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Topic Review
Iron Oxide Nanoparticles in Cancer Diagnostics and Therapy
Cancer theranostics remains a vital research niche as a result of the rising mortality rates caused by various cancers globally. This is excarcebated by challenges related to conventional therapies. Iron-oxide-based NPs that possess characteristically large surface areas, small particle sizes, and superparamagnetism have been cited in applications geared towards diagnosis, and targeted drug delivery. When an external magnetic field is applied to superparamagnetic iron oxide NPs (SPIONs), the domains are aligned to the field. Once the field is removed, they return to a non-magnetic state. The NP magnetic moments turn to flip in the direction of the applied field. This flipping of the magnetic moments generates heat, which forms the basis of tumour ablation therapy through hyperthermia. Substituted iron-oxides or ferrites (MFe2O4) have emerged as interesting magnetic NPs due to their unique and attractive properties such as size and magnetic tunability, ease of synthesis, and manipulatable properties. In recent years, they have been explored for use in targeted therapy and drug delivery for anti-cancer treatment.
  • 1.3K
  • 27 May 2022
Topic Review
Application of Sygen® in Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathies
Diabetic peripheral neuropathies (DPNs) are conditions that impair the peripheral nervous system (PNS) component. These disorders may have numerous causes and are often presented in various forms. The monosialotetrahexosylganglioside (GM1) ganglioside, popularly known as Sygen, provides beneficial effects such as enhanced neuritic sprouting, neurotrophism, neuroprotection, anti-apoptosis, and anti-excitotoxic activity, being particularly useful in the treatment of neurological complications that arise from diabetes.
  • 1.3K
  • 10 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Diabetes Mellitus and Mitochondria Dysfunction
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease that is characterized by an absolute or relative deficiency of insulin, the hormone that stimulates the transport of glucose across cell membranes, which leads to an increase in blood glucose—hyperglycemia. Two main types of diabetes are distinguished. Type I diabetes mellitus (about 10% of cases of diabetes) is an autoimmune disorder that results from the progressive destruction of the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas by T cells and activated macrophages and eventually leads to insulin deficiency in the organism. It is well known that type I diabetes most frequently develops in childhood and causes severe long-term complications, including retinopathy, neuropathy, and nephropathy [4,5,6]. Type II diabetes or adult-onset diabetes (about 90% of cases) is characterized by an impairment of homeostasis of glucose and insulin, in particular, the development of insulin resistance of target tissues associated with compensatory hyperinsulinemia, followed by beta-cell dysfunction. Type II diabetes mellitus is accompanied by glucose toxicity, lipotoxicity, and chronic oxidative stress, which finally can result in damage to vital organs and development of life-threatening secondary complications [4,7]. Mitochondria are one of the main targets of diabetes at the intracellular level. Recent data indicate that disturbances in mitochondrial calcium transport systems and a pathophysiological phenomenon called the permeability transition pore are involved in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus. 
  • 1.3K
  • 26 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Venom Constituents of Rattlesnake Venoms
Venom components are invaluable in biomedical research owing to their specificity and potency. Many of these components exist in two genera of rattlesnakes, Crotalus and Sistrurus, with high toxicity and proteolytic activity variation. 
  • 1.3K
  • 18 Apr 2024
Topic Review
YAP-TEAD Interaction Disruptors
This a entry that comprehensively covers the modalities that act as disruptors of the YAP-TEAD interaction. The transcriptional co-activator YAP (Yes-associated protein) by pairing with the transcription factor TEAD (TEA domain) orchestrates the expression of several oncogenic transcriptional programs. These programs are seen in a proportion of all solid tumors. Therefore, the disruption of YAP-TEAD interaction is proposed as an attractive option to target cancers.
  • 1.3K
  • 11 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Gluten Enteropathy
Gluten enteropathy, namely Celiac disease (CD), is a hereditary predisposed disease, accompanied by the atrophy of the small intestine mucosa, associated malabsorption syndrome, and the development of various deficiency conditions. Celiac disease is caused by food containing gluten—the proteins of cereals that are the diet of the majority of the world population. Some immunogenic peptides of gluten proteins formed during digestion, mainly gliadins from wheat, rye, and barley, are resistant to proteolysis by human digestive peptidases and cause CD in predisposed people.
