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Topic Review
Esterification of Docosahexaenoic Acid  in Brain Diseases
Docosahexaenoic acid-containing lysophosphatidylcholine (DHA-LysoPC) is presented as the main transporter of DHA from blood plasma to the brain. This is related to the major facilitator superfamily domain-containing protein 2A (Mfsd2a) symporter expression in the blood–brain barrier that recognizes the various lyso-phospholipids that have choline in their polar head. In order to stabilize the DHA moiety at the sn-2 position of LysoPC, the sn-1 position was esterified by the shortest acetyl chain, creating the structural phospholipid 1-acetyl,2-docosahexaenoyl-glycerophosphocholine (AceDoPC). This small structure modification allows the maintaining of the preferential brain uptake of DHA over non-esterified DHA. Additional properties were found for AceDoPC, such as antioxidant properties, especially due to the aspirin-like acetyl moiety, as well as the capacity to generate acetylcholine in response to the phospholipase D cleavage of the polar head. Esterification of DHA within DHA-LysoPC or AceDoPC could elicit more potent neuroprotective effects against neurological diseases.
  • 1.1K
  • 22 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Quercetin against Neurodegenerative Diseases Progression
Berries are well-known fruits for their antioxidant effects due to their high content of flavonoids, and quercetin is one of the potent bioactive flavonoids. Although oxidative stress is an inevitable outcome in cells due to energy uptake and metabolism and other factors, excessive oxidative stress is considered a pivotal mediator for the cell death and leads to the progression of neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs). Furthermore, oxidative stress triggers inflammation that leads to neuronal cell loss. Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, and so on are the main neurodegenerative diseases.
  • 1.1K
  • 29 Dec 2022
Topic Review
NF-κB and Human Cancer
Transcription factor NF-κB has been extensively studied for its varied roles in cancer since its initial characterization as a potent retroviral oncogene several decades ago. It is now clear that NF-κB plays a major role in a large variety of human cancers, including especially ones of immune cell origin. NF-κB is generally constitutively or aberrantly activated in human cancers where it is involved.
  • 1.1K
  • 25 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Chitosan-Coated Gold Nanoparticles
Delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA) provides one of the most powerful strategies for downregulation of therapeutic targets. Despite the widely explored capabilities of this strategy, intracellular delivery is hindered by a lack of carriers that have high stability, low toxicity and high transfection efficiency. Here we propose a layer by layer (LBL) self-assembly method to fabricate chitosan-coated gold nanoparticles (CS-AuNPs) as a more stable and efficient siRNA delivery system. 
  • 1.1K
  • 06 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Lipidomics
Lipid analysis provides additional insight into the pathogenesis of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) disorders and reveals new targets for drug action. The profile of changes in the composition of fatty acids in the cell, as well as the time course of these changes, indicate both the mechanism of damage and new therapeutic possibilities. 
  • 1.1K
  • 27 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Rejuvenate Aging Cells and Tissues
Rejuvenate aging cells and tissues is strategies to delay and potentially even reverse the aging process.
  • 1.1K
  • 26 May 2021
Topic Review
ORP5 and ORP8
Oxysterol binding related proteins 5 and 8 (ORP5 and ORP8) are two close homologs of the larger oxysterol binding protein (OSBP) family of sterol sensors and lipid transfer proteins (LTP). Early studies indicated these transmembrane proteins, anchored to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), bound and sensed cholesterol and oxysterols. They were identified as important for diverse cellular functions including sterol homeostasis, vesicular trafficking, proliferation and migration. In addition, they were implicated in lipid-related diseases such as atherosclerosis and diabetes, but also cancer, although their mechanisms of action remained poorly understood. Then, alongside the increasing recognition that membrane contact sites (MCS) serve as hubs for non-vesicular lipid transfer, added to their structural similarity to other LTPs, came discoveries showing that ORP5 and 8 were in fact phospholipid transfer proteins that rather sense and exchange phosphatidylserine (PS) for phosphoinositides, including phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate (PI(4)P) and potentially phosphatidylinositol-(4,5)-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2). Evidence now points to their action at MCS between the ER and various organelles including the plasma membrane, lysosomes, mitochondria, and lipid droplets. Dissecting exactly how this unexpected phospholipid transfer function connects with sterol regulation in health or disease remains a challenge for future studies.
