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Topic Review
Toxin Genes of Bacillus cereus
Bacillus cereus is a ubiquitous soil bacterium responsible for two types of food-associated gastrointestinal diseases. While the emetic syndrome is caused by the cyclic depsipeptide cereulide, proteinaceous enterotoxins provoke the diarrheal disease. Here, an overview on the distribution of the main toxin genes/operons ces (encoding cereulide), hbl (encoding the tripartite hemolysin BL), nhe (encoding the tripartite non-hemolytic enterotoxin), and cytK (encoding the single protein cytotoxin K) within the B. cereus group is given.
  • 1.3K
  • 18 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Multiple Functions of Melatonin in the Military Setting
Melatonin is a technique that is being increasingly employed to manage growing psycho-physical loads. In this context, melatonin, a pleotropic and regulatory molecule, has a potential preventive and therapeutic role in maintaining the operational efficiency of military personnel. In battlefield conditions in particular, the time to treatment after an injury is often a major issue since the injured may not have immediate access to medical care. Any drug that would help to stabilize a wounded individual, especially if it can be immediately administered (e.g., per os) and has a very high safety profile over a large range of doses (as melatonin does) would be an important asset to reduce morbidity and mortality.
  • 1.3K
  • 06 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Anthocyanin Bioactivity in Obesity
Obesity and type-2 diabetes trends continue to worsen in the United States. Dietary anthocyanins (typically provided by berries and other fruits) are reported to have protective effects against both conditions using a variety of experimental research models including animal and human feeding studies. This review highlights studies that explore the biochemical pathways in both tissue and rodent models which could explain clinical improvements noted with anthocyanin consumption. First, the primary mode of intestinal absorption of anthocyanins is through both sGLT1 and GLUT2 glucose transporters. Stronger binding affinities may allow anthocyanins to be more inhibitive to glucose absorption compared to the reverse, where GLUT2 expression may also be affected. Genetic or chemical inhibition of sGLT1 or GLUT2 demonstrate their essential function in anthocyanin absorption across the enterocyte, where the former interacts with a greater variety of anthocyanins but the latter is the major transporter for specific anthocyanin-glycosides. Once absorbed, anthocyanins positively modulate GLUT4 density and function in both skeletal muscle and adipose tissues via the upregulation of AMPK and restoration of insulin sensitivity. Antioxidant properties and phosphodiesterase inhibition by anthocyanins promote both mitochondrial function and density which could be novel targets for dietary management of obesity and its complications.
  • 1.3K
  • 01 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Bioplastic-Based Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery Systems
Plastics have changed human lives, finding a broad range of applications from packaging to medical devices. Biodegradable plastic materials have been introduced on the market. These polymers are biodegradable but also bioresorbable and, indeed, are fundamental tools for drug formulations, thanks to their transient ability to pass through biological barriers and concentrate in specific tissues.
  • 1.3K
  • 01 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Antimicrobial Properties of Ocimum basilicum, Lamiaceae
Since ancient times, various scientists and doctors have utilized different herbs to heal diseases. Due to the rise in drug resistance and the negative effects of chemosynthetic drugs, researchers and the general public around the world have become more interested in medicinal herbs and plant metabolites/extracts. This is due to its non-toxicity and its several health benefits when used to treat diseases in clinical and medical settings. Ocimum basilicum is one such plant, possessing a wide range of bioactive phytochemicals including alkaloids, phenolics, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, reducing sugars, cardiac glycosides, steroids and glycosides, as well as complex pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antibacterial, antioxidant, wound healing and antiviral properties.
  • 1.3K
  • 07 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Antioxidant Activities of Natural Polysaccharides and their Derivatives
Natural polysaccharides are a type of natural biomacromolecule found in plants, fungi, algae, animals, and bacteria. Due to their nontoxic, stable, biodegradable, biocompatibility, and excellent antioxidant activity, natural polysaccharides contribute to the potential value in treating or preventing disease caused by oxidative stress. Polysaccharides can reduce the damage to the cell structure, regulate the signal pathways related to antioxidation, improve the intracellular antioxidant enzyme system, reduce the substances that easily produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), and protect the body tissue from ROS-induced damage through free radical scavenging activity and immunomodulatory activity. Natural polysaccharides play an irreplaceable therapeutic role and have received more and more attention. Publications related to natural polysaccharides are also increasing.
