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Topic Review
Biography
Peer Reviewed Entry
Video Entry
Topic Review
Applications of Tannins
The origin of tannins, their historical evolution, their different types, and their applications are described. Old and established applications are described, as well as the future applications which are being developed at present and that promise to have an industrial impact in the future. The chemistry of some of these applications is discussed where it is essential to understand the tannins and their derivates role. The essential points of each application, their drawbacks, and their chance of industrial application are briefly discussed.
3.7K
29 Jul 2021
Topic Review
The Epididymis
The epididymis is a convoluted, crescent-shaped structure that connects the testis to the vas deferens and has four main anatomical regions each with unique characteristics and functions: the initial segment, caput (head), corpus (body) and cauda (tail).
3.7K
05 Nov 2020
Topic Review
L-Carnitine in Mitochondria
Mitochondria control cellular fate by various mechanisms and are key drivers of cellular metabolism. Although the main function of mitochondria is energy production, they are also involved in cellular detoxification, cellular stabilization, as well as control of ketogenesis and glucogenesis. Conditions like neurodegenerative disease, insulin resistance, endocrine imbalances, liver and kidney disease are intimately linked to metabolic disorders or inflexibility and to mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondrial dysfunction due to a relative lack of micronutrients and substrates is implicated in the development of many chronic diseases. l-carnitine is a vital molecule that is found in all living cells. It is a quaternary amine (3-hydroxy-4-N-trimethylaminobutyrate) whose main function in mammalian cells is the transfer of long chain fatty acids across the inner mitochondrial membrane for β- oxidation and generation of ATP energy.
3.7K
11 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Lipid Peroxidation
Lipid peroxidation refers to the process in which lipids are oxidized to generate lipid peroxides as a primary product. Cellular lipid peroxidation can occur through different reactions, but they can be categorized into enzyme and non-enzyme dependent reactions. The primary substrates in lipid peroxidation reactions are polyunsaturated lipids since carbon-carbon double bonds are susceptible to reactive oxygen species, such as the hydroxyl radical (HO•), which is a key radical that participates in peroxidation reactions.
3.6K
14 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Phosphoribosyl Pyrophosphate Synthetase
Phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate synthetase (PRS EC 2.7.6.1) is a rate-limiting enzyme that irreversibly catalyzes the formation of phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate (PRPP) from ribose-5-phosphate and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This key metabolite is required for the synthesis of purine and pyrimidine nucleotides, the two aromatic amino acids histidine and tryptophan, the cofactors nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP+), all of which are essential for various life processes. Despite its ubiquity and essential nature across the plant and animal kingdoms, PRPP synthetase displays species-specific characteristics regarding the number of gene copies and architecture permitting interaction with other areas of cellular metabolism. The impact of mutated PRS genes in the model eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae on cell signalling and metabolism may be relevant to the human neuropathies associated with PRPS mutations. Human PRPS1 and PRPS2 gene products are implicated in drug resistance associated with recurrent acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and progression of colorectal cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma.
3.6K
02 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Activity of
Kalanchoe pinnata
in Cancer
Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam) Pers. (syn. Bryophyllum pinnatum Lam.), belonging to the genus Kalanchoe, is a succulent plant cultivated in gardens, which can be found as a herb or shrub. The bioactive ingredients in Kalanchoe pinnata, a succulent herb with ethnomedical applications for several diseases, including cancer, and reveal its anticancer mechanisms through a molecular approach.
3.5K
17 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Lysyl oxidase like 2
LOXL2 is a key enzyme that catalyzes the cross-linking of collagen fibers and forms an integral part in collagen homeostasis. It is thus needed for normal functioning of the myocardium and is pertinent to cardiac remodeling [13]. Dysregulation of its expression is a major driver of muscle stiffness through induced cardiac fibrosis [24,25,43], which reduces cardiac output. In fact, it has been proposed that decreasing excessive collagen cross-linking would reduce myocardial fibrosis and stiffness and thereby improve heart function [44].
3.5K
20 Aug 2020
Topic Review
Chlorine Dioxide
Chlorine dioxide was discovered in 1811 by Sir Humphry Davy and since the mid-20th century, it has been widely used in the paper industry as a bleach and for the treatment of drinking water.
3.5K
21 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone
The signals generated by the HPG axis, the main participants of which are gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), gonadotropins, and sex steroids, coordinate the development and functioning of the immune system, and immunomediators, in particular, cytokines and thymic peptides, influence the HPG axis.
3.4K
08 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Tea EGCG and Coffee CGA
Tea and coffee are consumed worldwide and epidemiological and clinical studies have shown their health beneficial effects, including anti-cancer effects. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and chlorogenic acid (CGA) are the major components of green tea polyphenols and coffee polyphenols, respectively, and believed to be responsible for most of these effects. Although a large number of cell-based and animal experiments have provided convincing evidence to support the anti-cancer effects of green tea, coffee, EGCG, and CGA, human studies are still controversial and some studies have suggested even an increased risk for certain types of cancers such as esophageal and gynecological cancers with green tea consumption and bladder and lung cancers with coffee consumption.
