Natural Compounds Promoting Weight Loss: Mechanistic Insights from the Point of View of the Medicinal Chemist

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 78-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Ribaudo ◽  
Alberto Ongaro ◽  
Giuseppe Zagotto
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Dietary Supplements ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Quality Criteria ◽  
Natural Compounds ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Body ◽  
Logical Operators ◽  
Metabolism Regulation ◽  
Glucose And Lipid Metabolism

Background:The adipose tissue acts as a buffer storing and releasing energy according to the needs of the body. In a non-physiological context, the development of obesity is related to an unbalance in the homeostasis between calories intake and energy consumption.Objectives:This review focuses on the natural compounds and the herbal extracts used in dietary supplements that are claimed to suppress appetite and promote weight loss. Such compounds or mixture of compounds act through different molecular mechanisms that will be discussed from the point of view of the Medicinal Chemist. The reader will be also briefly updated on the recurring adulteration cases that affect the market of dietary supplements.Methods:The bibliographic research was performed using online scientific databases (PubMed, Reaxys, Scopus) exploiting different keywords and logical operators to lay the bases for an accurate, quality criteria-based literature update.Results:Over 70 papers were selected for the preparation of this review, preferring the reports that are supported by pre-clinical and clinical data.Conclusion:Activity on adrenergic receptors, modulation of adenosine receptors, interference with glucose and lipid metabolism, regulation of adipocyte cell cycle and inhibition of phosphodiesterases are the main molecular mechanisms by which different natural compounds act in promoting weight loss.

scholarly journals Bioactive Compounds as Potential Agents for Sexually Transmitted Diseases Management: A Review to Explore Molecular Mechanisms of Action

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javad Sharifi-Rad ◽  
Cristina Quispe ◽  
Amirhossein Rahavian ◽  
Joara Nályda Pereira Carneiro ◽  
Janaína Esmeraldo Rocha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexually Transmitted Diseases ◽  
Bioactive Compounds ◽  
Complementary Therapies ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Natural Compounds ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Signalling Pathways ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Antiviral Effects

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are produced by pathogens like bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses, and may generate severe health problems such as cancer, ulcers, and even problems in the newborn. This narrative review aims to present updated information about the use of natural bioactive compounds for the prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections. A search of the literature was performed using databases and search engines such as PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar and Science Direct. From the pharmacotherapeutic management point of view, any strategies for prevention should contain medical approaches. The bioactive compounds obtained from natural products have shown biological effects against different microorganisms for the treatment of these diseases. The main results showed antimicrobial, antiprotozoal, antifungal and antiviral effects such as HIV. Also, the molecular mechanisms, signalling pathways and action targets of natural compounds were highlighted, thus justifying bacterial and antifungal inhibition, apoptosis or reduction of viral replication. From the data of our study, we can conclude that natural compounds may be a significant source for adjuvant drugs / complementary therapies in the treatment of STDs. With all these benefits, the future must conduct extensive clinical trials and the development of pharmaceutical nanotechnologies for a greater therapeutic effect.

scholarly journals Is Emodin with Anticancer Effects Completely Innocent? Two Sides of the Coin

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2733
Author(s):  
Esra Küpeli Akkol ◽  
Iffet Irem Tatlı ◽  
Gökçe Şeker Karatoprak ◽  
Osman Tuncay Ağar ◽  
Çiğdem Yücel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Reproductive Toxicity ◽  
Natural Compounds ◽  
The Body ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽  
Drug Candidates ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein

Many anticancer active compounds are known to have the capacity to destroy pathologically proliferating cancer cells in the body, as well as to destroy rapidly proliferating normal cells. Despite remarkable advances in cancer research over the past few decades, the inclusion of natural compounds in researches as potential drug candidates is becoming increasingly important. However, the perception that the natural is reliable is an issue that needs to be clarified. Among the various chemical classes of natural products, anthraquinones have many biological activities and have also been proven to exhibit a unique anticancer activity. Emodin, an anthraquinone derivative, is a natural compound found in the roots and rhizomes of many plants. The anticancer property of emodin, a broad-spectrum inhibitory agent of cancer cells, has been detailed in many biological pathways. In cancer cells, these molecular mechanisms consist of suppressing cell growth and proliferation through the attenuation of oncogenic growth signaling, such as protein kinase B (AKT), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), HER-2 tyrosine kinase, Wnt/-catenin, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K). However, it is known that emodin, which shows toxicity to cancer cells, may cause kidney toxicity, hepatotoxicity, and reproductive toxicity especially at high doses and long-term use. At the same time, studies of emodin, which has poor oral bioavailability, to transform this disadvantage into an advantage with nano-carrier systems reveal that natural compounds are not always directly usable compounds. Consequently, this review aimed to shed light on the anti-proliferative and anti-carcinogenic properties of emodin, as well as its potential toxicities and the advantages of drug delivery systems on bioavailability.

scholarly journals Understanding the link between obesity and headache- with focus on migraine and idiopathic intracranial hypertension

