scholarly journals The Neuroprotective Effects of Melatonin: Possible Role in the Pathophysiology of Neuropsychiatric Disease

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jung Goo Lee ◽  
Young Sup Woo ◽  
Sung Woo Park ◽  
Dae-Hyun Seog ◽  
Mi Kyoung Seo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antioxidant Activity ◽  
Circadian Rhythm ◽  
Molecular Biology ◽  
Pineal Gland ◽  
Mechanism Of Action ◽  
Therapeutic Target ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Sleep Cycle ◽  
Neuroprotective Effects ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Disease

Melatonin is a hormone that is secreted by the pineal gland. To date, melatonin is known to regulate the sleep cycle by controlling the circadian rhythm. However, recent advances in neuroscience and molecular biology have led to the discovery of new actions and effects of melatonin. In recent studies, melatonin was shown to have antioxidant activity and, possibly, to affect the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In addition, melatonin has neuroprotective effects and affects neuroplasticity, thus indicating potential antidepressant properties. In the present review, the new functions of melatonin are summarized and a therapeutic target for the development of new drugs based on the mechanism of action of melatonin is proposed.

Antioxidant compounds from marine seaweeds and their mechanism of action

2020 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-148
Author(s):  
Trishna Debnath ◽  
Eun-Kyung Kim ◽  
Kwang-Geun Lee ◽  
Narayan Chandra Debnath ◽  
Ramkumar Mathur
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Antioxidant Activity ◽  
Natural Products ◽  
Mechanism Of Action ◽  
Biologically Active ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Antioxidant Compounds ◽  
Valuable Contribution ◽  
Major Mechanism ◽  
Nutritional Benefits

Investigation of natural products has moved toward marine environments as they are a source of many biologically active agents. The natural antioxidant compounds isolated from seaweeds provide a valuable contribution to the innovation of new drugs for chronic diseases associated with oxidative stress. While the antioxidant activity and nutritional benefits of various seaweed products are well recognized, their proper utilization as antioxidants remains at initial stages that require further investigative studies. This review provides a detailed study of isolated antioxidant compounds from seaweeds and their major mechanism of action by focusing on the reports from 2015 to 2019. The report discusses various active antioxidant compounds, including phenolics (e.g., phlorotannins), polysaccharides, and pigments with proven benefits against oxidative stress-related diseases, especially carotenoids, from the aspect of benefits to human health.

scholarly journals Melatonin—A Potent Therapeutic for Stroke and Stroke-Related Dementia

Antioxidants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 672
Author(s):  
Nadia Sadanandan ◽  
Blaise Cozene ◽  
Justin Cho ◽  
You Jeong Park ◽  
Madeline Saft ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Circadian Rhythm ◽  
Pineal Gland ◽  
Melatonin Treatment ◽  
Neuroprotective Effects ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Preclinical And Clinical Studies ◽  
Tissue Restoration

Secreted by the pineal gland to regulate the circadian rhythm, melatonin is a powerful antioxidant that has been used to combat oxidative stress in the central nervous system. Melatonin-based therapies have been shown to provide neuroprotective effects in the setting of ischemic stroke by mitigating neuroinflammation and accelerating brain tissue restoration. Melatonin treatment includes injection of exogenous melatonin, pineal gland grafting and melatonin-mediated stem cell therapy. This review will discuss the current preclinical and clinical studies investigating melatonin-based therapeutics to treat stroke.

Diacylfuroxans Are Masked Nitrile Oxides That Inhibit GPX4 Covalently

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Eaton ◽  
Richard A. Ruberto ◽  
Anneke Kramm ◽  
Vasanthi S. Viswanathan ◽  
Stuart Schreiber
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanism ◽  
Mechanism Of Action ◽  
Therapeutic Target ◽  
Biologically Active ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Nitrile Oxides ◽  
Molecular Mechanism Of Action

<div><div><div><p>GPX4 represents a promising yet difficult-to-drug therapeutic target for the treatment of, among others, drug-resistant cancers. While most GPX4 inhibitors rely on a chloroacetamide moiety to modify covalently the protein’s catalytic selenocysteine residue, the discovery and mechanistic elucidation of structurally diverse GPX4-inhibiting molecules has uncovered novel electrophilic warheads that bind and inhibit GPX4. Here we report our discovery that diacylfuroxans can act as masked nitrile oxides that inhibit GPX4 covalently. These observations illuminate a novel molecular mechanism of action for biologically active furoxans and also suggest that nitrile oxides may be uniquely suited to targeting GPX4.</p></div></div></div>

scholarly journals Circadian rhythm as a therapeutic target

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Ruan ◽  
Xiaoyi Yuan ◽  
Holger K. Eltzschig
Keyword(s):  
Circadian Rhythm ◽  
Therapeutic Target

scholarly journals Delivery of Thyronamines (TAMs) to the Brain: A Preliminary Study