  • 1.3K
  • 27 Dec 2022
Topic Review
The Labdane Diterpenoid-Andrographolide
The diterpene lactone andrographolide, isolated from Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Wall. ex Nees that showed shows a plethora of biological activities, including not only anti-cancer activity, but also anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, and immunomodulatory properties. Andrographolide has been shown to act as an anti-tumor drug by affecting specific molecular targets that play a part in the development and progression of several cancer types including breast, lung, colon, renal, and cervical cancer, as well as leukemia and hepatocarcinoma.
  • 1.3K
  • 22 May 2023
Topic Review
Nanosystems for Brain Drug Delivery
Antipsychotic drugs have numerous disabling side effects, and many are lipophilic, making them hard to formulate at high strength. Incorporating them into nanometric emulsions can increase their solubility, protect them from degradation, and increase their brain delivery, being a promising strategy to overcome the current treatment gap.
  • 1.3K
  • 09 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Insights into the Pharmacological Effects of Flavonoids
Flavonoids are widely occurring secondary metabolites of plants. Currently, there is a trend of article numbers increasing, which focuses on the computer modeling of flavonoid interactions with biological targets. Such studies help to accumulatethe data on lead compounds that can find medicinal implementation, including COVID-19. Flavanonol taxifolin demonstrated wound-healing activity. Luteolin, apigenin, and wogonin, which can be classified as flavones, show induced neutrophil apoptosis and have potential as neutrophil apoptosis-inducing anti-inflammatory, proresolution agents.
  • 1.3K
  • 10 Jun 2022
Topic Review
β-Naphthoflavone, Ethanol Reverse Mitochondrial Dysfunction
The 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+) is a parkinsonian-inducing toxin that promotes neurodegeneration of dopaminergic cells by directly targeting complex I of mitochondria. Recently, it was reported that some Cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoforms, such as CYP 2D6 or 2E1, may be involved in the development of this neurodegenerative disease. In order to study a possible role for CYP induction in neurorepair, we designed an in vitro model where undifferentiated neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells were treated with the CYP inducers β-naphthoflavone (βNF) and ethanol (EtOH) before and during exposure to the parkinsonian neurotoxin, MPP+. The toxic effect of MPP+ in cell viability was rescued with both βNF and EtOH treatments. We also report that this was due to a decrease in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, restoration of mitochondrial fusion kinetics, and mitochondrial membrane potential. These treatments also protected complex I activity against the inhibitory effects caused by MPP+, suggesting a possible neuroprotective role for CYP inducers. These results bring new insights into the possible role of CYP isoenzymes in xenobiotic clearance and central nervous system homeostasis.
  • 1.3K
  • 02 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Cutaneous Reactions to Antidiabetic Agents
Diabetes is a common and complex disease affecting multiple organ systems throughout the body. With a consensus in care guidelines emphasizing the importance of glycemic control in determining the disease progression, people with diabetes worldwide have been placed on medication regimens targeting glucose stability from a variety of pathophysiologic pathways. Each of these medications also possesses its own potential for adverse events. 
  • 1.3K
  • 04 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Endemic Plants of Mauritius in Biomedicine
Resistance to the existing arsenal of therapeutic agents significantly impedes successful drug therapy. One approach to combat this burgeoning global crisis is to provide novel and more effective clinical agents. Terrestrial plants have long been exploited as a source of novel drug candidates. In this line, the endemic floral diversity of the Republic of Mauritius cannot be ignored. However, developing drugs from these plants is a multi-stepped, lengthy process that requires multistakeholder involvement from scientists, policymakers, and conservationists as well as the local community. 
  • 1.3K
  • 28 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Physalis alkekengi L. var. franchetii (Mast.) Makino
The calyxes and fruits of Physalis alkekengi L. var. franchetii (Mast.) Makino (P. alkekengi), a medicinal and edible plant, are frequently used as heat-clearing and detoxifying agents in thousands of Chinese medicine prescriptions. For thousands of years in China, they have been widely used in clinical practice to treat throat disease, hepatitis, and bacillary dysentery.
