Publications by authors named "J Ballekova"

Cemtirestat, 3-mercapto-5-[1,2,4]-triazino[5,6-] indole-5-acetic acid was recently designed and patented as a highly selective and efficient aldose reductase inhibitor endowed with antioxidant activity. The aim of the present study was to assess the general toxicity of cemtirestat using predictions, and assays. ProTox-II toxicity prediction software gave 17 "Inactive" outputs, a mild hepatotoxicity score (0.

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In the previous study, the artichoke leaf extract showed effective inhibition of AKR1B1, the first enzyme of polyol pathway, which reduces high level of glucose to osmotically active sorbitol, important for development of chronic diabetic complications. In the present study, the effect of artichoke leaf extract and of several participating phenols (caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, quinic acid, and luteolin) was tested on sorbitol level in rat lenses exposed to high glucose ex vivo, on cytotoxicity as well as on oxidative stress in C2C12 muscle cell line induced by high glucose in vitro. The concentration of sorbitol was determined by enzymatic analysis, the cytotoxicity was provided by WST-1 test and intracellular content of reactive oxygen species was determined by fluorescence of 2'-7'-dichlorofluorescein probe.

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In our previous study, tetrahydropyridoindoles carboxymethylated in position 8 were identified as aldose reductase (ALR2) inhibitors with mild efficacy and selectivity yet with significant antioxidant activity. In the present study we proceeded with optimization of the tetrahydropyridoindole scaffold by shifting the carboxymethyl pharmacophore from position 8 to position 5, with the aim to improve the biological activity. Commercial databases were screened for the presence of tetrahydropyridoindoles carboxymethylated in position 5 and an experimental set of eight compounds was created.

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The aim of this study was to investigate aldose reductase inhibitory action of setipiprant as a potential additional mechanism contributing to its anti-inflammatory action. Aldose reductase activity was determined by spectrophotometric measuring of NADPH consumption. Setipiprant was found to inhibit aldose reductase/NADPH-mediated reduction of 4-hydroxynonenal, 4-hydroxynonenal glutathione and prostaglandin H2 substrates, all relevant to the process of inflammation.

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Aldose reductase (ALR2) has been the target of therapeutic intervention for over 40 years; first, for its role in long-term diabetic complications and more recently as a key mediator in inflammation and cancer. However, efforts to prepare small-molecule aldose reductase inhibitors (ARIs) have mostly yielded carboxylic acids with rather poor pharmacokinetics. To address this limitation, the 1-hydroxypyrazole moiety has been previously established as a bioisostere of acetic acid in a group of aroyl-substituted pyrrolyl derivatives.

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