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Topic Review
The Cannabis Terpenes
Terpenes are the primary constituents of essential oils and are responsible for the aroma characteristics of cannabis. Together with the cannabinoids, terpenes illustrate synergic and/or entourage effect and their interactions have only been speculated in for the last few decades. Hundreds of terpenes are identified that allude to cannabis sensory attributes, contributing largely to the consumer’s experiences and market price. They also enhance many therapeutic benefits, especially as aromatherapy.
  • 2.4K
  • 16 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Cannabis Sativa Revisited
Critically ill patients with sepsis require a multidisciplinary approach, as this situation implies multiorgan distress, with most of the bodily biochemical and cellular systems being affected by the condition. Moreover, sepsis is characterized by a multitude of biochemical interactions and by dynamic changes of the immune system. At the moment, there is a gap in our understanding of the cellular, genetic, and molecular mechanisms involved in sepsis. One of the systems intensely studied in recent years is the endocannabinoid signaling pathway, as light was shed over a series of important interactions of cannabinoid receptors with biochemical pathways, specifically for sepsis. Furthermore, a series of important implications on inflammation and the immune system that are induced by the activity of cannabinoid receptors stimulated by the delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) have been noticed. One of the most important is their ability to reduce the biosynthesis of pro-inflammatory mediators and the modulation of immune mechanisms. Different studies have reported that cannabinoids can reduce oxidative stress at mitochondrial and cellular levels. In detail, the entry shows the important mechanisms modulated by the endocannabinoid signaling pathway, as well as of the molecular and cellular links it has with sepsis. At the same time, the possible implications of cannabinoids in the most important biological pathways involved in sepsis, such as inflammation, redox activity, immune system, and epigenetic expression will be presented.
  • 2.4K
  • 04 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Quantum Biology
Recent evidence suggests that a broad range of complex and dynamic processes in living systems could exploit quantum effects to enhance and/or regulate biological functions. These non-trivial quantum effects may play a crucial role in maintaining the non-equilibrium state of biomolecular systems so as to achieve biological advantages that cannot be understood within the boundaries of classical physics. Quantum biology is the study of such quantum aspects of living systems. 
  • 2.4K
  • 24 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Biosynthesis of Lasso Peptides
Lasso peptides are a subclass of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) and feature the threaded, lariat knot-like topology. The basic post-translational modifications (PTMs) of lasso peptide contain two steps, including the leader peptide removal of the ribosome-derived linear precursor peptide by an ATP-dependent cysteine protease, and the macrolactam cyclization by an ATP-dependent macrolactam synthetase.
  • 2.3K
  • 26 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Galectin-3 in Cardiovascular Diseases
Galectin-3 (Gal-3) belongs to a lectin family, acting as a galactoside-binding protein involved in many biological processes, such as controlling cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions, adhesion, proliferation, apoptosis, pre-mRNA splicing, immunity and inflammation.
  • 2.3K
  • 22 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Boron Essentiality in Humans and Animals
Boron (B) is considered a prebiotic chemical element with a role in both the origin and evolution of life, as well as an essential micronutrient for some bacteria, plants, fungi, and algae. B has beneficial effects on the biological functions of humans and animals, such as reproduction, growth, calcium metabolism, bone formation, energy metabolism, immunity, and brain function. Naturally organic B (NOB) species may become promising novel prebiotic candidates. NOB-containing compounds have been shown to be essential for the symbiosis between organisms from different kingdoms. New insights into the key role of NOB species in the symbiosis between human/animal hosts and their microbiota will influence the use of natural B-based colon-targeting nutraceuticals. The mechanism of action (MoA) of NOB species is related to the B signaling molecule (autoinducer-2-borate (AI-2B)) as well as the fortification of the colonic mucus gel layer with NOB species from B-rich prebiotic diets. Both the microbiota and the colonic mucus gel layer can become NOB targets. The evidence supporting the essentiality of the NOB species in the symbiosis between the microbiota and the human/animal hosts is reviewed, with the stated aim of highlighting the MoA and targets of these species.
