A TRP to Pathological Angiogenesis and Vascular Normalization.

Uncontrolled angiogenesis underlies various pathological conditions such as cancer, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Hence, targeting pathological angiogenesis has become a promising strategy for the treatment of cancer and neovascular ocular diseases. However, current pharmacological treatments that target VEGF signaling have met with limited success either due to acquiring resistance against anti-VEGF therapies with serious side effects including nephrotoxicity and cardiovascular-related adverse effects in cancer patients or retinal vasculitis and intraocular inflammation after intravitreal injection in patients with AMD or PDR.

Molecular cloning, characterization and heterologous expression of bile salt hydrolase (Bsh) from Lactobacillus fermentum NCDO394.

Bile salt hydrolase (Bsh) active probiotic strains hydrolyze bile acid amino conjugates in vivo, which triggers cholesterol consumption in liver to synthesize new bile leading to consequential cholesterol lowering. Hence, bile salt hydrolyzing potential was the criterion to select L. fermentum NCDO394 for this study and its gene encoding Bsh was identified and cloned.