scholarly journals MicroRNAs Regulating Mitochondrial Function in Cardiac Diseases

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guang-Qiong Zhang ◽  
Sheng-Quan Wang ◽  
Yan Chen ◽  
Ling-Yun Fu ◽  
Yi-Ni Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Function ◽  
The Body ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Transcriptional Gene Silencing ◽  
Cardiac Diseases ◽  
Mechanical Function ◽  
Cellular Energy ◽  
Post Transcriptional Gene Silencing ◽  
Prevention And Treatment ◽  
Clinical Prevention

Mitochondria are the key organelles that supply cellular energy. As the most active organ in the body, the energy required to maintain the mechanical function of the heart requires a high quantity of high-quality mitochondria in cardiomyocytes. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are single-stranded noncoding RNAs, approximately 22 nt in length, which play key roles in mediating post-transcriptional gene silencing. Numerous studies have confirmed that miRNAs can participate in the occurrence and development of cardiac diseases by regulating mitochondrial function-related genes and signaling pathways. Therefore, elucidating the crosstalk that occurs between miRNAs and mitochondria is important for the prevention and treatment of cardiac diseases. In this review, we discuss the biogenesis of miRNAs, the miRNA-mediated regulation of major genes involved in the maintenance of mitochondrial function, and the effects of miRNAs on mitochondrial function in cardiac diseases in order to provide a theoretical basis for the clinical prevention and treatment of cardiac disease and the development of new drugs.

scholarly journals Study on Prevention and Treatment of Autophagy and Cervical HPV Infection by Traditional Chinese Medicine Based on Pathogenesis of "Syndrome of Dampness-heat Diffusing Downward"

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anqi Liu ◽  
Mei Chen ◽  
Nan Li ◽  
Hongli Zhu ◽  
Jun Bai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Medicine ◽  
Traditional Chinese Medicine ◽  
Hpv Infection ◽  
The Body ◽  
Protection Mechanism ◽  
Prevention And Treatment ◽  
New Treatment ◽  
Clinical Prevention ◽  
Heat Injection ◽  
Self Protection

Autophagy is a self-protection mechanism of the body, and also an important physiological process for cells to maintain internal environment stability. Studies have shown that the degree of autophagy damage is positively correlated with the expression of oncogenes, and the expression of oncogenes is closely related to cervical HPV infection, so the control of autophagy ability can interfere with cervical HPV virus infection. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that dampness-heat evil down, can damage and Chong Ren cell. The author believes that autophagy damage and the theory of dampness-heat injection in cervical HPV infection have similar pathogenic mechanism, and explores the prevention and treatment of autophagy and cervical HPV infection based on the theory of traditional Chinese medicine dampness-heat injection, in attempt to provide a new treatment for clinical prevention and treatment.

scholarly journals Inula L. Secondary Metabolites against Oxidative Stress-Related Human Diseases

Antioxidants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilson R. Tavares ◽  
Ana M. L. Seca
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
The Body ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Human Diseases ◽  
Oxygen Species ◽  
Lead Compound ◽  
Prevention And Treatment ◽  
Antioxidative Stress

An imbalance in the production of reactive oxygen species in the body can cause an increase of oxidative stress that leads to oxidative damage to cells and tissues, which culminates in the development or aggravation of some chronic diseases, such as inflammation, diabetes mellitus, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. Secondary metabolites from Inula species can play an important role in the prevention and treatment of the oxidative stress-related diseases mentioned above. The databases Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science and the combining terms Inula, antioxidant and secondary metabolites were used in the research for this review. More than 120 articles are reviewed, highlighting the most active compounds with special emphasis on the elucidation of their antioxidative-stress mechanism of action, which increases the knowledge about their potential in the fight against inflammation, cancer, neurodegeneration, and diabetes. Alantolactone is the most polyvalent compound, reporting interesting EC50 values for several bioactivities, while 1-O-acetylbritannilactone can be pointed out as a promising lead compound for the development of analogues with interesting properties. The Inula genus is a good bet as source of structurally diverse compounds with antioxidant activity that can act via different mechanisms to fight several oxidative stress-related human diseases, being useful for development of new drugs.

