailments since ancient times.Methods:Electronic database survey via Pubmed, Google Scholar, Researchgate, Scopus and Science Direct were used to review the scientific inputs until October 2018, by searching appropriate keywords. Literature related to pharmacological activities of T. articulata, Tamarix species, phytochemical analysis of T. articulata, biological activities of T. articulata extracts. All of these terms were used to search the scientific literature associated with T. articulata; the dosage of extract, route of administration, extract type, and in-vitro and in-vivo model.Results:Numerous reports revealed that T. articulata contains a wide spectrum of phytochemical(s), which enables it to have a wide window of biological properties. Owing to the presence of high content of phytochemical compounds like polyphenolics and flavonoids, T. articulata is a potential source of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative properties. In view of these pharmacological properties, T. articulata could be a potential drug candidate to treat various clinical conditions including cancer in the near future.Conclusion:In this review, the spectrum of phytochemical(s) has been summarized for their pharmacological properties and the mechanisms of action, and the possible potential therapeutic applications of this plant against various diseases discussed.

scholarly journals Extracellular MIF, but not its homologue D-DT, promotes fibroblast motility independent of its receptor CD74/CD44

2020 ◽  
pp. jcs.217356
Author(s):  
Paweł Szczęśniak ◽  
Tamara Henke ◽  
Suada Fröhlich ◽  
Uwe Plessmann ◽  
Henning Urlaub ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Actin Cytoskeleton ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Oxidoreductase Activity ◽  
Dopachrome Tautomerase ◽  
Associated Proteins ◽  
Signalling Transduction ◽  
Thiol Protein

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and its homologue D-dopachrome tautomerase (D-DT) are ubiquitous, pro-inflammatory cytokines with chemokine-like functions that coordinate a wide spectrum of biological activities like migration. Here, we biotin-tagged intracellular MIF/D-DT in vivo to identify important cytosolic interactors and found a plethora of actin cytoskeleton-associated proteins. While the CD74/CD44 receptor complex is essential for signalling transduction in fibroblasts by extracellular MIF/D-DT, our interactome data rather suggested direct effects. We thus investigated whether MIF/D-DT can modulate cell migration independent of CD74/CD44. To differentiate between receptor- and non-receptor-mediated motility, we treated fibroblasts that are deficient in CD74 and CD44 or that express both proteins with recombinant MIF/D-DT. Interestingly, only MIF could stimulate chemokinesis in the presence or absence of CD74/CD44. The pro-migratory effects of MIF depended on lipid raft/caveolae-mediated but not clathrin-mediated endocytosis, on its tautomerase activity and, likely, on its thiol protein oxidoreductase activity. As MIF treatment restrained actin polymerisation in vitro our findings establish a new intracellular role for MIF/D-DT in driving cell motility by modulating the actin cytoskeleton.

scholarly journals In vitro and in vivo activities of flavonoids – apigenin, baicalin, chrysin, scutellarin – in regulation of hypertension – a review for their possible effects in pregnancy-induced hypertension

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcin Ożarowski ◽  
Radosław Kujawski ◽  
Przemysław Ł. Mikołajczak ◽  
Karolina Wielgus ◽  
Andrzej Klejewski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Chemical Compounds ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Future Application ◽  
Mediators Of Inflammation ◽  
And Function

Summary Flavonoids and their conjugates are the most important group of natural chemical compounds in drug discovery and development. The search for pharmacological activity and new mechanisms of activity of these chemical compounds, which may inhibit mediators of inflammation and influence the structure and function of endothelial cells, can be an interesting pharmacological strategy for the prevention and adjunctive treatments of hypertension, especially induced by pregnancy. Because cardiovascular diseases have multi-factorial pathogenesis these natural chemical compounds with wide spectrum of biological activities are the most interesting source of new drugs. Extracts from one of the most popular plant used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi could be a very interesting source of flavonoids because of its exact content in quercetin, apigenin, chrysin and scutellarin as well as in baicalin. These flavonoids exert vasoprotective properties and many activities such as: anti-oxidative via several pathways, anti-in-flammatory, anti-ischaemic, cardioprotective and anti-hypertensive. However, there is lack of summaries of results of studies in context of potential and future application of flavonoids with determined composition and activity. Our review aims to provide a literature survey of in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo pharmacological studies of selected flavonoids (apigenin, chrysin and scutellarin, baicalin) in various models of hypertension carried out in 2008–2018.

