New nonsteroidal molecules as blockers of the steroidogenic pathway

2022 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jhoan H. Piermattey ◽  
Maicol Ahumedo ◽  
Yvonne Heuze ◽  
Juan Soriano ◽  
Marisa Salinas

Abstract: Background: Testosterone circulating levels decrease in aging. This fact affects the emotional response to captivating pictures. Therefore, naturally increasing androgens within neurons could be a way to improve the mood of agedpeople. Objective: This study aimed to determine the biological activity of new nonsteroidal derivatives of 2-aminonaphthalene-1,4-dione (2-amino-3-iodonaphthalene-1,4-dione and 2-(iodoamino)-3-methylnaphthalene-1,4-dione) as inhibitors of the aldo-keto reductase 1 enzymes (AKR1C1, AKR1C2). Method: The 2-amino-3-iodonaphthalene-1,4-dione and 2-(iodoamino)-3-methylnaphthalene-1,4-dione were synthesized, and their effect in vivo and in vitro was determined. The human prostate cell membrane was used as a source of steroidogenic enzymes. The 2-amino-3-iodonaphthalene-1,4-dione and 2-(iodoamino)-3-methylnaphthalene-1,4-dione bindings to the androgen receptors were also assayed using cytosol from the rat prostate. In vivo experiments, we determined the effects of 2-amino-3-iodonaphthalene-1,4-dione, 2-(iodoamino)-3-methylnaphthalene-1,4-dione on the weight of androgen-dependent glands of castrated hamsters treated with testosterone and finasteride or 2-amino-3-iodonaphthalene-1,4-dione or 2-(iodoamino)-3-methylnaphthalene-1,4-dione was determined. Results: 2-amino-3-iodonaphthalene-1,4-dione and 2-(iodoamino)-3-methylnaphthalene-1,4-dione inhibited AKR1C1 enzyme activity with an IC50 value of 420 nM (2-amino-3-iodonaphthalene-1,4-dione) and 1.95 µM (2-(iodoamino)-3-methylnaphthalene-1,4-dione), respectively. They also blocked AKR1C2 with an IC50 value of 300 nM (2-amino-3-iodonaphthalene-1,4-dione) and 1.52 µM (2-(iodoamino)-3-methylnaphthalene-1,4-dione). Thus 2-amino-3-iodonaphthalene-1,4-dione and 2-(iodoamino)-3-methylnaphthalene-1,4-dione prevent the formation of 3α and 3β-androstanediols. Moreover, these compounds did not bind to AR and did not reduce prostate and seminal vesicle weight. The latter is because of the accumulation of dihydrotestosterone, which is an anabolic androgen. Conclusion: 2-amino-3-iodonaphthalene-1,4-dione and 2-(iodoamino)-3-methylnaphthalene-1,4-dione inhibited AKR1C1 and AKR1C2 enzyme activity; consequently, dihydrotestosterone was accumulated in androgen-dependent glands. These derivatives could potentially use therapeutics via direct nasal administration in aged patients, increasing DHT in neurons.

Author(s):  
H. Hardoko ◽  
Agnes Febriani ◽  
Titri Siratantri

<p>Some types of seaweed are reported to have antidiabet activity in vivo or in vitro,<br />but the activity antidiabet fractions of polysaccharides from seaweed has not been widely<br />reported. Gracilaria gigas is one type of red seaweed that can produce agar and it has two<br />factions, namely agarose and agaropectin. The aim of this study was to obtain an agar<br />extract, agarose fraction, agaropektin fraction of Gracilaria gigas and to determine the<br />α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of extracts and the fractions. Extraction of agar that used<br />an ethanol solution, and to fractionate agarose and agaropektin used dimetilsulfoxide<br />solution. The results showed that the fraction of the agarose having lower sulfate content<br />(0.28%) compared with agar (5.91%) and agaropektin (6.07%). Types of samples (agar,<br />agarose, and agaropektin) and sample doses significantly in inhibiting α-glucosidase<br />enzyme activity. Agarose fraction has IC50 value against α-glucosidase lowest (96.86 ± 4.61<br />ppm), followed by the extract agar (116.63 ± 5.61 ppm), then the fraction agaropektin<br />(158.34 ± 1.77 ppm).<br />Keywords: α-glucosidase, extract, fraction, Gracilaria gigas, IC50</p>


2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 760-765
Author(s):  
Margarita Tyndyk ◽  
Irina Popovich ◽  
A. Malek ◽  
R. Samsonov ◽  
N. Germanov ◽  
...  