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Connar Stanley James Westgate ◽  
Ida Marchen Egerod Israelsen ◽  
Rigmor Højland Jensen ◽  
Sajedeh Eftekhari
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Intracranial Hypertension ◽  
Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
The Body ◽  
Preclinical Research ◽  
Trigeminovascular System ◽  
Novel Treatments ◽  
Headache Severity ◽  
Inflammatory Stimuli

Abstract Background Obesity confers adverse effects to every system in the body including the central nervous system. Obesity is associated with both migraine and idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). The mechanisms underlying the association between obesity and these headache diseases remain unclear. Methods We conducted a narrative review of the evidence in both humans and rodents, for the putative mechanisms underlying the link between obesity, migraine and IIH. Results Truncal adiposity, a key feature of obesity, is associated with increased migraine morbidity and disability through increased headache severity, frequency and more severe cutaneous allodynia. Obesity may also increase intracranial pressure and could contribute to headache morbidity in migraine and be causative in IIH headache. Weight loss can improve both migraine and IIH headache. Preclinical research highlights that obesity increases the sensitivity of the trigeminovascular system to noxious stimuli including inflammatory stimuli, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unelucidated. Conclusions This review highlights that at the epidemiological and clinical level, obesity increases morbidity in migraine and IIH headache, where weight loss can improve headache morbidity. However, further research is required to understand the molecular underpinnings of obesity related headache in order to generate novel treatments.

Integrating Focusing and Differentiation: A Therapeutic Path for Couples in Intimate Relationships

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evi Zohar
Keyword(s):  
Couples Therapy ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Body ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Emotional Healing ◽  
Felt Sense ◽  
Inner World

Continuing the workshop I've given in the WPC Paris (2017), this article elaborates my discussion of the way I interlace Focusing with Differentiation Based Couples Therapy (Megged, 2017) under the systemic view, in order to facilitate processes of change and healing in working with intimate couples. This article presents the theory and rationale of integrating Differentiation (Bowen, 1978; Schnarch, 2009; Megged, 2017) and Focusing (Gendlin, 1981) approaches, and its therapeutic potential in couple's therapy. It is written from the point of view of a practicing professional in order to illustrate the experiential nature and dynamics of the suggested therapeutic path. Differentiation is a key to mutuality. It offers a solution to the central struggle of any long term intimate relationship: balancing two basic life forces - the drive for individuality and the drive for togetherness (Schnarch, 2009). Focusing is a body-oriented process of self-awareness and emotional healing, in which one learns to pay attention to the body and the ‘Felt Sense’, in order to unfold the implicit, keep it in motion at the precise pace it needs for carrying the next step forward (Gendlin, 1996). Combining Focusing and Differentiation perspectives can cultivate the kind of relationship where a conflict can be constructively and successfully held in the inner world of each partner, while taking into consideration the others' well-being. This creates the possibility for two people to build a mutual emotional field, open to changes, permeable and resilient.

Role of Resveratrol in Modulating microRNAs in Human Diseases: From Cancer to Inflammatory Disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 360-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atefeh Amiri ◽  
Maryam Mahjoubin-Tehran ◽  
Zatollah Asemi ◽  
Alimohammad Shafiee ◽  
Sarah Hajighadimi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Antioxidant Activities ◽  
Natural Compounds ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Inflammatory Disorder ◽  
Inflammatory Disorders ◽  
Therapeutic Modalities ◽  
Anti Cancer ◽  
Current Therapies ◽  
Anti Inflammatory

: Cancer and inflammatory disorders are two important public health issues worldwide with significant socio.economic impacts. Despite several efforts, the current therapeutic platforms are associated with severe limitations. Therefore, developing new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of these diseases is a top priority. Besides current therapies, the utilization of natural compounds has emerged as a new horizon for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory disorders as well. Such natural compounds could be used either alone or in combination with the standard cancer therapeutic modalities such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy. Resveratrol is a polyphenolic compound that is found in grapes as well as other foods. It has been found that this medicinal agent displays a wide pharmacological spectrum, including anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and antioxidant activities. Recently, clinical and pre-clinical studies have highlighted the anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects of resveratrol. Increasing evidence revealed that resveratrol exerts its therapeutic effects by targeting various cellular and molecular mechanisms. Among cellular and molecular targets that are modulated by resveratrol, microRNAs (miRNAs) have appeared as key targets. MiRNAs are short non-coding RNAs that act as epigenetic regulators. These molecules are involved in many processes that are involved in the initiation and progression of cancer and inflammatory disorders. Herein, we summarized various miRNAs that are directly/indirectly influenced by resveratrol in cancer and inflammatory disorders.