3.4K
20 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition
Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process that is crucial for embryogenesis, wound healing but also malignant progression. EMT leads to the changes in cell–cell and cell–ECM interactions, that allow the migration of epithelial cells and confer them to the mesenchymal phenotype
3.3K
06 Jan 2021
Topic Review
siRNA Structure, Function and Delivery
siRNA is a double-stranded RNA molecule with 21- and 22-nucleotide generated by ribonuclease III cleavage from longer double-stranded RNA (dsRNAs). After binding to the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) in the cytoplasm, the sense strand of siRNA undergoes ejection, while the antisense strand of siRNA targets the complementary messenger RNA (mRNA).
3.3K
20 May 2022
Topic Review
Peer Reviewed
Metal Binding Proteins
Metal ions play several major roles in proteins: structural, regulatory, and enzymatic. The binding of some metal ions increase stability of proteins or protein domains. Some metal ions can regulate various cell processes being first, second, or third messengers. Some metal ions, especially transition metal ions, take part in catalysis in many enzymes. From ten to twelve metals are vitally important for activity of living organisms: sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, manganese, iron, cobalt, zinc, nickel, vanadium, molybdenum, and tungsten. This short review is devoted to structural, physical, chemical, and physiological properties of proteins, which specifically bind these metal cations.
3.3K
18 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Hydroxytyrosol in Food Products
Hydroxytyrosol (HT) is an amphipathic functional phenol found in the olive tree, both in its leaves and fruits, in free or bound forms, as well as in olive oil and by-products of olive oil manufacture. It is recognized as safe by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and has obvious health effect when consumed regularly with the prerequisite to contain at least 5 mg/20 g oil of HT and related compounds. According to the dietary data from the European Union, it is estimated that the mean values of HT consumption in adults is far from the daily recommended intake, which relays the importance of the incorporation of HT in other types of products.
3.2K
23 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Peptide/Protein Self-Assembly and Aggregation
The self-assembly of proteins is an essential process for a variety of cellular functions including cell respiration, mobility and division. On the other hand, protein or peptide misfolding and aggregation is related to the development of Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, among other aggregopathies.
3.2K
11 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Role of Glutathione in Cancer
Molecular changes in the glutathione antioxidant system and disturbances in its homeostasis have been implicated in tumor initiation, progression, and treatment response with glutathione having both protective and pathogenic roles. Although in healthy cells it is crucial for the removal and detoxification of carcinogens, elevated glutathione levels in tumor cells are associated with tumor progression and increased resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs. Recently, several novel therapies have been developed to target the glutathione antioxidant system in tumors as a means for increased response and decreased drug resistance. In this comprehensive review we explore glutathione functionalities and different therapeutic approaches and their development through experimental and computational approaches.
3.1K
03 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Bifidobacterium
Mechanism of Action
Major mechanisms of Bifidobacterium action include modulation of adaptive and innate immunity, enhancement of intestinal epithelial barrier, prevention of pathogen adhesion, and production of antimicrobial compounds.
3.1K
23 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases (MAPKs)
Kinases are considered the largest protein family in the human proteome, and approximately 2% of eukaryotic genes encode kinase superfamily members. These enzymes catalyze the transference of the γ-phosphate from ATP to serine, threonine, or tyrosine amino acid residues of a downstream protein substrate, creating a communication cascade that is fundamental to eukaryotic cells.
3.1K
26 Apr 2021
Topic Review
The Spemann Organizer
In 1924, to understand the processes involved in developmental biology, Spemann and Mangold transplanted a blastopore lip between different ectodermal regions of amphibian embryos. The transplanted dorsal tissue differentiated mostly into a notochord, while the ectoderm of the host dorsal tissue that was sitting above the transplanted region (blastopore lip) was induced and differentiated to form a Siamese twin containing dorsal tissues such as somites and a neural plate, which would form the central nervous system, forming the bulk of a second axis. The major findings were that the transplant had altered the fate of the overlying cells and that the neural folds were built from recipient cells and not donor cells. Spemann and Mangold discovered the organizing center in the dorsal blastopore lip of amphibians. This center consists of a cluster of cells in the developing embryo that have the ability to interact and instruct morphogenesis in the surrounding cells during gastrulation. When transplanted to the ventral side of the embryo, the center will induce the formation of a secondary axis, promoting the development of the central nervous system, organs, and tissues, as well as the formation of the main body axis. Spemann and Mangold found the first evidence of the organizing center, thereafter called the “Spemann organizer”, and its major role in the development of vertebrates. This discovery also introduced the concept of induction in embryonic development, which refers to the method used by specific cells to affect the fate of other embryonic cells. A major milestone had been achieved for developmental biology.
3.1K
11 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells which can proliferate and replace dead cells in the body. MSCs also secrete immunomodulatory molecules, creating a regenerative microenvironment that has an excellent potential for tissue regeneration.
3.0K
20 Jan 2021
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