The paper presents the results of the research on the antitumor activity of a new drug - atomic clusters of silver (ACS), the colloidal solution of nanostructured silver bisilicate Ag6Si2O7 with particles size of 1-2 nm in deionized water. In vitro studies to evaluate the effect of various ACS concentrations in human tumor cells cultures (breast cancer, colon carcinoma and prostate cancer) were conducted. The highest antitumor activity of ACS was observed in dilutions from 2.7 mg/l to 5.1 mg/l, resulting in the death of tumor cells in all studied cell cultures. In vivo experiments on transplanted Ehrlich carcinoma model in mice consuming 0.75 mg/kg ACS with drinking water revealed significant inhibition of tumor growth since the 14th day of experiment (maximally by 52% on the 28th day, p < 0.05) in comparison with control. Subcutaneous injections of 2.5 mg/kg ACS inhibited Ehrlich's tumor growth on the 7th and 10th days of the experiment (p < 0.05) as compared to control.


Membranes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 411
Author(s):  
Nader Kameli ◽  
Anya Dragojlovic-Kerkache ◽  
Paul Savelkoul ◽  
Frank R. Stassen

In recent years, plant-derived extracellular vesicles (PDEVs) have gained the interest of many experts in fields such as microbiology and immunology, and research in this field has exponentially increased. These nano-sized particles have provided researchers with a number of interesting findings, making their application in human health and disease very promising. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments have shown that PDEVs can exhibit a multitude of effects, suggesting that these vesicles may have many potential future applications, including therapeutics and nano-delivery of compounds. While the preliminary results are promising, there are still some challenges to face, such as a lack of protocol standardization, as well as knowledge gaps that need to be filled. This review aims to discuss various aspects of PDEV knowledge, including their preliminary findings, challenges, and future uses, giving insight into the complexity of conducting research in this field.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 233
Author(s):  
Eunkuk Park ◽  
Chang Gun Lee ◽  
Eunguk Lim ◽  
Seokjin Hwang ◽  
Seung Hee Yun ◽  
...  

Osteoporosis is a common disease caused by an imbalance of processes between bone resorption by osteoclasts and bone formation by osteoblasts in postmenopausal women. The roots of Gentiana lutea L. (GL) are reported to have beneficial effects on various human diseases related to liver functions and gastrointestinal motility, as well as on arthritis. Here, we fractionated and isolated bioactive constituent(s) responsible for anti-osteoporotic effects of GL root extract. A single phytochemical compound, loganic acid, was identified as a candidate osteoprotective agent. Its anti-osteoporotic effects were examined in vitro and in vivo. Treatment with loganic acid significantly increased osteoblastic differentiation in preosteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells by promoting alkaline phosphatase activity and increasing mRNA expression levels of bone metabolic markers such as Alpl, Bglap, and Sp7. However, loganic acid inhibited osteoclast differentiation of primary-cultured monocytes derived from mouse bone marrow. For in vivo experiments, the effect of loganic acid on ovariectomized (OVX) mice was examined for 12 weeks. Loganic acid prevented OVX-induced bone mineral density loss and improved bone structural properties in osteoporotic model mice. These results suggest that loganic acid may be a potential therapeutic candidate for treatment of osteoporosis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 1985
Author(s):  
Xiaohe Li ◽  
Ling Ma ◽  
Kai Huang ◽  
Yuli Wei ◽  
Shida Long ◽  
...  

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal and age-related pulmonary disease. Nintedanib is a receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and one of the only two listed drugs against IPF. Regorafenib is a novel, orally active, multi-kinase inhibitor that has similar targets to nintedanib and is applied to treat colorectal cancer and gastrointestinal stromal tumors in patients. In this study, we first identified that regorafenib could alleviate bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice. The in vivo experiments indicated that regorafenib suppresses collagen accumulation and myofibroblast activation. Further in vitro mechanism studies showed that regorafenib inhibits the activation and migration of myofibroblasts and extracellular matrix production, mainly through suppressing the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1/Smad and non-Smad signaling pathways. In vitro studies have also indicated that regorafenib could augment autophagy in myofibroblasts by suppressing TGF-β1/mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) signaling, and could promote apoptosis in myofibroblasts. In conclusion, regorafenib attenuates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis by suppressing the TGF-β1 signaling pathway.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 4451
Author(s):  
Coralia Cotoraci ◽  
Alina Ciceu ◽  
Alciona Sasu ◽  
Eftimie Miutescu ◽  
Anca Hermenean

