Published in Genes & Nutrition
Chalcones are absorbed in the daily diet and appear to be promising cancer chemopreventive agents. Chalcones represent an important group of the polyphenolic family, which includes a large number of naturally occurring molecules. This family possesses an interesting spectrum of biological activities, including antioxidative, antibacterial, anti-inf...
Published in Biochemical Pharmacology
Published in Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry
Chemical investigation of the endophytic fungus Penicillium sp. isolated from Limonium tubiflorum growing in Egypt afforded four new compounds of polyketide origin, including two macrolides, penilactone (1) and 10,11-epoxycurvularin (2), a dianthrone, neobulgarone G (7), and a sulfinylcoumarin, sulfimarin (14), along with twelve known metabolites (...
Published in Biochemical Pharmacology
Published in Biochemical Pharmacology
Melatonin is a neurohormone produced by the pineal gland that regulates sleep and circadian functions. Melatonin also regulates inflammatory and immune processes acting as both an activator and inhibitor of these responses. Melatonin demonstrates endocrine, but also paracrine and autocrine effects in the leukocyte compartment: on one side, leukocyt...
Published in Biochemical Pharmacology
Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 is a pro-inflammatory immediate early response protein, chronically up-regulated in many pathological conditions. In autoimmune diseases, it is responsible for degenerative effects whereas in cancer, it correlates with poor prognosis. A constitutive expression of COX-2 is triggered since the earliest steps of carcinogenesis. ...
Published in Biochemical Pharmacology
Phospholipases A(2) (PLA(2)s) form a family of enzymes catalyzing the hydrolysis of membrane phospholipids into arachidonic acid, which is the major precursor of pro-inflammatory eicosanoids. As a result, PLA(2)s have been considered as potential targets in anti-inflammatory drug discovery. Marine natural products are a rich source of bioactive com...
Published in Genes & Nutrition
Azadirachta indica (neem tree) is used in traditional Indian medicine for its pharmacological properties including cancer prevention and treatment. Here, we studied a neem extract's anti-inflammatory potential via the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway, linked to cancer, inflammation, and apoptosis. Cultured human leukemia cells were treat...
Published in Molecular Biology of the Cell
HDAC4 (histone deacetylase 4) belongs to class IIa of histone deacetylases, which groups important regulators of gene expression, controlling pleiotropic cellular functions. Here we show that, in addition to the well-defined nuclear/cytoplasmic shuttling, HDAC4 activity is modulated by the ubiquitin–proteasome system. Serum starvation elicits the p...
Published in Mitochondrion
Bax is a pro-apoptotic protein allowing apoptosis to occur through the intrinsic, damage-induced pathway, and amplifying that one occurring via the extrinsic, receptor mediated pathway. Bax is present in viable cells and activated by pro-apoptotic stimuli. Activation implies structural changes, consisting of exposure of the N terminus and hydrophob...