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1616
Author(s):  
Nicoletta di Leo ◽  
Stefania Moscato ◽  
Marco Borso' ◽  
Simona Sestito ◽  
Beatrice Polini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
In Vitro Model ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Therapeutic Approaches ◽  
Neuroprotective Effects ◽  
Pharmacological Response ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Vitro Model ◽  
The Brain

Recent reports highlighted the significant neuroprotective effects of thyronamines (TAMs), a class of endogenous thyroid hormone derivatives. In particular, 3-iodothyronamine (T1AM) has been shown to play a pleiotropic role in neurodegeneration by modulating energy metabolism and neurological functions in mice. However, the pharmacological response to T1AM might be influenced by tissue metabolism, which is known to convert T1AM into its catabolite 3-iodothyroacetic acid (TA1). Currently, several research groups are investigating the pharmacological effects of T1AM systemic administration in the search of novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of interlinked pathologies, such as metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs). A critical aspect in the development of new drugs for NDDs is to know their distribution in the brain, which is fundamentally related to their ability to cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB). To this end, in the present study we used the immortalized mouse brain endothelial cell line bEnd.3 to develop an in vitro model of BBB and evaluate T1AM and TA1 permeability. Both drugs, administered at 1 µM dose, were assayed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Our results indicate that T1AM is able to efficiently cross the BBB, whereas TA1 is almost completely devoid of this property.

scholarly journals Circadian Rhythm: Potential Therapeutic Target for Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 676
Author(s):  
Andy W. C. Man ◽  
Huige Li ◽  
Ning Xia
Keyword(s):  
Circadian Rhythm ◽  
Cardiovascular Diseases ◽  
Circadian Rhythms ◽  
Circadian Clock ◽  
Therapeutic Target ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Clock Genes ◽  
Vascular System ◽  
Peripheral Tissues ◽  
Inflammatory Processes

Every organism has an intrinsic biological rhythm that orchestrates biological processes in adjusting to daily environmental changes. Circadian rhythms are maintained by networks of molecular clocks throughout the core and peripheral tissues, including immune cells, blood vessels, and perivascular adipose tissues. Recent findings have suggested strong correlations between the circadian clock and cardiovascular diseases. Desynchronization between the circadian rhythm and body metabolism contributes to the development of cardiovascular diseases including arteriosclerosis and thrombosis. Circadian rhythms are involved in controlling inflammatory processes and metabolisms, which can influence the pathology of arteriosclerosis and thrombosis. Circadian clock genes are critical in maintaining the robust relationship between diurnal variation and the cardiovascular system. The circadian machinery in the vascular system may be a novel therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The research on circadian rhythms in cardiovascular diseases is still progressing. In this review, we briefly summarize recent studies on circadian rhythms and cardiovascular homeostasis, focusing on the circadian control of inflammatory processes and metabolisms. Based on the recent findings, we discuss the potential target molecules for future therapeutic strategies against cardiovascular diseases by targeting the circadian clock.

scholarly journals Antioxidant activity of Spathodea campanulata (Bignoneaceae) extracts

2012 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.C Heim ◽  
F.A Guarnier ◽  
D.T Ferreira ◽  
R Braz-Filho ◽  
R Cecchini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antioxidant Activity ◽  
Complex Formation ◽  
Mechanism Of Action ◽  
Iron Complex ◽  
Bark Extract ◽  
Flower Extract ◽  
Antioxidant Mechanism ◽  
Activity Loss ◽  
Ethanol Extracts ◽  
Antioxidant Mechanisms

Spathodea campanulata is used in traditional medicine in Africa as diuretic and anti-inflammatory. Although few studies have reported the mechanism of antioxidant action, this study evidenced the antioxidant activity of S. campanulata bark and flower extracts and their possible mechanism of action. Ethanol extracts of S. campanulata bark and flowers showed antioxidant activity on lipid peroxidation of liver microsome induced by Fe3+-ascorbic acid. Bark extract was 5 times more efficient than flower extract. The antioxidant activity of flower extract, previously complexed with increasing concentrations of Fe3+ (20 - 100 μM) which resulted in antioxidant activity loss, was shown to be related to iron complex formation. In contrast, the antioxidant activity of bark extract was not inhibited by the previous incubation with Fe3+, although complexation was demonstrated by spectral analysis of the solution. These results suggest an antioxidant mechanism other than Fe3+ complex formation. Therefore, the antioxidant mechanisms of S. campanulata flower and bark extracts are distinct from each other, reflecting the extract heterogeneous composition and the mechanism of action.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document