Mitigation of radiation-induced gastro-intestinal injury by the polyphenolic acetate 7, 8-diacetoxy-4-methylthiocoumarin in mice.

Radiation-induced intestinal injury (RIII) constitutes a crucial clinical element of acute radiation syndrome with life-threatening implications posing challenges in devising effective medical countermeasures. Herein, we report the potential of 7, 8-diacetoxy-4-methylthiocoumarin (DAMTC) to mitigate RIII following total-body irradiation (TBI) in C57BL/6 mice and underlying mechanisms. Administration of DAMTC 24 hours post TBI facilitated structural reconstitution and restoration of functional absorption linked to alleviation of radiation-induced apoptotic death of intestinal crypt progenitor/stem (ICPS) and villus stromal cells through induction of Bcl-2 family-mediated anti-apoptotic signalling.

Emerging Roles of Calreticulin in Cancer: Implications for Therapy.

Calreticulin (CRT), initially identified as a ubiquitous calcium-binding protein in the endoplasmic reticulum, has emerged as a multifunctional protein with roles in calcium homeostasis, molecular chaperoning and cell adhesion. Emerging evidence suggests its involvement in tumorigenesis facilitating proliferation, migration, and adhesion. CRT translocated to the cell surface (ecto-CRT) serves as a phagocytic signal for immunogenic cell death (ICD) mediated through dendritic cells (DCs) and cytotoxic T-cell activation thereby making tumors susceptible to immunotherapy-based anti-cancer strategies.

Mitigation of radiation-induced hematopoietic injury by the polyphenolic acetate 7, 8-diacetoxy-4-methylthiocoumarin in mice.

Protection of the hematopoietic system from radiation damage, and/or mitigation of hematopoietic injury are the two major strategies for developing medical countermeasure agents (MCM) to combat radiation-induced lethality. In the present study, we investigated the potential of 7, 8-diacetoxy-4-methylthiocoumarin (DAMTC) to ameliorate radiation-induced hematopoietic damage and the associated mortality following total body irradiation (TBI) in C57BL/6 mice. Administration of DAMTC 24 hours post TBI alleviated TBI-induced myelo-suppression and pancytopenia, by augmenting lymphocytes and WBCs in the peripheral blood of mice, while bone marrow (BM) cellularity was restored through enhanced proliferation of the stem cells.

Modifications of cell signalling and redox balance by targeting protein acetylation using natural and engineered molecules: implications in cancer therapy.

Acetylation of proteins with the addition of an acetyl group on the lysine residue is one of the vital posttranslational modifications that regulate protein stability, function and intracellular compartmentalization. Like other posttranslational modifications, protein acetylation influences many if not all vital functions of the cell. Protein acetylation has been originally associated with histone acetylation regulated by Histone Acetyl Transferase (HAT) and Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) and was mainly considered to be involved in epigenetic regulation through chromatin remodelling.

Cytotoxic and radio-sensitizing effects of polyphenolic acetates in a human glioma cell line (BMG-1).

Background And Aims: Polyphenolic acetates (PAs) have antioxidant/ pro-oxidant properties and can also acetylate proteins (enzymes) by a novel acetoxy drug: calreticulin transacetylase acetylation system. While PAs have been investigated as pharmacological agents for the treatment of various diseases, their potential as anti-cancer agents or their efficacy as an adjuvant in anti-cancer therapeutics remains to be explored. In the present study we investigated the cytotoxic and radio-sensitizing effects of 7, 8- diacetoxy-4-methyl coumarin (DAMC) and 7- acetoxy-4-methyl coumarin (7-AMC) in a human glioma cell line (BMG-1).