Phytosterols and Triterpenoids for Prevention and Treatment of Metabolic-related Liver Diseases and Hepatocellular Carcinoma

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Sánchez-Crisóstomo ◽  
Eduardo Fernández-Martínez ◽  
Raquel Cariño-Cortés ◽  
Gabriel Betanzos-Cabrera ◽  
Rosa A. Bobadilla-Lugo
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Liver Disease ◽  
Anticancer Agents ◽  
Liver Diseases ◽  
Membrane Receptors ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Sexual Hormones ◽  
Steroid Nucleus ◽  
Alcoholic Fatty Liver ◽  
Prevention And Treatment

Background: Liver ailments are among the leading causes of death; they originate from viral infections, chronic alcoholism, and autoimmune illnesses, which may chronically be precursors of cirrhosis; furthermore, metabolic syndrome may worsen those hepatopathies or cause Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) that may advance to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Cirrhosis is the late-stage liver disease and can proceed to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Pharmacological treatment options for liver diseases, cirrhosis, and HCC, are limited, expensive, and not wholly effective. The use of medicinal herbs and functional foods is growing around the world as natural resources of bioactive compounds that would set the basis for the development of new drugs. Review and Conclusion: Plant and food-derived sterols and triterpenoids (TTP) possess antioxidant, metabolic-regulating, immunomodulatory, and anti-inflammatory activities, as well as they are recognized as anticancer agents, suggesting their application strongly as an alternative therapy in some chronic diseases. Thus, it is interesting to review current reports about them as hepatoprotective agents, but also because they structurally resemble cholesterol, sexual hormones, corticosteroids and bile acids due to the presence of the steroid nucleus, so they all can share pharmacological properties through activating nuclear and membrane receptors. Therefore, sterols and TTP appear as a feasible option for the prevention and treatment of chronic metabolic-related liver diseases, cirrhosis, and HCC.

Nanoparticles and Its Implications in HIV/AIDS Therapy

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 448-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor B. Oti
Keyword(s):  
Direct Injection ◽  
Oral Intake ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Antiretroviral Drugs ◽  
The Body ◽  
Viral Agent ◽  
Treatment And Prevention ◽  
Prevention And Treatment ◽  
Hiv Aids

The use of Antiretroviral drugs in treating HIV/ AIDS patients has enormously increased their life spans with serious disadvantages. The virus infection still remains a public health problem worldwide with no cure and vaccine for the viral agent until now. The use of nanoparticles (NPs) for the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS is an emerging technology of the 21st century. NPs are solid and colloid particles with 10 nm to <1000 nm size range; although, less than 200 nm is the recommended size for nanomedical usage. There are NPs with therapeutic capabilities such as liposomes, micelles, dendrimers and nanocapsules. The particle enters the body mainly via oral intake, direct injection and inhalation. It has been proven to have potentials of advancing the prevention and treatment of the viral agent. Certain NPs have been shown to have selftherapeutic activity for the virus in vitro. Strategies that are novel are emerging which can be used to improve nanotechnology, such as genetic treatment and immunotherapy. In this review, nanoparticles, the types and its characteristics in drug delivery were discussed. The light was furthermore shed on its implications in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.

A multi-method and structure-based in silico vaccine designing against Helicobacter pylori employing immuno-informatics approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anam Naz ◽  
Tahreem Zaheer ◽  
Hamza Arshad Dar ◽  
Faryal Mehwish Awan ◽  
Ayesha Obaid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Helicobacter Pylori ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Amino Acid Sequences ◽  
The Body ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Toll Like Receptor ◽  
Peptide Vaccines ◽  
Hla Alleles ◽  
Vaccine Candidates ◽  
H Pylori

