Interaction of a small molecule Natura-α and STAT3-SH2 domain to block Y705 phosphorylation and inhibit lupus nephritis.

A small molecule, Natura-α, a clinical stage investigational new drug for certain inflammatory diseases, has been evaluated for drug interaction with STAT3 and inhibiting systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Studies have revealed that it selectively inhibits STAT3-Y705 phosphorylation and, suppresses pro-inflammatory cytokines, stimulates anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, thereby skewing T cell differentiation from the Th1/Th17 lineages toward the Treg lineage. The potential binding of the drug to STAT3 protein has been investigated with a computational modeling and docking simulation using X-ray crystal structure of the STAT3β homodimer.

Natura-alpha targets forkhead box m1 and inhibits androgen-dependent and -independent prostate cancer growth and invasion.

Purpose: The development of new effective therapeutic agents with minimal side effects for prostate cancer (PC) treatment is much needed. Indirubin, an active molecule identified in the traditional Chinese herbal medicine-Qing Dai (Indigo naturalis), has been used to treat leukemia for decades. However, the anticancer properties of Natura-alpha, an indirubin derivative, are not well studied in solid tumors, particularly in PC.

Treatment of collagen-induced arthritis by Natura-alpha via regulation of Th-1/Th-17 responses.

Cytokines and CD4(+) Th cells play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. Among the Th populations, Th-1 and Th-17 have been described as pathogenic in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) whereas Th-2 and Treg were found to have protective effects. The objective of this study was to examine the affect of Natura-alpha, a newly developed cytokine regulator, on CIA and on Th cell development.

Promiscuous drugs compared to selective drugs (promiscuity can be a virtue).

Background: The word selectivity describes a drug's ability to affect a particular cell population in preference to others. As part of the current state of art in the search for new therapeutic agents, the property of selectivity is a mode of action thought to have a high degree of desirability. Consequently there is a growing activity in this area of research.

The biological basis for the use of an anti-androgen and a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor in the treatment of recurrent prostate cancer: Case report and review.

Although many prostate cancer cases relapse to a hormone-insensitive state, endocrine therapy involving androgen depletion by orchiectomy or by treatment with LHRH-analogue as well as blockade of the androgen receptor (AR) with anti-androgens remains a primary treatment option. Quality of life (QOL) however, is a prime consideration of men choosing such an approach. In this report we discuss a synergistic combination of 150-mg bicaltumide (Casodex) and 5 mg finasteride (Proscar) in the treatment of a 69-year-old patient with a relapsed (biochemical failure) Gleason score 7 prostate cancer, initially treated with external beam radiation therapy.