Advances on Quinazoline Based Congeners for Anticancer Potential

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Parul Grover ◽  
Monika Bhardwaj ◽  
Garima Kapoor ◽  
Lovekesh Mehta ◽  
Roma Ghai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anticancer Agents ◽  
Medicinal Chemistry ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Anticancer Compounds ◽  
In Vivo Models ◽  
Appropriate Treatment

: The heterocyclic compounds have a great significance in medicinal chemistry because they have extensive biological activities. Cancer is globally the leading cause of death and it is a challenge to develop an appropriate treatment for the management of cancer. Continuous efforts are being made to find a suitable medicinal agent for cancer therapy. Nitrogen-containing heterocycles have received noteworthy attention due to their wide and distinctive pharmacological activities. One of the most important nitrogen-containing heterocycles in medicinal chemistry is ‘quinazoline’ that possesses a wide spectrum of biological properties. This scaffold is an important pharmacophore and is considered a privileged structure. The various substituted quinazolines displayed anticancer activity against different types of cancer. This review highlights the recent advances in quinazoline based molecules as anticancer agents. Several in-vitro and in-vivo models used along with the results are also included. A subpart briefing natural quinazoline containing anticancer compounds is also incorporated in the review.

scholarly journals Susceptibility of leishmania to oxygen intermediates and killing by normal macrophages

1981 ◽  
Vol 153 (5) ◽  
pp. 1302-1315 ◽  
Author(s):  
HW Murray
Keyword(s):  
Glutathione Peroxidase ◽  
Leishmania Donovani ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Oxygen Intermediates ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Promastigote Form ◽  
Oxidative Products ◽  
Necessary And Sufficient

This study demonstrates that the promastigote form of virulent Leishmania donovani and Leishmania tropica are both deficient in endogenous enzymatic scavengers of H(2)0(2) (catalase, glutathione peroxidase) and susceptible to low fluxes of H(2)O(2) in a cell-free model. In addition, the killing of promastigotes by H(2)0(2) is markedly enhanced in the presence of a peroxidase and halide. Promastigotes also readily trigger the macrophage oxidative burst including the generation of H(2)0(2), and most intracellular promastigotes are killed within 18 h by unstimulated normal resident cells. Catalase, but not scavengers or quenchers of O(2)(-), OHx, or (1)O(2), protected promastigotes in a cell-free xanthine oxidase microbicidal system, and catalase also partially inhibited the leishmanicidal activity of resident macrophages. Thus, amongst various oxygen intermediates, H(2)0(2) alone appeared to be both necessary and sufficient for promastigote killing. Depriving macrophages of exogenous glucose, which inhibits the generation of oxygen intermediates, achieved effects similar to catalase treatment. These observations directly contrast with the intracellular parasite, T. gondii which is richly endowed with catalase and glutathione peroxidase, highly resistant to H(2)0(2), and requires products of O(2)(-)-H(2)0(2) interaction for effective oxidative killing. Toxoplasmas also fail to trigger the respiratory burst of normal macrophages, and readily multiply within these cells (1-5). Macrophages first activated by in vivo or in vitro immunologic stimuli, however, display an enhanced capacity to generate oxygen intermediates beyond O(2)(-) and H(2)0(2), and are able to kill toxoplasmas or inhibit their intracellular replication (1, 2). These studies illustrate the wide spectrum of susceptibility to oxidative products which appears to exist for virulent intracellular protozoans, and indicate that such differences may be reflected in contrasting fates of parasites within cell-free oxidative environments and the cytoplasm of normal resident macrophages. In addition, these observations also demonstrate that nonactivated phagocytes may display effective microbicidal activity against certain intracellular pathogens utilizing an oxygen-dependent mechanism.

Current developments in the Pyran-Based Analogues as Anticancer Agents

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Parul Grover ◽  
Monika Bhardwaj ◽  
Lovekesh Mehta ◽  
Garima Kapoor ◽  
Pooja A. Chawla
Keyword(s):  
Anticancer Agents ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Anticancer Compounds ◽  
Appropriate Treatment ◽  
Anti Cancer ◽  
Privileged Structure ◽  
Different Types

: Heterocyclic compounds offer an enormous area for new lead molecules for drug discovery. Till today, efforts are being continuously made to find appropriate treatment for the management of the deadly disease of cancer. Amongst the large number of heterocycles that are found in nature, heterocycles having oxygen obtained noteworthy attention due to their distinctive and pharmacological activities.‘Pyran’ is one of the most significant non-aromatic, six-membered ring composed of one oxygen atom and five carbon atoms. It is considered a privileged structure since pyran and its related derivatives exhibit a wide spectrum of biological activities. Pyran derivatives are found to have excellent anti-cancer properties against various types of cancer. The present review focussed on the current advances in different types of pyran-based derivatives as anti-cancer agents. Various in-vitro (cell based testing), in-vivo (animal based testing) models as well as molecular docking along with results are also covered. A subsection describing briefly natural pyran containing anticancer compounds is also incorporated in the review.

scholarly journals Veronica Plants—Drifting from Farm to Traditional Healing, Food Application, and Phytopharmacology

Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (13) ◽  
pp. 2454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bahare Salehi ◽  
Mangalpady Shivaprasad Shetty ◽  
Nanjangud V. Anil Kumar ◽  
Jelena Živković ◽  
Daniela Calina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Foodborne Pathogens ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Iridoid Glycosides ◽  
Traditional Healing ◽  
Food Preservation ◽  
Food Ingredients

The Veronica genus, with more than 200 species, belongs to the Plantaginaceae family and is distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere and in many parts of Southern Hemisphere. These plants are traditionally used in medicine for wound healing, in the treatment of rheumatism, and in different human diseases. This paper reviews the chemical composition of some valuable Veronica species, the possibilities Veronica extracts have in food preservation and as food ingredients, and their functional properties. Veronica species represent a valuable source of biological active secondary metabolites, including iridoid glycosides and phenolic compounds. In particular, due to presence of these phytochemicals, Veronica species exhibit a wide spectrum of biological activities, including antimicrobial and antioxidant. In fact, some studies suggest that some Veronica extracts can inhibit foodborne pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes, but only a few of them were performed in food systems. Moreover, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and other bioactivities were reported in vitro and in vivo. The bioactivity of Veronica plants was demonstrated, but further studies in food systems and in humans are required.