  • 1.3K
  • 11 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Pharmacological Interventions in Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a non-communicable disease of the brain that affects people of all ages. It is characterized by episodes of spontaneous and abnormal electrical activity in the brain. It is often accompanied by depression, anxiety, and substantially increased morbidity and mortality. A large number of third-generation antiepileptic drugs are available, but they have multiple side effects causing a decline in the quality of life. The inheritance and etiology of epilepsy are complex with multiple underlying genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. Different neurotransmitters play intricate functions to maintain the normal physiology of various neurons. 
  • 1.3K
  • 06 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Binding of Cholesterol to GPCRs
G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are membrane proteins that convey extracellular signals to the cellular milieu. They represent a target for more than 30% of currently marketed drugs.
  • 1.3K
  • 27 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Steroidal (Glyco)Alkaloids: Classification
Steroidal (glycol)alkaloids S(G)As are secondary metabolites made of a nitrogen-containing steroidal skeleton linked to a (poly)saccharide, naturally occurring in the members of the Solanaceae and Liliaceae plant families. The genus Solanum is familiar to all of us as a food source (tomato, potato, eggplant), but a few populations have also made it part of their ethnobotany for their medicinal properties. The recent development of the isolation, purification and analysis techniques have shed light on the structural diversity among the SGAs family, thus attracting scientists to investigate their various pharmacological properties. 
  • 1.3K
  • 11 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Extracellular Vesicles
Tobacco smoking is prevalent among people living with HIV (PLWH). It is known to increase viral replication and exacerbate HIV associated conditions. Some reports demonstrate a conflicting impact of cigarette smoke on PLWHA in terms of neurocognitive disorders, which further strengthens the necessity to study whether cigarette smoking is a causative factor for HAND in PLWHA. One possible mechanistic pathway of tobacco smoking-induced HIV pathogenesis and HAND could be the transportation of oxidative stress-related agents and inflammatory modulators via extracellular vesicles (EVs). EV are nanosized vesicles, that are formed and released from most of the mammalian cells and these are considered as cellular messengers because of their capability to transport the functional messages from cells to other distant cells. This review focuses on recent advances in the field of EVs with an emphasis on smoking-mediated HIV pathogenesis and HIV-associated neuropathogenesis.
  • 1.3K
  • 06 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Marine-Derived Secondary Metabolites
Sessile organisms such as seaweeds, corals, and sponges continuously adapt to both abiotic and biotic components of the ecosystem. This extremely complex and dynamic process often results in different forms of competition to ensure the maintenance of an ecological niche suitable for survival. A high percentage of marine species have evolved to synthesize biologically active molecules, termed secondary metabolites, as a defense mechanism against the external environment. These natural products and their derivatives may play modulatory roles in the epigenome and in disease-associated epigenetic machinery. Epigenetic modifications also represent a form of adaptation to the environment and confer a competitive advantage to marine species by mediating the production of complex chemical molecules with potential clinical implications. Bioactive compounds are able to interfere with epigenetic targets by regulating key transcriptional factors involved in the hallmarks of cancer through orchestrated molecular mechanisms, which also establish signaling interactions of the tumor microenvironment crucial to cancer phenotypes.
  • 1.3K
  • 26 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Oligodendroglial Cells
Oligodendrocytes (OLs) are ramified glial cells within the central nervous system (CNS) whose terminal processes generate myelin and enwrap neuronal axons. 
  • 1.3K
  • 04 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Primary Cilia: Sensory Hubs for Nitric Oxide Signaling
Primary cilia are sensory organelles present on the surface of most polarized cells. Primary cilia have been demonstrated to play many sensory cell roles, including mechanosensory and chemosensory cell functions. It is known that the primary cilia of vascular endothelial cells will bend in response to fluid shear stress, which leads to the biochemical production and release of nitric oxide, and this process is impaired in endothelial cells that lack primary cilia function or structure. In this entry, we will provide an overview of ciliogenesis and the differences between primary cilia and multicilia, as well as an overview of our published work on primary cilia and nitric oxide, and a brief perspective on their implications in health and disease.
  • 1.3K
  • 04 Aug 2022
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