Monitoring of cancer ferroptosis with [F]hGTS13, a system xc- specific radiotracer.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor in adults, characterized by resistance to conventional therapies and poor survival. Ferroptosis, a form of regulated cell death driven by lipid peroxidation, has recently emerged as a promising therapeutic target for GBM treatment. However, there are currently no non-invasive imaging techniques to monitor the engagement of pro-ferroptotic compounds with their respective targets, or to monitor the efficacy of ferroptosis-based therapies.

Effect of Polyploidy Induction on Natural Metabolite Production in Medicinal Plants.

Polyploidy plays an important role in plant diversification and speciation. The ploidy level of plants is associated with morphological and biochemical characteristics, and its modification has been used as a strategy to alter the quantitative and qualitative patterns of secondary metabolite production in different medicinal plants. Polyploidization can be induced by many anti-mitotic agents, among which colchicine, oryzalin, and trifluralin are the most common.

Powerful Plant Antioxidants: A New Biosustainable Approach to the Production of Rosmarinic Acid.

Modern lifestyle factors, such as physical inactivity, obesity, smoking, and exposure to environmental pollution, induce excessive generation of free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the body. These by-products of oxygen metabolism play a key role in the development of various human diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart failure, brain damage, muscle problems, premature aging, eye injuries, and a weakened immune system. Synthetic and natural antioxidants, which act as free radical scavengers, are widely used in the food and beverage industries.

Biotechnological production of ruscogenins in plant cell and organ cultures of Ruscus aculeatus.

Ruscus aculeatus is a threatened medicinal plant whose main bioactive components, the ruscogenins, have long been used in the treatment of hemorrhoids and varicose veins, but recently demonstrated activity against some types of cancer. Plant cell biofactories could constitute an alternative to the whole plant as a source of ruscogenins. In this pipeline, despite the in vitro recalcitrance of R.

In Vitro Study of the Anticancer Effects of Biotechnological Extracts of the Endangered Plant Species .

Many medicinal plant species are currently threatened in their natural habitats because of the growing demand for phytochemicals worldwide. A sustainable alternative for the production of bioactive plant compounds are plant biofactories based on cell cultures and organs. In addition, plant extracts from biofactories have significant advantages over those obtained from plants, since they are free of contamination by microorganisms, herbicides and pesticides, and they provide more stable levels of active ingredients.

Genomic methylation in plant cell cultures: A barrier to the development of commercial long-term biofactories.

Plant cell biofactories offer great advantages for the production of plant compounds of interest, although certain limitations still need to be overcome before their maximum potential is reached. One obstacle is the gradual loss of secondary metabolite production during in vitro culture maintenance, which is an important impediment in the development of large-scale production systems. The relationship between in vitro maintenance and epigenetic changes has been demonstrated in several plant species; in particular, methylation levels have been found to increase in in vitro cultures over time.

Plant Anti-cancer Agents and their Biotechnological Production in Plant Cell Biofactories.

Background: Bioactive plant secondary metabolites have complex chemical structures, which are specific to each plant species/family, and accumulate in tiny amounts. The growing market demand for many phytochemicals can lead to the over-harvesting of medicinal plants in their natural habitat, endangering species in the process.

Objective: An ongoing challenge for our society is therefore to develop a bio-sustainable production of phytochemicals, among other natural resources.

New trends in biotechnological production of rosmarinic acid.

Rosmarinic acid (RA), an ester of caffeic acid and 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl lactic acid, is widely distributed in the plant kingdom. Interest in it is growing due to its promising biological activities, including cognitive-enhancing effects and slowing the development of Alzheimer's disease, cancer chemoprotection or anti-inflammatory activity, among others. In order to meet the increasing demand for this compound, several biotechnological approaches to its production based on plant cell and hairy root cultures have been developed.

Xanthomicrol: a comprehensive review of its chemistry, distribution, biosynthesis and pharmacological activity.

Highly methoxylated flavones, which have known potential as cancer chemopreventive agents, accumulate on the leaf surfaces of some plant species and their physiological role is to protect the plant against harmful UV radiation. Xanthomicrol is one of the methoxylated flavones currently attracting most attention from researchers worldwide because of its promising pharmacological activities, including anti-spasmodic, anti-platelet and anti-cancer effects, among others. This review covers the chemistry and biological origin, distribution and pharmacological activity of xanthomicrol.