Presentation

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Redacción CEIICH
Keyword(s):  
Cultural History ◽  
Social Reality ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Body ◽  
Literary Studies ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Social ◽  
Feminist Theories ◽  
History Of

<p class="p1">The third number of <span class="s1"><strong>INTER</strong></span><span class="s2"><strong>disciplina </strong></span>underscores this generic reference of <em>Bodies </em>as an approach to a key issue in the understanding of social reality from a humanistic perspective, and to understand, from the social point of view, the contributions of the research in philosophy of the body, cultural history of the anatomy, as well as the approximations queer, feminist theories and the psychoanalytical, and literary studies.</p>

Toxicology

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Laumbach ◽  
Michael Gochfeld
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Molecular Targets ◽  
Toxicity Testing ◽  
The Body ◽  
Toxic Substances ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Mechanisms Of Toxicity ◽  
Body Distribution ◽  
Threshold Doses

This chapter describes the basic principles of toxicology and their application to occupational and environmental health. Topics covered include pathways that toxic substances may take from sources in the environment to molecular targets in the cells of the body where toxic effects occur. These pathways include routes of exposure, absorption into the body, distribution to organs and tissues, metabolism, storage, and excretion. The various types of toxicological endpoints are discussed, along with the concepts of dose-response relationships, threshold doses, and the basis of interindividual differences and interspecies differences in response to exposure to toxic substances. The diversity of cellular and molecular mechanisms of toxicity, including enzyme induction and inhibition, oxidative stress, mutagenesis, carcinogenesis, and teratogenesis, are discussed and the chapter concludes with examples of practical applications in clinical evaluation and in toxicity testing.

scholarly journals Transition from Emotional to Rational Advertising for Food Products on the Romanian Market

2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-108
Author(s):  
A.F. Jităreanu ◽  
Elena Leonte ◽  
A. Chiran ◽  
Benedicta Drobotă
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Body ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
New Methods ◽  
Brand Advertising ◽  
Tangible Evidence ◽  
Health And Well Being

Abstract Advertising helps to establish a set of assumptions that the consumer will bring to all other aspects of their engagement with a given brand. Advertising provides tangible evidence of the financial credibility and competitive presence of an organization. Persuasion is becoming more important in advertising. In marketing, persuasive advertising acts to establish wants/motivations and beliefs/attitudes by helping to formulate a conception of the brand as being one which people like those in the target audience would or should prefer. Considering the changes in lifestyle and eating habits of a significant part of the population in urban areas in Romania, the paper aims to analyse how brands manage to differentiate themselves from competitors, to reposition themselves on the market and influence consumers, meeting their increasingly varied needs. Food brands on the Romanian market are trying, lately, to identify new methods of differentiation and new benefits for their buyers. Given that more and more consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about what they eat and the products’ health effects, brands struggle to highlight the fact that their products offer real benefits for the body. The advertisements have become more diversified and underline the positive effects, from the health and well - being point of view, that those foods offer (no additives and preservatives, use of natural ingredients, various vitamins and minerals or the fact that they are dietary). Advertising messages’ diversification is obvious on the Romanian market, in the context of an increasing concern of the population for the growing level of information of some major consumer segments.

scholarly journals Insights into how environment shapes post-mortem RNA transcription in mouse brain

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raphael Severino Bonadio ◽  
Larissa Barbosa Nunes ◽  
Patricia Natália S. Moretti ◽  
Juliana Forte Mazzeu ◽  
Stefano Cagnin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Metabolism ◽  
Mouse Brain ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Cell Communication ◽  
Rna Degradation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
Gene Expression Alterations ◽  
Upregulated Genes

AbstractMost biological features that occur on the body after death were already deciphered by traditional medicine. However, the molecular mechanisms triggered in the cellular microenvironment are not fully comprehended yet. Previous studies reported gene expression alterations in the post-mortem condition, but little is known about how the environment could influence RNA degradation and transcriptional regulation. In this work, we analysed the transcriptome of mouse brain after death under three concealment simulations (air exposed, buried, and submerged). Our analyses identified 2,103 genes differentially expressed in all tested groups 48 h after death. Moreover, we identified 111 commonly upregulated and 497 commonly downregulated genes in mice from the concealment simulations. The gene functions shared by the individuals from the tested environments were associated with RNA homeostasis, inflammation, developmental processes, cell communication, cell proliferation, and lipid metabolism. Regarding the altered biological processes, we identified that the macroautophagy process was enriched in the upregulated genes and lipid metabolism was enriched in the downregulated genes. On the other hand, we also described a list of biomarkers associated with the submerged and buried groups, indicating that these environments can influence the post-mortem RNA abundance in its particular way.

scholarly journals Anti-NLRP3 Inflammasome Natural Compounds: An Update

Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 136
Author(s):  
Baolong Liu ◽  
Jiujiu Yu
Keyword(s):  
Nlrp3 Inflammasome ◽  
Protein Complex ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Natural Compounds ◽  
Pyrin Domain ◽  
Inflammatory Protein ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Activation Mechanisms ◽  
Stress Signals

The nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat related (NLR) family, pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is a multimeric protein complex that recognizes various danger or stress signals from pathogens, the host, and the environment, leading to activation of caspase-1 and inducing inflammatory responses. This pro-inflammatory protein complex plays critical roles in pathogenesis of a wide range of diseases including neurodegenerative diseases, autoinflammatory diseases, and metabolic disorders. Therefore, intensive efforts have been devoted to understanding its activation mechanisms and to searching for its specific inhibitors. Approximately forty natural compounds with anti-NLRP3 inflammasome properties have been identified. Here, we provide an update about new natural compounds that have been identified within the last three years to inhibit the NLRP3 inflammasome and offer an overview of the underlying molecular mechanisms of their anti-NLRP3 inflammasome activities.

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