scholarly journals Investigating Potential Applications of the Fish Anti-Microbial Peptide Pleurocidin: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 687
Author(s):  
Katelyn A. M. McMillan ◽  
Melanie R. Power Coombs
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Human Cancer ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Winter Flounder ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant ◽  
Novel Treatments ◽  
Human Cancer Cells ◽  
Anti Cancer

The anti-microbial peptide (AMP) pleurocidin is found in winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus), an Atlantic flounder species. There is promising evidence for clinical, aquaculture, and veterinary applications of pleurocidin. This review provides an overview of the current literature available on pleurocidin to guide future research directions. By fully elucidating pleurocidin’s mechanism of action and developing novel treatments against pathogenic microbes, populations of flatfish and humans can be protected. This review consulted publications from PubMed and Environment Complete with search terms such as “pleurocidin”, “winter flounder”, and “antimicrobial”. The fish immune system includes AMPs as a component of the innate immune system. Pleurocidin, one of these AMPs, has been found to be effective against various Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. More investigations are required to determine pleurocidin’s suitability as a treatment against antibiotic-resistant pathogens. There is promising evidence for pleurocidin as a novel anti-cancer therapy. The peptide has been found to display potent anti-cancer effects against human cancer cells. Research efforts focused on pleurocidin may result in novel treatment strategies against antibiotic-resistant bacteria and cancer. More research is required to determine if the peptide is a suitable candidate to be developed into a novel anti-microbial treatment. Some of the microbes susceptible to the peptide are also pathogens of fish, suggesting its suitability as a therapeutic treatment for fish species.

scholarly journals An improved and highly selective fluorescence assay for measuring phosphatidylserine decarboxylase activity

2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (27) ◽  
pp. 9211-9222
Author(s):  
Jae-Yeon Choi ◽  
Raymond Black ◽  
HeeJung Lee ◽  
James Di Giovanni ◽  
Robert C. Murphy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Fluorescence Yield ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Fluorescence Signal ◽  
Decarboxylase Activity ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant ◽  
Anti Cancer

Phosphatidylserine decarboxylases (PSDs) catalyze the conversion of phosphatidylserine (PS) to phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), a critical step in membrane biogenesis and a potential target for development of antimicrobial and anti-cancer drugs. PSD activity has typically been quantified using radioactive substrates and products. Recently, we described a fluorescence-based assay that measures the PSD reaction using distyrylbenzene-bis-aldehyde (DSB-3), whose reaction with PE produces a fluorescence signal. However, DSB-3 is not widely available and also reacts with PSD's substrate, PS, producing an adduct with lower fluorescence yield than that of PE. Here, we report a new fluorescence-based assay that is specific for PSD and in which the presence of PS causes only negligible background. This new assay uses 1,2-diacetyl benzene/β-mercaptoethanol, which forms a fluorescent iso-indole-mercaptide conjugate with PE. PE detection with this method is very sensitive and comparable with detection by radiochemical methods. Model reactions examining adduct formation with ethanolamine produced stable products of exact masses (m/z) of 342.119 and 264.105. The assay is robust, with a signal/background ratio of 24, and can readily detect formation of 100 pmol of PE produced from Escherichia coli membranes, Candida albicans mitochondria, or HeLa cell mitochondria. PSD activity can easily be quantified by sequential reagent additions in 96- or 384-well plates, making it readily adaptable to high-throughput screening for PSD inhibitors. This new assay now enables straightforward large-scale screening for PSD inhibitors against pathogenic fungi, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and neoplastic mammalian cells.

scholarly journals Momordica charantiaExtract Induces Apoptosis in Human Cancer Cells through Caspase- and Mitochondria-Dependent Pathways

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chia-Jung Li ◽  
Shih-Fang Tsang ◽  
Chun-Hao Tsai ◽  
Hsin-Yi Tsai ◽  
Jong-Ho Chyuan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Cytotoxic Activity ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Dna Fragmentation ◽  
Human Cancer ◽  
Momordica Charantia ◽  
Carcinoma Cells ◽  
Human Cancer Cells ◽  
Adenocarcinoma Cells ◽  
Anti Cancer

Plants are an invaluable source of potential new anti-cancer drugs.Momordica charantiais one of these plants with both edible and medical value and reported to exhibit anticancer activity. To explore the potential effectiveness ofMomordica charantia, methanol extract ofMomordica charantia(MCME) was used to evaluate the cytotoxic activity on four human cancer cell lines, Hone-1 nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells, AGS gastric adenocarcinoma cells, HCT-116 colorectal carcinoma cells, and CL1-0 lung adenocarcinoma cells, in this study. MCME showed cytotoxic activity towards all cancer cells tested, with the approximate IC50ranging from 0.25 to 0.35 mg/mL at 24 h. MCME induced cell death was found to be time-dependent in these cells. Apoptosis was demonstrated by DAPI staining and DNA fragmentation analysis using agarose gel electrophoresis. MCME activated caspase-3 and enhanced the cleavage of downstream DFF45 and PARP, subsequently leading to DNA fragmentation and nuclear condensation. The apoptogenic protein, Bax, was increased, whereas Bcl-2 was decreased after treating for 24 h in all cancer cells, indicating the involvement of mitochondrial pathway in MCME-induced cell death. These findings indicate that MCME has cytotoxic effects on human cancer cells and exhibits promising anti-cancer activity by triggering apoptosis through the regulation of caspases and mitochondria.

scholarly journals Dioxol and dihydrodioxin analogs of 2- and 3-phenylacetonitriles as potent anti-cancer agents with nanomolar activity against a variety of human cancer cells

