Flavonoids: recent advances as anticancer drugs.

Flavonoids belong to polyphenolic secondary metabolites with broad-spectrum pharmacological activities and extensive biological effects, and the most prominent activity is their potential role as anticancer agents. In recent years, flavonoids and their synthetic analogues have been intensely investigated in the treatment of ovarian, breast, cervical, pancreatic, and prostate cancer. To some extent, chemical structures of flavonoids will influence their anticancer activities.

Changes in plasma membrane protein structure after photodynamic action in freshly isolated rat pancreatic acini. An FTIR study.

Photodynamic action of a plasma membrane-specific photosensitizer sulphonated aluminium phthalocyanine (SALPC) has been found to regulate cellular signalling pathways. The present study aimed to investigate whether SALPC photodynamic action modulates the structure of plasma membrane proteins, and as control, of model proteins. To check the photodynamic effect, intrinsic fluorescence of model proteins bovine serum albumin (BSA), phospholipase A2 (PLA2), and calmodulin were monitored continuously during photodynamic action (SALPC 1 microM, light 14,000 1x at > 580 nm).