  • 2.3K
  • 13 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Doxorubicin
The antibiotic doxorubicin is often used as an anti-neoplastic drug; however, many patients showed very unpleasant side-effects. Previous studies have demonstrated that dietary substances such as Aloe arborescens, Annona muricata, Morinda citrifolia, Beta rubra, Scutellaria baicalensis, and Vaccinium myrtillus may have anti-oxidant, anti-proliferative, and anti-inflammatory effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate the protective effects of a mixture of these components in an experimental model of doxorubicin toxicity. Rats (n = 30) received doxorubicin (5 mg/kg/day) for 4 weeks and were randomized to receive the dietary mixture 2 hours following the first doxorubicin injection and until the end of the experiment. Animals were killed following 4 weeks, and blood, liver, and heart were collected for further analysis. The dietary supplement improved the depressed body weight and food consumption induced by DOX. In addition, the nutraceutical mixture reduced oxidative stress, ameliorated the morphological score, and preserved liver and heart structure, demonstrating a protective effect. These data show for the first time that the mixture of Aloe arborescens, Annona muricata, Morinda citrifolia, Beta rubra, Scutellaria baicalensis, and Vaccinium myrtillus may be useful to reduce the side effects following treatment with doxorubicin, and might ameliorate the quality of life of patients following chemotherapy.
  • 2.3K
  • 06 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Computational Drug Design of TB
Developing new, more effective antibiotics against resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis that inhibit its essential proteins is an appealing strategy for combating the global tuberculosis (TB) epidemic. Finding a compound that can target a particular cavity in a protein and interrupt its enzymatic activity is the crucial objective of drug design and discovery. Such a compound is then subjected to different tests, including clinical trials, to study its effectiveness against the pathogen in the host. In recent times, new techniques, which involve computational and analytical methods, enhanced the chances of drug development, as opposed to traditional drug design methods, which are laborious and time-consuming. The computational techniques in drug design have been improved with a new generation of software used to develop and optimize active compounds that can be used in future chemotherapeutic development to combat global tuberculosis resistance.
  • 2.3K
  • 17 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Natural Products from Madagascar
Natural products with biological activity represent a primary source of commodities ranging from human nutrition to therapy. Also they may represent cosmetic principles and/or recreational tools. These natural means have been used by mankind for centuries, if not millennia. They are commonly used all over the world in socio-economical contexts, but are particularly attractive in disadvantaged areas or economically emerging situations all over the world because of their accessibility and low cost/use ratio.
  • 2.3K
  • 08 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Human Gut Microbiome and Quercetin
The existing evidence suggests that gut microbiota is capable of flavonoid biotransformation to generate bioactive metabolites including 2,4,6-trihydroxybenzoic acid (2,4,6-THBA), 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (3,4-DHBA), and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC).
  • 2.3K
  • 08 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Lactosylceramide
Lactosylceramide (LacCer), also known as CD17/CDw17, is a member of a large family of small molecular weight compounds known as glycosphingolipids. It plays a pivotal role in the biosynthesis of glycosphingolipids, primarily by way of serving as a precursor to the majority of its higher homolog sub-families such as gangliosides, sulfatides, fucosylated-glycosphingolipids and complex neutral glycosphingolipids—some of which confer “second-messenger” and receptor functions. LacCer is an integral component of the “lipid rafts,” serving as a conduit to transduce external stimuli into multiple phenotypes, which may contribute to mortality and morbidity in man and in mouse models of human disease.
  • 2.3K
  • 02 Mar 2021
Topic Review
DNA Dyes
Cell quantification is widely used both in basic and applied research. A typical example of its use is drug discovery research. Presently, plenty of methods for cell quantification are available. In this review, the basic techniques used for cell quantification, with a special emphasis on techniques based on fluorescent DNA dyes, are described. 
  • 2.3K
  • 23 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Melanogenesis in Immune Systems
Melanocytes and melanin play a wide range of roles such as adsorption of metals, thermoregulation, and protection from foreign enemies by camouflage.