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (9) ◽  
pp. 2164-2169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikhil R. Madadi ◽  
Amit Ketkar ◽  
Narsimha R. Penthala ◽  
April C.L. Bostian ◽  
Robert L. Eoff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Human Cancer ◽  
Human Cancer Cells ◽  
Anti Cancer

An appraisal of cinnamyl sulfonamide hydroxamate derivatives (HDAC inhibitors) for anti-cancer, anti-angiogenic and anti-metastatic activities in human cancer cells

2016 ◽  
Vol 253 ◽  
pp. 112-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neetinkumar D. Reddy ◽  
M.H. Shoja ◽  
Subhankar Biswas ◽  
Pawan G. Nayak ◽  
Nitesh Kumar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Human Cancer ◽  
Hdac Inhibitors ◽  
Human Cancer Cells ◽  
Anti Cancer

scholarly journals Synthetic sphingolipid analogs and anti-cancer drugs synergistically induced human colon and pancreatic cancer cell death through inhibiting ceramide metabolism

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Song ◽  
Arie Dagan
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Human Cancer ◽  
Human Colon ◽  
Cancer Drugs ◽  
Human Cancer Cells ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Anti Cancer ◽  
Sphingolipid Analogs

AbstractCeramide metabolism is a potential target for anti-cancer therapy. Studies show that chemotherapeutic agents can induce apoptosis and it is mediated by ceramide. Synthesized sphingolipid analogs can induce cell death in human lymphocytes and leukemia cells. By screening a group of synthetic sphingolipid analogs, we found that low concentrations of AD2750 and AD2646 induced cell death in human cancer cells by preventing ceramide from converting to sphingomyelin, individually or in combination with commercial cancer drugs. The combination of low concentrations of Taxol and AD2750 or AD2646 significantly increased cell death on human colon cancer cells (HT29). Co-administering low concentrations of Doxorubicin with AD2750 or AD2646 elevated cellular toxicity on human pancreatic cancer cells (CRL1687). This synergistic effect is related to the elevated cellular ceramide. Combining AD2750 or AD2646 with chemotherapy drugs can be used to manipulate ceramide and sphingomyelin metabolism, potentially to affect the growth of human cancer cells and increase the effectiveness of anti-cancer drugs on killing cancer cells.

scholarly journals Common and disorder-specific upregulation of the inflammatory markers TRAIL and CCL20 in depression and schizophrenia

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Klaus ◽  
Karoline Guetter ◽  
Rebecca Schlegel ◽  
Tobias R. Spiller ◽  
Erich Seifritz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Inflammatory Markers ◽  
Multiple Testing ◽  
Mental Disease ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Adaptive Immune System ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Significant Group

AbstractSchizophrenia (SZ) and major depressive disorder (MDD) are severe mental disorders, which have been associated with alterations of the peripheral inflammatory network. However, studies for both disorders have not been fully consistent and have focused on few canonical markers with high relevance to the innate immune system, while the role of the adaptive immune system is studied less. Furthermore, it is unclear to what extent inflammatory abnormalities are diagnosis-specific or transdiagnostic. The purpose of this study was to investigate 75 peripheral inflammatory markers including the acute phase protein high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in patients with MDD (n = 37), SZ (n = 42) and healthy controls (HC) (n = 17), while considering possible confounders and correcting rigorously for multiple testing in group comparisons. We identified C–C chemokine ligand 20 (CCL20) and tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) as the inflammatory markers with significant group differences after controlling for multiple comparisons and adjusting for BMI, sex and smoking as confounders. TRAIL was elevated in both MDD and SZ compared to HC. CCL20 was specifically increased in SZ compared to MDD and HC. There were no significant group differences in hsCRP after correcting for multiple testing. Finally, we observed no significant correlations among CCL20, TRAIL and CRP. TRAIL is a transdiagnostic marker for SZ and MDD, with both markers being independent from CRP and body mass index (BMI). CCL20 may be a novel and specific biomarker of schizophrenia, but an influence of antipsychotic medication cannot be excluded. Identifying novel markers in mental disease bears the potential for future research towards novel treatment strategies by modifying inflammation-related processes.

scholarly journals Impact of immediate cryopreservation on the establishment of patient derived xenografts from head and neck cancer patients

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey Abel ◽  
Arda Durmaz ◽  
Rong Hu ◽  
Colin Longhurst ◽  
Andrew M. Baschnagel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Human Cancer ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cancer Tissue ◽  
Cancer Therapies ◽  
Resource Saving ◽  
Anti Cancer ◽  
Immediate Implant ◽  
Human Cancer Tissue ◽  
Short Tandem

Abstract Background Patient-derived xenografts established from human cancers are important tools for investigating novel anti-cancer therapies. Establishing PDXs requires a significant investment and many PDXs may be used infrequently due to their similarity to existing models, their growth rate, or the lack of relevant mutations. We performed this study to determine whether we could efficiently establish PDXs after cryopreservation to allow molecular profiling to be completed prior to implanting the human cancer. Methods Fresh tumor was split with half used to establish a PDX immediately and half cryopreserved for later implantation. Resulting tumors were assessed histologically and tumors established from fresh or cryopreserved tissues compared as to the growth rate, extent of tumor necrosis, mitotic activity, keratinization, and grade. All PDXs were subjected to short tandem repeat testing to confirm identity and assess similarity between methods. Results Tumor growth was seen in 70% of implanted cases. No growth in either condition was seen in 30% of tumors. One developed a SCC from the immediate implant but a lymphoproliferative mass without SCC from the cryopreserved specimen. No difference in growth rate was seen. No difference between histologic parameters was seen between the two approaches. Conclusions Fresh human cancer tissue can be immediately cryopreserved and later thawed and implanted to establish PDXs. This resource saving approach allows for tumor profiling prior to implantation into animals thus maximizing the probability that the tumor will be utilized for future research.

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