Publications by authors named "Tinka Vidovic"

The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase is one of the top drug targets for promoting health and lifespan extension. Besides rapamycin, only a few other mTOR inhibitors have been developed and shown to be capable of slowing aging. We used machine learning to predict novel small molecules targeting mTOR.

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Aging is one of the largest risk factors for cancer, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, cardiovascular diseases, and other age-related pathologies. Here, we give a detailed description of the interplay of chronic age-related pathologies with the remodeling of the extracellular matrix during disease development and progression. Longevity-promoting signaling pathways slow or prevent age-related diseases.

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A year after the initial outbreak, the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus remains a serious threat to global health, while current treatment options are insufficient to bring major improvements. The aim of this study is to identify repurposable drug candidates with a potential to reverse transcriptomic alterations in the host cells infected by SARS-CoV-2. We have developed a rational computational pipeline to filter publicly available transcriptomic datasets of SARS-CoV-2-infected biosamples based on their responsiveness to the virus, to generate a list of relevant differentially expressed genes, and to identify drug candidates for repurposing using LINCS connectivity map.

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Recently, stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 reversed the high MDA- and NO-tissue values to the healthy levels. Thereby, BPC 157 therapy cured rats with bile duct ligation (BDL) (sacrifice at 2, 4, 6, 8 week). BPC 157-medication (10 μg/kg, 10 ng/kg) was continuously in drinking water (0.

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Aim: To study the counteraction of perforated cecum lesion using BPC 157 and nitric oxide (NO) system agents.

Methods: Alongside with the agents' application (after 1 min, medication (/kg, 10 mL/2 min bath/rat) includes: BPC 157 (10 μg), L-NAME (5 mg), L-arginine (100mg) alone or combined, and saline baths (controls)) on the rat perforate cecum injury, we continuously assessed the gross reappearance of the vessels (USB microcamera) quickly propagating toward the defect at the cecum surface, defect contraction, bleeding attenuation, MDA- and NO-levels in cecum tissue at 15 min, and severity of cecum lesions and adhesions at 1 and 7 d.

Results: Post-injury, during/after a saline bath, the number of vessels was significantly reduced, the defect was slightly narrowed, bleeding was significant and MDA-levels increased and NO-levels decreased.

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Aim: To investigate whether duodenal lesions induced by major venous occlusions can be attenuated by BPC 157 regardless nitric oxide (NO) system involvement.

Methods: Male Wistar rats underwent superior anterior pancreaticoduodenal vein (SAPDV)-ligation and were treated with a bath at the ligated SAPDV site (BPC 157 10 μg, 10 ng/kg per 1 mL bath/rat; L-NAME 5 mg/kg per 1 mL bath/rat; L-arginine 100 mg/kg per 1 mL bath/rat, alone and/or together; or BPC 157 10 μg/kg instilled into the rat stomach, at 1 min ligation-time). We recorded the vessel presentation (filled/appearance or emptied/disappearance) between the 5 arcade vessels arising from the SAPDV on the ventral duodenum side, the inferior anterior pancreaticoduodenal vein (IAPDV) and superior mesenteric vein (SMV) as bypassing vascular pathway to document the duodenal lesions presentation; increased NO- and oxidative stress [malondialdehyde (MDA)]-levels in duodenum.

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Unlabelled: Rat inferior caval vein (ICV) ligation (up to the right ovarian vein (ROV)) commonly represents a recapitulation of Virchow: with ligation leading to vessel injury, stasis, thrombosis and hemodynamic changes. We revealed that BPC 157's therapy collectively attenuated or counteracted all these events and the full syndrome.

Methods: We applied BPC 157 (10 μg, 10 ng/kg) as an early regimen or as a delayed therapy.

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Aim: To provide new insights in treatment of colitis and ischemia and reperfusion in rats using stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157.

Methods: Medication [BPC 157, L-NAME, L-arginine (alone/combined), saline] was bath at the blood deprived colon segment. During reperfusion, medication was BPC 157 or saline.

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We revealed a new point with cyclophosphamide (150 mg/kg/day intraperitoneally for 7 days): we counteracted both rat stomach and duodenal ulcers and increased NO- and MDA-levels in these tissues. As a NO-system effect, BPC 157 therapy (10 µg/kg, 10 ng/kg, intraperitoneally once a day or in drinking water, till the sacrifice) attenuated the increased NO- and MDA-levels and nullified, in rats, severe cyclophosphamide-ulcers and even stronger stomach and duodenal lesions after cyclophosphamide + L-NAME (5 mg/kg intraperitoneally once a day). L-arginine (100 mg/kg intraperitoneally once a day not effective alone) led L-NAME-values only to the control values (cyclophosphamide + L-NAME + L-arginine-rats).

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