The world of cell penetrating: the future of medical applications

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (15) ◽  
pp. 1431-1446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annarita Falanga ◽  
Lucia Lombardi ◽  
Emilia Galdiero ◽  
Valentina Del Genio ◽  
Stefania Galdiero
Keyword(s):  
Biomedical Applications ◽  
Cell Penetrating Peptides ◽  
Medical Applications ◽  
Critical Factors ◽  
Uptake Mechanism ◽  
Cell Penetrating ◽  
Effective Delivery ◽  
A Cell

Cell-penetrating peptides present huge biomedical applications in a variety of pathologies, thanks to their ability to penetrate membranes and carry a variety of cargoes inside cells. Progress in peptide synthesis has produced a greater availability of virtually any synthetic peptide, increasing their attractiveness. Most molecules when associated to a cell-penetrating peptides can be delivered into a cell, however, understanding of the critical factors influencing the uptake mechanism is of paramount importance to construct nanoplatforms for effective delivery in vitro and in vivo in medical applications. Focus is now on the state-of-art of the mechanisms enabling therapeutics/diagnostics to reach the site target of their activities, and in support of scientists developing platforms for drug delivery and personalized therapies.

scholarly journals In Vitro and In Vivo Cell Uptake of a Cell-Penetrating Peptide Conjugated with Fluorescent Dyes Having Different Chemical Properties

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 2245
Author(s):  
Hideo Takakura ◽  
Honoka Sato ◽  
Kohei Nakajima ◽  
Motofumi Suzuki ◽  
Mikako Ogawa
Keyword(s):  
Fluorescent Dyes ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Cyanine Dyes ◽  
Cell Uptake ◽  
Cell Penetrating Peptide ◽  
Cell Penetrating ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Targeting Strategy

In molecular imaging, a targeting strategy with ligands is widely used because specificity can be significantly improved. In fluorescence imaging based on a targeting strategy, the fluorescent dyes conjugated with ligands may affect the targeting efficiency depending on the chemical properties. Herein, we used a cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) as a ligand with a variety of fluorescent cyanine dye. We investigated in vitro and in vivo cell uptake of the dye-CPP conjugates when cyanine dyes with differing charge and hydrophilicity/lipophilicity were used. The results showed that the conjugates with positively charged and lipophilic cyanine dyes accumulated in cancer cells in vitro, but there was almost no accumulation in tumors in vivo. On the other hand, the conjugates with negatively charged and hydrophilic cyanine dyes did not accumulate in cancer cells in vitro, but fluorescence was observed in tumors in vivo. These results show that there are some cases in which the cell uptake of the dye-peptide conjugates may differ significantly between in vitro and in vivo experiments due to the chemical properties of the fluorescent dyes. This suggests that attention should be paid to the chemical properties of fluorescent dyes in fluorescence imaging based on a targeting strategy.

Ethnopharmacology, Phytochemistry and Biological Activities of Native Chilean Plants

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bahare Salehi ◽  
Javad Sharifi-Rad ◽  
Jesús Herrera-Bravo ◽  
Luis A. Salazar ◽  
Carla Delporte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Activities ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Antioxidant Compounds ◽  
Native Flora ◽  
The North ◽  
Phenolic Components

: The native flora of Chile has unique characteristics due to the geographical situation of the country, with the vast desert in the North, Patagonia in the South, the Andean Mountains on the east and the Pacific Ocean on the west. This exclusivity is reflected in high concentrations of phytochemicals in the fruits and leaves of its native plants. Some examples are Aristotelia chilensis (Molina) Stuntz (maqui), Berberis microphylla G. Forst. (calafate), Peumus boldus Molina (boldo), Ribes magellanicum Poir. (Magellan currant), Ugni molinae Turcz. (murtilla), Rubus geoides Sm. (miñe miñe), Drimys winteri J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. (canelo), Luma apiculata (DC.) Burret (arrayán) distributed throughout the entire Chilean territory. Some of these Chilean plants have been used for centuries in the country's traditional medicine. The most recent studies of phytochemical characterization of parts of Chilean plants show a wide spectrum of antioxidant compounds, phenolic components, terpenoids and alkaloids, which have shown biological activity in both in vitro and in vivo studies. This manuscript covers the entire Chilean territory characterizing the phytochemical profile and reporting some of its biological properties, focusing mainly on antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, chemopreventive and cytotoxic activity, and potential against diabetes, metabolic syndrome and gastrointestinal disorders.

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