Multiple myeloma (MM) is one of the most widespread hematological cancers. It is characterized by a clonal proliferation of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow and by the overproduction of monoclonal proteins. In recent years, the survival rate of patients with multiple myeloma has increased significantly due to the use of transplanted stem cells and of the new therapeutic agents that have significantly increased the survival rate, but it still cannot be completely cured and therefore the development of new therapeutic products is needed. Moreover, many patients have various side effects and face the development of drug resistance to current therapies. The purpose of this review is to highlight the bioactive active compounds (flavonoids) and herbal extracts which target dysregulated signaling pathway in MM, assessed by in vitro and in vivo experiments or clinical studies, in order to explore their healing potential targeting multiple myeloma. Mechanistically, they demonstrated the ability to promote cell cycle blockage and apoptosis or autophagy in cancer cells, as well as inhibition of proliferation/migration/tumor progression, inhibition of angiogenesis in the tumor vascular network. Current research provides valuable new information about the ability of flavonoids to enhance the apoptotic effects of antineoplastic drugs, thus providing viable therapeutic options based on combining conventional and non-conventional therapies in MM therapeutic protocols.


Biomolecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
An-Jen Chiang ◽  
Chia-Jung Li ◽  
Kuan-Hao Tsui ◽  
Chung Chang ◽  
Yuan-chin Ivan Chang ◽  
...  

Cervical cancer is a common gynecological malignancy, accounting for 10% of all gynecological cancers. Recently, targeted therapy for cervical cancer has shown unprecedented advantages. Several studies have shown that ubiquitin conjugating enzyme E2 (UBE2C) is highly expressed in a series of tumors, and participates in the progression of these tumors. However, the possible impact of UBE2C on the progression of cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CESC) remains unclear. Here, we carried out tissue microarray analysis of paraffin-embedded tissues from 294 cervical cancer patients with FIGO/TNM cancer staging records. The results indicated that UBE2C was highly expressed in human CESC tissues and its expression was related to the clinical characteristics of CESC patients. Overexpression and knockdown of UBE2C enhanced and reduced cervical cancer cell proliferation, respectively, in vitro. Furthermore, in vivo experiments showed that UBE2C regulated the expression and activity of the mTOR/PI3K/AKT pathway. In summary, we confirmed that UBE2C is involved in the process of CESC and that UBE2C may represent a molecular target for CESC treatment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 4678
Author(s):  
Sepideh Parvanian ◽  
Hualian Zha ◽  
Dandan Su ◽  
Lifang Xi ◽  
Yaming Jiu ◽  
...  

Mechanical stress following injury regulates the quality and speed of wound healing. Improper mechanotransduction can lead to impaired wound healing and scar formation. Vimentin intermediate filaments control fibroblasts’ response to mechanical stress and lack of vimentin makes cells significantly vulnerable to environmental stress. We previously reported the involvement of exosomal vimentin in mediating wound healing. Here we performed in vitro and in vivo experiments to explore the effect of wide-type and vimentin knockout exosomes in accelerating wound healing under osmotic stress condition. Our results showed that osmotic stress increases the size and enhances the release of exosomes. Furthermore, our findings revealed that exosomal vimentin enhances wound healing by protecting fibroblasts against osmotic stress and inhibiting stress-induced apoptosis. These data suggest that exosomes could be considered either as a stress modifier to restore the osmotic balance or as a conveyer of stress to induce osmotic stress-driven conditions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Jing ◽  
Dandan Liu ◽  
Qingchuan Lai ◽  
Linqi Li ◽  
Mengqian Zhou ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) play critical roles in various cancers by modulating functional proteins post-translationally. Previous studies have demonstrated that DUB Josephin Domain Containing 1 (JOSD1) is implicated in tumor progression, however, the role and mechanism of JOSD1 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remain to be explored. In this study, we aimed to identify the clinical significance and function of JOSD1 in HNSCC. Methods The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases were analyzed to find novel DUBs in HNSCC. Immunohistochemistry assay was performed to determine the expression of JOSD1 in our cohort of 42 patients suffered with HNSCC. Kaplan–Meier analysis was used to identify the correlation between JOSD1 and the prognosis of HNSCC patients. The regulation of BRD4 on JOSD1 was determined by using pharmacological inhibition and gene depletion. The in vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to elucidate the role of JOSD1 in HNSCC. Results The results of IHC showed that JOSD1 was aberrantly expressed in HNSCC specimens, especially in the chemoresistant ones. The overexpression of JOSD1 indicated poor clinical outcome of HNSCC patients. Moreover, JOSD1 depletion dramatically impaired cell proliferation and colony formation, and promoted cisplatin-induced apoptosis of HNSCC cells in vitro. Additionally, JOSD1 suppression inhibited the tumor growth and improved chemosensitivity in vivo. The epigenetic regulator BRD4 contributed to the upregulation of JOSD1 in HNSCC. Conclusions These results demonstrate that JOSD1 functions as an oncogene in HNSCC progression, and provide a promising target for clinical diagnosis and therapy of HNSCC.


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