Publications by authors named "Bonnie Toms"

The SH2-containing inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase 1 (SHIP1) enzyme opposes the activity of PI3K and therefore is of interest in the treatment of inflammatory disorders. Recent results also indicate that SHIP1 promotes phagolysosomal degradation of lipids by microglia, suggesting that the enzyme may be a target for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, small molecules that increase SHIP1 activity may have benefits in these areas.

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Many tumors present with increased activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-PtdIns(3,4,5)P(3)-protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) signaling pathway. It has long been thought that the lipid phosphatases SH2 domain-containing inositol-5'-phosphatase 1 (SHIP1) and SHIP2 act as tumor suppressors by counteracting with the survival signal induced by this pathway through hydrolysis or PtdIns(3,4,5)P(3) to PtdIns(3,4)P(2). However, a growing body of evidence suggests that PtdInd(3,4)P(2) is capable of, and essential for, Akt activation, thus suggesting a potential role for SHIP1/2 enzymes as proto-oncogenes.

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We measure the cytotoxicity of three metal complexes containing the 2,2'-bypyridine ligand, Cu(bpy)(NCS)(2), 1, [Cu(bpy)(2)(H(2)O)](PF(6))(2), 2, and Zn(bpy)(2)(NCS)(2), 3, toward neuroblastoma cells (SK-N-SH) and ovarian cancer cells (OVCAR-3) using two different cell assays. The cells were exposed to various concentrations of the compounds for 1 h and the percent inhibition of cell growth, I, measured for various times after exposure, i.e.

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We report on the endocytosis and the time-dependent enhanced cytotoxicity of anticancer platinum drugs when the drugs are combined with (or loaded into) one of the two most common types of mesoporous silica materials, MCM-41 or SBA-15. The anticancer drug cisplatin and its isomer transplatin, when loaded on MCM-41 and SBA-15 microparticles, were less cytotoxic to leukemia cells than the drugs alone after 12 h exposure. However, the drug-loaded microparticles exhibited unprecedented enhanced cytotoxicity to the cancerous cells after 24 h of exposure.

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We report different mesoporosity-dependent and functional group-dependent cytotoxicity and endocytosis of various silica nanomaterials on suspended and adherent cells. This dependency further varied with incubation time and particle dosage, and appeared to be associated with the particles' endocytotic efficiency and their chemical and physical properties. We studied two common mesoporous nanomaterials (MSNs), MCM-41 and SBA-15, and one type of solid-cored silica microsphere, paralleled by their quaternary amine functionalized counterparts.

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The HSQC NMR spectrum of 15N-cisplatin in cell growth media shows resonances corresponding to the monocarbonato complex, cis-[Pt(NH3)2(CO3)Cl](-), 4, and the dicarbonato complex, cis-[Pt(NH3)2(CO3)2](-2), 5, in addition to cisplatin itself, cis-[Pt(NH3)2Cl2], 1. The presence of Jurkat cells reduces the amount of detectable carbonato species by (2.8+/-0.

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We here measure the toxicity of MCM-41, a mesoporous silica nanomaterial, two of its functionalized analogs, AP-T, which has grafted aminopropyl groups and MP-T, which has grafted mercaptopropyl groups, and spherical silica nanoparticles (SiO(2)), toward human neuroblastoma (SK-N-SH) cells. Since the particles studied are not soluble in aqueous media, the metric used to report the cytotoxicity of these materials is a new quantity, Q(50), which is the number of particles required to inhibit normal cell growth by 50%. Determining the number of particles per gram of material applied to the cells required both the calculated and experimentally determined surface areas of these nanomaterials.

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Using [(1)H,(15)N] heteronuclear single quantum coherance (HSQC) NMR and (15)N-labeled carboplatin, 1, we show that Jurkat cells affect the rate of disappearance of the HSQC NMR peak in culture medium for this Pt(2+) anticancer drug. The decay or disappearance rate constant for 1 in culture medium containing cells is k(1)=k(c)[CO(3)(2-)]+k(m)+k(u)N, where k(c) is the rate constant for reaction of 1 with carbonate in the medium, k(m) is the rate constant for reaction of 1 with all other components of the medium, and k(u) is the rate constant for reaction of 1 with cells having a number density N in the medium. Since Jurkat cells only take up a small amount of the platinum present in the medium (<1%), the observed disappearance of the HSQC NMR peak for 1 cannot be due to uptake of carboplatin by the cells.

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Carboplatin, [Pt(NH3)2(CBDCA-O,O')], 1, where CBDCA is cyclobutane-1,1-dicarboxylate, is used against ovarian, lung, and other types of cancer. We recently showed (Di Pasqua et al. (2006) Chem.

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Doxorubicin executes topoisomerase II mediated apoptosis, a process known to result in mitochondrial dysfunction, such as the leakage of cytochrome c and the opening of mitochondrial permeability transition pores (PTP). To further define the effects of doxorubicin on cell metabolism, we measured cellular respiration, cellular ATP, DNA fragmentation, and cytochrome c leakage in Jurkat (supersensitive), human leukemia-60 (HL-60, sensitive), and HL-60/MX2 (resistant) cells following exposure to 1.0 microM doxorubicin for 30 min.

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The interactions of Jurkat cells with cisplatin, cis-[Pt(15NH3)2Cl2]1, are studied using 1H-15N heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC) NMR and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. We show that Jurkat cells in culture rapidly modify the monocarbonato complex cis-[Pt(15NH3)2(CO3)Cl]- (4), a cisplatin species that forms in culture media and probably also in blood. Analysis of the HSQC NMR peak intensity for 4 in the presence of different numbers of Jurkat cells reveals that each cell is capable of modifying 0.

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Carboplatin, [Pt(NH3)2(CBDCA-O,O')], 1, where CBDCA is cyclobutane-1,1-dicarboxylate, is in wide clinical use for the treatment of ovarian, lung, and other types of cancer. Because carboplatin is relatively unreactive toward nucleophiles, an important question concerning the drug is the mechanism by which it is activated in vivo. Using [1H,15N] heteronuclear single quantum coherance spectroscopy (HSQC) NMR and 15N-labeled carboplatin, we show that carboplatin reacts with carbonate ion in carbonate buffer to produce ring-opened products, the nature of which depends on the pH of the medium.

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