Melatonin Treatment Improves Renal Fibrosis via miR-4516/SIAH3/PINK1 Axis.

Dysregulation in mitophagy, in addition to contributing to imbalance in the mitochondrial dynamic, has been implicated in the development of renal fibrosis and progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the current understanding of the precise mechanisms behind the pathogenic loss of mitophagy remains unclear for developing cures for CKD. We found that miR-4516 is downregulated and its target SIAH3, an E3 ubiquitin protein ligase that reduces PINK1 accumulation to damaged mitochondria, is upregulated in the renal cortex of CKD mice.

Melatonin Protects Chronic Kidney Disease Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells against Accumulation of Methylglyoxal via Modulation of Hexokinase-2 Expression.

Treatment options for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are currently limited; therefore, there has been significant interest in applying mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSC)-based therapy to treat CKD. However, MSCs harvested from CKD patients tend to show diminished viability and proliferation due to sustained exposure to uremic toxins in the CKD environment, which limits their utility for cell therapy. The application of melatonin has been demonstrated to improve the therapeutic efficacy of MSCs derived from and engrafted to tissues in patients suffering from CKD, although the underlying biological mechanism has not been elucidated.

PrPC Regulates the Cancer Stem Cell Properties Interaction With c-Met in Colorectal Cancer Cells.

Background/aim: Studies have reported that the expression of c-Met and PrP improves tumor progression. However, not much is known about their relationship. We hypothesized that c-Met and PrP interact with each other, and enhance cancer stem cell (CSC) characteristics.

Enhanced Energy Storage Performance of Polymer/Ceramic/Metal Composites by Increase of Thermal Conductivity and Coulomb-Blockade Effect.

Polymer-based dielectrics have attracted considerable attention for a wide range of applications as energy storage devices with high power. However, high loss from low thermal conductivity () and leaky current may limit their practical utilization greatly. To overcome these issues, two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) modified with polydopamine (PDA) and metal palladium nanoparticles (h-BN@PDA@Pd NPs) are introduced into a poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) P(VDF-HFP) copolymer matrix.

PrP Aptamer Conjugated-Gold Nanoparticles for Targeted Delivery of Doxorubicin to Colorectal Cancer Cells.

Anticancer drugs, such as fluorouracil (5-FU), oxaliplatin, and doxorubicin (Dox) are commonly used to treat colorectal cancer (CRC); however, owing to their low response rate and adverse effects, the development of efficient drug delivery systems (DDSs) is required. The cellular prion protein PrP, which is a cell surface glycoprotein, has been demonstrated to be overexpressed in CRC, however, there has been no research on the development of PrP-targeting DDSs for targeted drug delivery to CRC. In this study, PrP aptamer (Apt)-conjugated gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized for targeted delivery of Dox to CRC.

Knockdown of CK2α reduces -cresol-induced fibrosis in human renal proximal tubule epithelial cells via the downregulation of profilin-1.

Renal fibrosis is one of the main causes of chronic kidney disease. Many studies have focused on fibroblasts and myofibroblasts involved in renal fibrogenesis. Recently, several studies have reported that renal proximal tubule epithelial cells are possible initiators of renal fibrosis.

Role of PrP in Cancer Stem Cell Characteristics and Drug Resistance in Colon Cancer Cells.

Background/aim: Cancer stem cell characteristics and drug resistance of colorectal cancer are associated with failure of cancer treatment. In this study, we investigated the effects of PrP on cancer stem cell characteristics, migration, invasion, and drug resistance of 5FU-resistant CRC cells.

Materials And Methods: PrP negative and PrP positive cells were isolated from 5FU-resistant CRC cells using magnetic activated cell sorting.

Melatonin Suppresses Renal Cortical Fibrosis by Inhibiting Cytoskeleton Reorganization and Mitochondrial Dysfunction through Regulation of miR-4516.

Renal fibrosis, a major risk factor for kidney failure, can lead to chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is caused by cytoskeleton reorganization and mitochondrial dysfunction. In this study, we investigated the potential of melatonin treatment to reduce renal fibrosis by recovering the cytoskeleton reorganization and mitochondrial dysfunction. We found that miR-4516 expression was downregulated in the renal cortex of CKD mice and -cresol-treated TH1 cells.

Heat Shock Proteins: Agents of Cancer Development and Therapeutic Targets in Anti-Cancer Therapy.

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) constitute a large family of molecular chaperones classified by their molecular weights, and they include HSP27, HSP40, HSP60, HSP70, and HSP90. HSPs function in diverse physiological and protective processes to assist in maintaining cellular homeostasis. In particular, HSPs participate in protein folding and maturation processes under diverse stressors such as heat shock, hypoxia, and degradation.

Enhanced transdermal drug delivery of zaltoprofen using a novel formulation.

Zaltoprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) belonging to the propionic acid class. It has strong inhibitory effects on acute and chronic inflammation. Although zaltoprofen is well tolerated orally compared to other NSAIDs, it has to be administered in three to four doses per day and was associated with ulcerogenicity, bellyache and indigestion.

Surface-modified gemcitabine with mucoadhesive polymer for oral delivery.

Gemcitabine microparticles were prepared using chitosan, polyethylene oxide or carbopol as the mucoadhesive polymer and eudragit L100-55 as the enteric polymer by a double emulsion method. The particle size and zeta potential changed from 1338.3 ± 254.

Preparation and evaluation of polymeric microparticulates for improving cellular uptake of gemcitabine.

Background: Gemcitabine must be administered at high doses to elicit the required therapeutic response because of its very short plasma half-life due to rapid metabolism. These high doses can have severe adverse effects.

Methods: In this study, polymeric microparticulate systems of gemcitabine were prepared using chitosan as a mucoadhesive polymer and Eudragit L100-55 as an enteric copolymer.

Practical preparation procedures for docetaxel-loaded nanoparticles using polylactic acid-co-glycolic acid.

Background: Nanoparticles fabricated from the biodegradable and biocompatible polymer, polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), are the most intensively investigated polymers for drug delivery systems. The objective of this study was to explore fully the development of a PLGA nanoparticle drug delivery system for alternative preparation of a commercial formulation. In our nanoparticle fabrication, our purpose was to compare various preparation parameters.