  • 2.3K
  • 14 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Bacterial Flagellar Filament
The bacterial flagellum is a complex and dynamic nanomachine that propels bacteria through liquids. It consists of a basal body, a hook, and a long filament. The flagellar filament is composed of thousands of copies of the protein flagellin (FliC) arranged helically and ending with a filament cap composed of an oligomer of the protein FliD. The overall structure of the filament core is preserved across bacterial species, while the outer domains exhibit high variability, and in some cases are even completely absent. Flagellar assembly is a complex and energetically costly process triggered by environmental stimuli and, accordingly, highly regulated on transcriptional, translational and post-translational levels. Apart from its role in locomotion, the filament is critically important in several other aspects of bacterial survival, reproduction and pathogenicity, such as adhesion to surfaces, secretion of virulence factors and formation of biofilms. Additionally, due to its ability to provoke potent immune responses, flagellins have a role as adjuvants in vaccine development.
  • 2.3K
  • 02 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Mitochondria
Mitochondria are energy-producing structures and the main site for aerobic respiration in cells, and are therefore called the “powerhouse of the cell”.
  • 2.3K
  • 14 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Myokines
Myokines are small proteins (5–20 kDa) and proteoglycan peptides that are produced and secreted by skeletal muscle cells in response to muscle contractions.
  • 2.3K
  • 14 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Medical Applications of Chitin
Chitin is a universal biopolymer that is found in microbes, plants, fungi, the exoskeleton of insects, various species of algae, and bottom-feeding crustaceans. This (1–4)-linked N-acetyl-ß-D-glucosamine polysaccharide can be readily processed with simple chemical procedures without putting a species at risk. Chitin has garnered interest as an alternative substance that can be used in the medical, environmental, and agricultural sectors.
  • 2.3K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Lateral Organization of PI(4,5)P2
Phosphatidylinositol 4,5- bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2) is a minor but ubiquitous component of the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane of eukaryotic cells. However, due to its particular complex biophysical properties, it stands out from its neighboring lipids as one of the most important regulators of membrane-associated signaling events. Despite its very low steady-state concentration, PI(4,5)P2 is able to engage in a multitude of simultaneous cellular functions that are temporally and spatially regulated through the presence of localized transient pools of PI(4,5)P2 in the membrane.
  • 2.3K
  • 04 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Unqiue Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid (also known as sodium hyaluronate or hyaluronan) is a straight-chain, natural polysaccharide and the only nonsulfated GAG composed of alternating (1–4)-β d-glucuronic and (1–3)-β N-acetyl-d-glucosamine units. Both carbohydrate units are spatially related to glucose; therefore, in the β-configuration, it is possible for all their bulky groups (hydroxyl and carboxyl groups and the anomeric carbon on the neighboring sugar) to be in sterically favorable planes, while all the small hydrogen atoms occupy less sterically favorable axial positions. This chemical structure of HA is energetically very stable because of interactions between hydrophobic and intermolecular hydrogen bonds and the acetamide and carboxylate groups.
  • 2.3K
  • 12 May 2022
Topic Review
Limb Development
The function of retinoic acid (RA) during limb development is still debated, as loss and gain of function studies led to opposite conclusions. With regard to limb initiation, genetic studies demonstrated that activation of FGF10 signaling is required for the emergence of limb buds from the trunk, with Tbx5 and RA signaling acting upstream in the forelimb field, whereas Tbx4 and Pitx1 act upstream in the hindlimb field. Early studies in chick embryos suggested that RA as well as Meis1 and Meis2 (Meis1/2) are required for subsequent proximodistal patterning of both forelimbs and hindlimbs, with RA diffusing from the trunk, functioning to activate Meis1/2 specifically in the proximal limb bud mesoderm. However, genetic loss of RA signaling does not result in loss of limb Meis1/2 expression and limb patterning is normal, although Meis1/2 expression is reduced in trunk somitic mesoderm. More recent studies demonstrated that global genetic loss of Meis1/2 results in a somite defect and failure of limb bud initiation. Other new studies reported that conditional genetic loss of Meis1/2 in the limb results in proximodistal patterning defects, and distal FGF8 signaling represses Meis1/2 to constrain its expression to the proximal limb.
  • 2.3K
  • 19 Jan 2021
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