Targeting the Eph/Ephrin System as Anti-Inflammatory Strategy in IBD.

Besides their long-known critical role in embryonic growth and in cancer development and progression, erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular carcinoma type B (EphB) receptor tyrosine kinases and their ephrin-B ligands are involved in the modulation of immune responses and in remodeling and maintaining the integrity of the intestinal epithelial layer. These processes are critically involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory-based disorders of the gut, like inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). Accordingly, our aim was to investigate the role of the EphB/ephrin-B system in intestinal inflammation by assessing the local and systemic effects produced by its pharmacological manipulation in 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS)- (Th1-dependent model) and dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)- (innate response model) induced colitis in mice.

Polymeric films loaded with cisplatin for malignant pleural mesothelioma: a pharmacokinetic study in an ovine model.

Background: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) continues to be a distressing tumor due to its aggressive biologic behavior and scanty prognosis. Several therapeutic approaches have been tested both in clinical and preclinical settings, being intrapleural chemotherapy one of the most promising. Some years ago, our interest focused on polymeric films loaded with cisplatin for the adjuvant intrapleural treatment of surgical patients.

The selection of serum-independent PC12 cells for a more-reliable manganese cytotoxicity test.

A major issue concerning the protocols of heavy metal cytotoxicity tests with PC12 cells was the hypothesis that serum in the culture medium might sequester the metal, thus altering the results obtained. However, serum withdrawal impairs the viability of PC12 cells themselves, thus impeding cytotoxicity testing in the absence of serum. In this study, we repeatedly selected undifferentiated, totally non-adherent PC12 cells in Petri dishes.