  • 1.3K
  • 19 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Immune Checkpoints Inhibitors in the Treatment of Melanoma
Metastatic melanoma is a highly immunogenic tumor with very poor survival rates due to immune system escape-mechanisms. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA4) and the programmed death-1 (PD1) receptors, are being used to impede immune evasion. 
  • 1.3K
  • 04 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Enzymatic Biocatalysis for Degradation of Plastic PET
Most Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) degrading enzymes belong to the 3.40.50.1820 superfamily, according to the CATH database, since they share a conserved catalytic domain and assume the typical alpha/beta hydrolase fold. Breaking of PET bonds is typically accomplished by a catalytic triad involving a serine, a histidine and a negatively charged residue, usually an aspartate or a glutamate.
  • 1.3K
  • 29 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Aptamers as Theragnostic Tools in Prostate Cancer
Aptamers are DNA and RNA oligonucleotides that can adopt tridimensional structures that enable them to join specifically to any desired target. Aptamers are capable of binding to specific molecules including drugs, proteins, carbohydrates, cells, and viruses. Aptamers were first described in 1990, and since then several groups have used their binding properties to isolate a diversity of specific aptamers. Aptamers have been studied for treatment and detection of many diseases including cancer. In Prostate Cancer, numerous works have reported their use in the development of new approaches in diagnostics and treatment strategies. Aptamers have been joined with drugs or other specific molecules such as silencing RNAs (aptamer–siRNA chimeras) to specifically reduce the expression of oncogenes in prostate cancer (PCa) cells. These studies have shown good results in the early stages, more research is still needed to demonstrate the clinical value of aptamers in PCa. 
  • 1.3K
  • 19 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Nociceptive TRP Channel
Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels have emerged as key molecular identities in the sensory transduction of pain-producing stimuli. The ability of nociceptors to behave as noxious stimuli detectors relies on the presence of specialized transducing molecules at their peripheral nerve terminals capable of transforming the harmful physical (thermal and mechanical) and chemical stimuli into generator potentials. Upon nerve terminal stimulation, the output signal conveying to the central nervous system depends on the properties of transducer channels which produce generator potentials. Voltage-gated channels subsequently translate it into action potential firing. Nociceptive TRP channels are among the most studied transducer channels expressed in nociceptors and play a pivotal role in the study of pain.
  • 1.3K
  • 09 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Vitamin C Anticancer Action
Vitamin C is an indispensable micronutrient in the human diet due to the multiple functions it carries out in the body. Reports of clinical studies have indicated that, when administered at high dosage by the intravenous route, vitamin C may exert beneficial antitumor effects in patients with advanced stage cancers, including those refractory to previous treatment with chemotherapy. 
  • 1.3K
  • 19 May 2021
Topic Review
Berbamine
Berbamine is a natural, potent, pharmacologically active biomolecule isolated from Berberis amurensis. Berbamine has been shown to modulate different oncogenic cell-signaling pathways in different cancers.
  • 1.3K
  • 15 Apr 2022
Topic Review
ZMYND8
Zinc finger myeloid, nervy, and deformed epidermal autoregulatory factor 1-type containing 8 (Zinc finger MYND-type containing 8, ZMYND8) is a transcription factor, a histone H3-interacting protein, and a putative chromatin reader/effector that plays an essential role in regulating transcription during normal cellular growth. Mutations and altered expression of ZMYND8 are associated with the development and progression of cancer. Increased expression of ZMYND8 is linked to breast, prostate, colorectal, and cervical cancers. It exerts pro-oncogenic effects in breast and prostate cancers, and it promotes angiogenesis in zebrafish, as well as in breast and prostate cancers. In contrast, downregulation of ZMYND8 is also reported in breast, prostate, and nasopharyngeal cancers. ZMYND8 acts as a tumor suppressor in breast and prostate cancers, and it inhibits tumor growth by promoting differentiation; inhibiting proliferation, cell-cycle progression, invasiveness, and metastasis; and maintaining the epithelial phenotype in various types of cancers. These data together suggest that ZMYND8 is important in tumorigenesis; however, the existing data are contradictory. More studies are necessary to clarify the exact role of ZMYND8 in tumorigenesis. In the future, regulation of expression/activity of ZMYND8 and/or its binding partners may become useful in treating cancer.