  • 1.1K
  • 15 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Active Transport and Solute Transporters
A phospholipid membrane covers all living cells, forming an impenetrable barrier circumvented by solute transporters in the cell membrane. These proteins comprise energy-requiring systems, called active transporters, and those not requiring energy, called passive transporters. The major facilitator superfamily harbors thousands of transport proteins found in all living organisms, from bacteria to humans. Alignments of multiple amino acid sequences uncovered highly conserved sequence motifs are known to play important functional roles. One of these conserved sequences, the antiporter sequence motif or motif C, participates in the molecular mechanism of antimicrobial efflux in cancer cells and bacterial pathogens.
  • 1.1K
  • 03 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Lysophosphatidic Acid and Cancer
Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a bioactive lipid mediator primarily derived from membrane phospholipids. LPA initiates cellular effects upon binding to a family of G protein-coupled receptors, termed LPA receptors (LPAR1 to LPAR6). LPA signaling drives cell migration and proliferation, cytokine production, thrombosis, fibrosis, angiogenesis, and lymphangiogenesis.
  • 1.1K
  • 14 Jul 2021
Topic Review
FAK Inhibition and Corneal Fibroblast Differentiation in vitro
Fibrosis is often known as a response of a tissue to injury, and since the three transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) isoforms (TGF-β1, -β2, and -β3) are the main regulators of cell migration, differentiation, proliferation, and gene expression, they were implicated in both reparative and fibrotic responses. All three TGF-β isoforms are homologues, sharing an extensive similarity in their amino acid sequences (80%), which may result in overlapping functions (i.e., SMAD-dependent signaling, modulating inflammatory responses); however, subtle differences in the sequences exist, thus potentially eliciting opposing effects. For example, several studies showed that TGF-β1 and -β2 are factors that drive the formation of fibrosis in corneal scarring models [8,9,10], whereas TGF-β3 was reported to downregulate fibrosis and promote scarless wound healing (healing without fibrosis).
  • 1.1K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Extracellular Vesicles and Immune Function
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cargo of proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids produced by eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells both under physiological and pathological conditions. They are found in virtually all body fluids such as plasma, saliva, amniotic fluid, and breast milk, suggesting key roles in immune development and function at different life stages from in utero to aging. Under inflammatory conditions, plasma EV levels are increased and exacerbate immune activation and inflammatory reaction. During infection, bacteria derived EVs can also affect host immunity as pathogenic bacteria derived EVs having pro-inflammatory effects.
  • 1.1K
  • 30 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Hydrodynamically Closed Capillary Electrophoresis
Several research disciplines require fast, reliable and highly automated determination of pharmaceutically active compounds and their enantiomers in complex biological matrices. To address some of the challenges of Capillary Electrophoresis (CE), such as low concentration sensitivity and performance degradation linked to the adsorption and interference of matrix components, CE in a hydrodynamically closed system was evaluated using the model compounds Pindolol and Propranolol. Some established validation parameters such as repeatability of injection, efficiency, resolution and sensitivity were used to assess its performance, and it was found to be broadly identical to that of hydrodynamically opened systems. While some reduction in separation efficiency was observed, this was mainly due to dispersion caused by injection and it had no impact on the ability to resolve enantiomers of model compounds even when spiked into complex biological matrix such as blood serum. An approximately 18- to 23-fold increase in concentration sensitivity due to the employment of wide bore capillaries was observed. This brings the sensitivity of CE to a level similar to that of liquid chromatography techniques. In addition to this benefit and unlike in hydrodynamically opened systems, suppression of electroosmotic flow, which is essential for hydrodynamically closed systems practically eliminates the matrix effects that are linked to protein adsorption.
  • 1.1K
  • 29 Sep 2020
Topic Review
JAK/STAT Pathway in Pulmonary Hypertension
Pulmonary hypertension is defined as a group of diseases characterized by a progressive increase in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), which leads to right ventricular failure and premature death. There are multiple clinical manifestations that can be grouped into five different types. Pulmonary artery remodeling is a common feature in pulmonary hypertension (PH) characterized by endothelial dysfunction and smooth muscle pulmonary artery cell proliferation. The current treatments for PH are limited to vasodilatory agents that do not stop the progression of the disease. Therefore, there is a need for new agents that inhibit pulmonary artery remodeling targeting the main genetic, molecular, and cellular processes involved in PH. Chronic inflammation contributes to pulmonary artery remodeling and PH, among other vascular disorders, and many inflammatory mediators signal through the JAK/STAT pathway. Recent evidence indicates that the JAK/STAT pathway is overactivated in the pulmonary arteries of patients with PH of different types. In addition, different profibrotic cytokines such as IL-6, IL-13, and IL-11 and growth factors such as PDGF, VEGF, and TGFβ1 are activators of the JAK/STAT pathway and inducers of pulmonary remodeling, thus participating in the development of PH. The understanding of the participation and modulation of the JAK/STAT pathway in PH could be an attractive strategy for developing future treatments. 
