Modulation of Glucose Consumption and Uptake in HepG2 Cells by Aqueous Extracts from the Coelomic Fluid of the Edible Sea Cucumber.

The cell-free aqueous extract from the coelomic fluid of was prepared and examined for its glucose-lowering effect on HepG2 cells in vitro. In particular, employing a combination of cytochemical, flow cytometric, PCR, and protein blot techniques, we evaluated its role on glucose internalization and storage and on the upregulation and surface translocation of the two glucose transporters GLUT-2 and -4. The changes in expression, synthesis, and/or activation of the -related transcription factor hepatocyte nuclear factor-1 alpha (HNF1α) and the GLUT-4-translocation regulatory factors insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) and AKT were also studied.

Parathyroid Hormone Related Protein (PTHrP)-Associated Molecular Signatures in Tissue Differentiation and Non-Tumoral Diseases.

Parathyroid-hormone-related protein (PTHrP) is encoded by the gene which, via alternative promoter usage and splicing mechanisms, can give rise to at least three isoforms of 139, 141, and 173 amino acids with distinct C-terminals. PTHrP is subjected to different post-translational processing that generates smaller bioactive forms, comprising amino terminus, mid-region (containing a nuclear/nucleolar targeting signal), and carboxy terminus peptides. Both the full-length protein and the discrete peptides are key controllers of viability, proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis in diverse normal and pathological biological systems via the reprogramming of gene expression and remodulation of PKA or PKC-mediated signalization mechanisms.

In Vitro Cytotoxic Effect of Aqueous Extracts from Leaves and Rhizomes of the Seagrass (L.) Delile on HepG2 Liver Cancer Cells: Focus on Autophagy and Apoptosis.

Aqueous extracts from 's green and brown (beached) leaves and rhizomes were prepared, submitted to phenolic compound and proteomic analysis, and examined for their potential cytotoxic effect on HepG2 liver cancer cells in culture. The chosen endpoints related to survival and death were cell viability and locomotory behavior, cell-cycle analysis, apoptosis and autophagy, mitochondrial membrane polarization, and cell redox state. Here, we show that 24 h exposure to both green-leaf- and rhizome-derived extracts decreased tumor cell number in a dose-response manner, with a mean half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC) estimated at 83 and 11.

New Bioactive Peptides from the Mediterranean Seagrass (L.) Delile and Their Impact on Antimicrobial Activity and Apoptosis of Human Cancer Cells.

The demand for new molecules to counter bacterial resistance to antibiotics and tumor cell resistance is increasingly pressing. The Mediterranean seagrass is considered a promising source of new bioactive molecules. Polypeptide-enriched fractions of rhizomes and green leaves of the seagrass were tested against Gram-positive (e.