  • 1.3K
  • 10 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Histone Lysine Methylation
The level and state of histone lysine methylation depends not only on the activity of histone methyltransferases (KMTs) but also on the counteracting activity of histone lysine demethylases (KDMs). The variety of methylation sites and differentially methylated states describes the level of complexity of signaling mediated by histone lysine methylation, which is involved in transcription regulation, gene silencing, genome stability and RNA processing.
  • 1.3K
  • 10 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Neuroprotective Effects of Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate in Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia, characterised by a marked decline of both memory and cognition, along with pathophysiological hallmarks including amyloid beta peptide (Aβ) accumulation, tau protein hyperphosphorylation, neuronal loss and inflammation in the brain. Additionally, oxidative stress caused by an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants is considered one of the main risk factors for AD, since it can result in protein, lipid and nucleic acid damage and exacerbate Aβ and tau pathology. Green tea, and its main bioactive compound, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), have been targeted as a plausible option for the modulation of AD. Specifically, EGCG acts as an antioxidant by regulating inflammatory processes involved in neurodegeneration such as ferroptosis and microglia-induced cytotoxicity and by inducing signalling pathways related to neuronal survival. Furthermore, it reduces tau hyperphosphorylation and aggregation and promotes the non-amyloidogenic route of APP processing, thus preventing the formation of Aβ and its subsequent accumulation.
  • 1.3K
  • 20 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Apoptosis-Associated Protein Domains
There are proteins or families of proteins that regulate the caspase activation pathways, namely, the extrinsic or intrinsic pathways, and they are identified depending on their amino acid sequence or homologue. The interactions facilitated by these protein families are driven through protein domains that are linked with the regulation of apoptosis, such as death domains (DDs), caspase recruitment domains (CARDs), death effector domains (DEDs), BCL-2 family proteins and of IAP-family proteins.
  • 1.3K
  • 27 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Ribosome Protection Proteins
Ribosome is one of the most conserved and sophisticated macromolecular machines that carries out the essential process of protein synthesis in cells. Given the essential function of ribosome as well as difference of bacterial and eukaryotic ribosome, it has been an active target for over half clinically used antibiotics.
  • 1.3K
  • 10 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Biopesticides
Biopesticides are a type of pesticides derived from natural materials including plants and bacteria. In this entry, we reviewed the structural and biological features of Jaburetox and Soyuretox, two plant urease-derived recombinant peptides that present entomotoxic and fungitoxic effects without harming beneficial species or the environment. We also discussed other bioactive peptides in the context of their action mechanism.
  • 1.3K
  • 15 Dec 2020
Topic Review
GABAergic pain modulation
GABAA receptors (GABAARs) are ligand-gated heteropentameric ion channels, most commonly formed by 2α, 2β, and 1γ subunit. They are expressed in spinal cord dorsal horn, both at the pre- and postsynaptic site, controlling the transmission of pain, itch, touch and proprioception.
  • 1.3K
  • 19 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Adipokines, Myokines, and Hepatokines
Adipose, skeletal, and hepatic muscle tissues are the main endocrine organs that produce adipokines, myokines, and hepatokines. These biomarkers can be harmful or beneficial to an organism and still perform crosstalk, acting through the endocrine, paracrine, and autocrine pathways. Far beyond understanding the actions of each biomarker alone, it is important to underline that these cytokines act together in the body, resulting in a complex network of actions in different tissues, which may have beneficial or non-beneficial effects on the genesis of various physiological disorders and their respective outcomes, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2), obesity, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Overweight individuals secrete more pro-inflammatory adipokines than those of a healthy weight, leading to an impaired immune response and greater susceptibility to inflammatory and infectious diseases. Myostatin is elevated in pro-inflammatory environments, sharing space with pro-inflammatory organokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 (IL-1), resistin, and chemerin. Fibroblast growth factor FGF21 acts as a beta-oxidation regulator and decreases lipogenesis in the liver. The crosstalk mentioned above can interfere with homeostatic disorders and can play a role as a potential therapeutic target that can assist in the methods of diagnosing metabolic syndrome and CVD.
  • 1.3K
  • 25 Mar 2021
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