Secondary Metabolites from Australian Lichens and Affect Growth and Metabolism of Photobiont through Allelopathy.

In the present work, the phytotoxic effects of secondary metabolites extracted from lichen (usnic acid) and lichen (a naturally occurring mixture of atranorin and perlatolic acid, approx. 3:1) on cultures of the aposymbiotically grown lichen photobiont were evaluated. Algae were cultivated on the surface of glass microfiber disks with applied crystals of lichen extracts for 14 days.

Chili pepper extracts, capsaicin, and dihydrocapsaicin as potential anticancer agents targeting topoisomerases.

DNA topoisomerases regulate conformational changes in DNA topology during normal cell growth, such as replication, transcription, recombination, and repair, and may be targeted for anticancer drugs. A DNA topology assay was used to investigate DNA-damaging/protective activities of extracts from Habanero Red (HR), Habanero Maya Red (HMR), Trinidad Moruga Scorpion (TMS), Jalapeno (J), Serrano pepper (SP), Habanero Red Savina (HRS), Bhut Jolokia (BJ), and Jamaica Rosso (JR) peppers, demonstrating their inhibitory effect on the relaxation of pBR by Topo I. DNA topoisomerase II (Topo II) is proven therapeutic target of anticancer drugs.

Differentially Expressed Genes Induced by Erythropoietin Receptor Overexpression in Rat Mammary Adenocarcinoma RAMA 37-28 Cells.

The erythropoietin receptor (EPOR) is a transmembrane type I receptor with an essential role in the proliferation and differentiation of erythroid progenitors. Besides its function during erythropoiesis, EPOR is expressed and has protective effect in various non-hematopoietic tissues, including tumors. Currently, the advantageous aspect of EPOR related to different cellular events is still under scientific investigation.

Synthesis of Novel Biologically Active Proflavine Ureas Designed on the Basis of Predicted Entropy Changes.

A novel series of proflavine ureas, derivatives -, were synthesized on the basis of molecular modeling design studies. The structure of the novel ureas was obtained from the pharmacological model, the parameters of which were determined from studies of the structure-activity relationship of previously prepared proflavine ureas bearing -alkyl chains. The lipophilicity (Log) and the changes in the standard entropy (Δ°) of the urea models, the input parameters of the pharmacological model, were determined using quantum mechanics and cheminformatics.

The Role of PI3K/AKT and MAPK Signaling Pathways in Erythropoietin Signalization.

Erythropoietin (EPO) is a glycoprotein cytokine known for its pleiotropic effects on various types of cells and tissues. EPO and its receptor EPOR trigger signaling cascades JAK2/STAT5, MAPK, and PI3K/AKT that are interconnected and irreplaceable for cell survival. In this article, we describe the role of the MAPK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways during red blood cell formation as well as in non-hematopoietic tissues and tumor cells.