  • 1.1K
  • 19 May 2021
Topic Review
Mitochondrial HSP70 Chaperone System
Mitochondrial HSP70 (mtHSP70/GRP75/HSPA9/PBP74), also called mortalin, is an essential protein belonging to the HSP70 sub-family which has great importance for mitochondrial biogenesis and the correct functioning of the whole cellular machinery.
  • 1.1K
  • 26 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Outlook on Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is characterized as a disorder of the heart muscle. It is distinguished by the widening/dilation of the left ventricle of the heart with left ventricular or biventricular systolic dysfunction. Contractile functioning of the left ventricle is highly compromised due to dilation. However, in some cases of DCM, the right ventricle is also dilated. Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) remains an enigmatic cardiovascular disease (CVD) condition characterized by contractile dysfunction of the myocardium due to dilation of the ventricles. DCM is one of the major forms of CVD contributing to heart failure. Dilation of the left or both ventricles with systolic dysfunction, not explained by known causes, is a hallmark of DCM. Progression of DCM leads to heart failure. Genetic and various other factors greatly contribute to the development of DCM, but the etiology has still remained elusive in a large number of cases. 
  • 1.1K
  • 15 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Single-Cell Probe Force Studies
The replacement of the cantilever tip by a living cell in Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) experiments permits the direct quantification of cell–substrate and cell–cell adhesion forces. This single-cell probe force measurement technique, when complemented by microscopy, allows controlled manipulation of the cell with defined location at the area of interest. Here, measurements aimed to characterize and compare the adhesion capacities of parental MCF7 cells and cells overexpressing the embryonic transcription factor Sox2, which have a higher capacity for invasion and are more resistant to endocrine therapy in vivo. Our findings demonstrate the strength of this approach to assess and compare the adhesion properties of cell lines and to illustrate the heterogeneity of adhesive strength found in breast cancer cells.
  • 1.1K
  • 30 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Agri-Food Waste from Apple, Pear, and Sugar Beet
Endothelial damage is recognized as the initial step that precedes several cardiovascular diseases (CVD), such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, and coronary artery disease. It has been demonstrated that the best treatment for CVD is prevention, and, in the frame of a healthy lifestyle, the consumption of vegetables, rich in bioactive molecules, appears effective at reducing the risk of CVD. In this context, the large amount of agri-food industry waste, considered a global problem due to its environmental and economic impact, represents an unexplored source of bioactive compounds. The waste matrices of apple, pear, and sugar beet crops can represent promising starting material for producing “upcycled” products with functional applications, such as the prevention of endothelial dysfunction linked to cardiovascular diseases.
  • 1.1K
  • 22 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Oxidative Crosslinking of Peptides and Proteins
Covalent crosslinks within or between proteins play a key role in determining the structure and function of proteins. Some of these are formed intentionally by either enzymatic or molecular reactions and are critical to normal physiological function. Others are generated as a consequence of exposure to oxidants (radicals, excited states or two-electron species) and other endogenous or external stimuli, or as a result of the actions of a number of enzymes (e.g., oxidases and peroxidases). Increasing evidence indicates that the accumulation of unwanted crosslinks, as is seen in ageing and multiple pathologies, has adverse effects on biological function.
  • 1.1K
  • 24 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Natural Salicylates
Salicylic acid (SA) is a plant hormone which plays a crucial role in the plant defense against various pathogens and abiotic stresses.
  • 1.1K
  • 18 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Role microRNA in Prostate and Breast Cancer
Micro ribonucleic acids (microRNAs or miRNAs) form a distinct subtype of non-coding RNA and are widely recognized as one of the most significant gene expression regulators in mammalian cells. Mechanistically, the regulation occurs through microRNA binding with its response elements in the 3’-untranslated region of target messenger RNAs (mRNAs), resulting in the post-transcriptional silencing of genes, expressing target mRNAs. Compared to small interfering RNAs, microRNAs have more complex regulatory patterns, making them suitable for fine-tuning gene expressions in different tissues. Dysregulation of microRNAs is well known as one of the causative factors in malignant cell growth. Breast cancer (BCa) is the most common cancer in women worldwide and seriously impairs patients’ physical health. Its incidence has been predicted to rise further. Mounting evidence indicates that microRNAs play key roles in tumorigenesis and development. Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in men. Different microRNAs play an important role in PCa. Early diagnosis of BCa and PCa using microRNAs is very useful for improving individual outcomes in the framework of predictive, preventive, and personalized (3P) medicine, thereby reducing the economic burden.
  • 1.1K
  • 03 Feb 2023
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