Chronobiology and chronomics: detecting and applying the cycles of nature.

We monitor our streets to prevent assault and rodents to develop drugs, but not those for whom the drugs are intended. It took over half a century to begin to monitor blood sugar values in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes. Monitoring blood pressure is equally timely and technically feasible for individual home- and website-based personalised care.

Lipidomics: new approaches to the studies of cell signaling and prospects of use in medicine.

A new modern stage in the development of lipid biochemistry is presented: lipidomics, which emerged on the basic of new highly sensitive fractionation methods, primarily, mass spectroscopy. Lipidomics is defined mainly as systemic evaluation of all molecular types of lipids in an object, their cell functions, and molecules with which they react. Lipidomic approaches identifying picomole levels of individual lipids in combination with modern genome technology provide detailed information about the involvement of minor phospholipids in the cell signaling processes.

Lysophospholipid receptors in cell signaling.

There is increasing evidence that different phospholipids are involved in regulation of various cell processes and cell-cell interactions. Lysophospholipids (lysophosphatidic acid, lysophosphatidylcholine) and a number of lysosphingolipids play particular roles in these regulations. Their effects are mediated by specific G-protein-coupled receptors.

Antiatherogenic effect of grape flavonoids in an ex vivo model.

The effects of grape phytoestrogens on cholesterol accumulation were studied in primary culture of human blood monocytes incubated with blood serum from postmenopausal women obtained before and 2, 4, and 6 h after single intake of plant components of grapes. Phytoestrogens from grape seeds, pressed out grapes, and fermented grape ridges prevent cholesterol accumulation in cells and can be regarded as prospective components for the development of natural preparations for the prevention of atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women.

Sphingolipids and cell signaling: involvement in apoptosis and atherogenesis.

This review considers various functional aspects of cell sphingolipids (sphingomyelin, ceramides) and lysosphingolipids (sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and sphingosine phosphorylcholine). Good evidence now exists that they are actively involved in numerous cell-signaling processes. The enzymes responsible for formation and interconversion of cell sphingolipids (sphingomyelinases, ceramidase, sphingosine kinase, S1P-lyase) exhibit high sensitivity to various stimulating factors.