Background: Helicobacter pylori infection and its treatment still remains a challenge to human health worldwide. A variety of antibiotics and combination therapies are currently used to treat H. pylori induced ulcers and carcinoma; however, no effective treatment is available to eliminate the pathogen from the body. Additionally, antibiotic resistance is also one of the main reasons for prolonged and persistent infection. Aim of the study: Until new drugs are available for this infection, vaccinology seems the only alternative opportunity to exploit against H. pylori induced diseases. Methods: Multiple epitopes prioritized in our previous study have been tested for their possible antigenic combinations, and results in 169-mer and 183-mer peptide vaccines containing the amino acid sequences of 3 and 4 epitopes respectively, along with adjuvant (Cholera Toxin Subunit B adjuvant at 5’ end) and linkers (GPGPG and EAAAK). Results: Poly-epitope proteins proposed as potential vaccine candidates against H. pylori include SabAHP0289-Omp16-VacA (SHOV), VacA-Omp16-HP0289-FecA (VOHF), VacA-Omp16-HP0289-SabA (VOHS), VacA-Omp16-HP0289-BabA (VOHB), VacA-Omp16-HP0289-SabA-FecA (VOHSF), VacAOmp16-HP0289-SabA-BabA (VOHSB) and VacA-Omp16-HP0289-BabA-SabA (VOHBS). Structures of these poly-epitope peptide vaccines have been modelled and checked for their affinity with HLA alleles and receptors. These proposed poly-epitope vaccine candidates bind efficiently with A2, A3, B7 and DR1 superfamilies of HLA alleles. They can also form stable and significant interactions with Toll-like receptor 2 and Toll-like receptor 4. Conclusion: Results suggest that these multi-epitopic vaccines can elicit a significant immune response against H. pylori and can be tested further for efficient vaccine development.

scholarly journals Viroids as a Tool to Study RNA-Directed DNA Methylation in Plants

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1187
Author(s):  
Michael Wassenegger ◽  
Athanasios Dalakouras
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Rna Interference ◽  
Gene Silencing ◽  
Plant Cells ◽  
Transcriptional Gene Silencing ◽  
Rnai Machinery ◽  
Double Stranded Rna ◽  
Post Transcriptional Gene Silencing ◽  
Cumulative Amount

Viroids are plant pathogenic, circular, non-coding, single-stranded RNAs (ssRNAs). Members of the Pospiviroidae family replicate in the nucleus of plant cells through double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) intermediates, thus triggering the host’s RNA interference (RNAi) machinery. In plants, the two RNAi pillars are Post-Transcriptional Gene Silencing (PTGS) and RNA-directed DNA Methylation (RdDM), and the latter has the potential to trigger Transcriptional Gene Silencing (TGS). Over the last three decades, the employment of viroid-based systems has immensely contributed to our understanding of both of these RNAi facets. In this review, we highlight the role of Pospiviroidae in the discovery of RdDM, expound the gradual elucidation through the years of the diverse array of RdDM’s mechanistic details and propose a revised RdDM model based on the cumulative amount of evidence from viroid and non-viroid systems.

scholarly journals Targeting Mitochondria in Diabetes

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 6642
Author(s):  
Nina Krako Jakovljevic ◽  
Kasja Pavlovic ◽  
Aleksandra Jotic ◽  
Katarina Lalic ◽  
Milica Stoiljkovic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Insulin Resistance ◽  
Mitochondrial Function ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
Pharmacological Interventions ◽  
Cellular Energy ◽  
Cellular Energy Metabolism ◽  
Data Comparison ◽  
Selection Of

Type 2 diabetes (T2D), one of the most prevalent noncommunicable diseases, is often preceded by insulin resistance (IR), which underlies the inability of tissues to respond to insulin and leads to disturbed metabolic homeostasis. Mitochondria, as a central player in the cellular energy metabolism, are involved in the mechanisms of IR and T2D. Mitochondrial function is affected by insulin resistance in different tissues, among which skeletal muscle and liver have the highest impact on whole-body glucose homeostasis. This review focuses on human studies that assess mitochondrial function in liver, muscle and blood cells in the context of T2D. Furthermore, different interventions targeting mitochondria in IR and T2D are listed, with a selection of studies using respirometry as a measure of mitochondrial function, for better data comparison. Altogether, mitochondrial respiratory capacity appears to be a metabolic indicator since it decreases as the disease progresses but increases after lifestyle (exercise) and pharmacological interventions, together with the improvement in metabolic health. Finally, novel therapeutics developed to target mitochondria have potential for a more integrative therapeutic approach, treating both causative and secondary defects of diabetes.

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