Publications by authors named "Victor Constantin Diculescu"

Bortezomib is an inhibitor of proteasomes and an anti-cancer drug. Although bortezomib is considered a safe drug, as confirmed by cytotoxicity assays, recent reports highlighted the possibility of interaction between bortezomib and cellular components, with detrimental long-term effects. The evaluation of the interaction between bortezomib and dsDNA was investigated in bulk solution and using a dsDNA electrochemical biosensor.

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Azathioprine (AZA) is a pharmacologic immunosuppressive agent administrated in various conditions such as autoimmune disease or to prevent the rejection of organ transplantation. The mechanism of action is based on its biologically active metabolite 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP), which is converted, among others, into thioguanine nucleotides capable of incorporating into replicating DNA, which may act as a strong UV chromophore and trigger DNA oxidation. The interaction between azathioprine and DNA, before and after exposure to solar simulator radiation, was investigated using UV-vis spectrometry and differential pulse voltammetry at a glassy carbon electrode.

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The electrochemical behavior and the interaction of the immunosuppressive drug azathioprine (AZA) with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) were investigated using voltammetric techniques, mass spectrometry (MS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The redox mechanism of AZA on glassy carbon (GC) was investigated using cyclic and differential pulse (DP) voltammetry. It was proven that the electroactive center of AZA is the nitro group and its reduction mechanism is a diffusion-controlled process, which occurs in consecutive steps with formation of electroactive products and involves the transfer of electrons and protons.

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The ubiquitin-proteasome system regulates the level of proteins within cells through controlled proteolysis. In some diseases, the system function is dysregulated turning the ubiquitin-proteasome complex into a target for drug development. The redox behavior of proteasome inhibitors, epoxyketone and boronated peptides carfilzomib, oprozomib and delanzomib was investigated by voltammetric methods using glassy carbon and boron doped diamond electrodes.

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The majority of eukaryotic regulated protein turnover is performed by the proteasome, a multi-catalytic enzyme. Due to the fact that proteasome enzyme abnormal functioning was observed in different malignant cells, the proteasome is becoming a target for medical treatment. In order to evaluate the mechanisms of action of pharmaceutical compounds on proteasome enzyme inhibition, detecting and characterizing its activity is essential.

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The interaction of proteins with free radicals leads, among other types of damages, to the production of stable carbonyl groups, which can be used as a quantification of oxidative stress at proteins level. The aim of this study was the development of an electrochemical sensor for the detection of carbonyl groups in proteins oxidized by reactive oxygen species. Its working principle is based on the redox properties of dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH).

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Danusertib is a kinase inhibitor and anti-cancer drug. The evaluation of the interaction between danusertib and dsDNA was investigated in bulk solution and using the dsDNA-electrochemical biosensor. The dsDNA-danusertib interaction occurs in two sequential steps.

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Article Synopsis
  • An in situ evaluation of the interaction between double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and methotrexate (MTX) was conducted using voltammetry and characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) on a highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surface.
  • The experiments revealed that MTX modifies the dsDNA structure over time, causing changes to the self-assembled DNA network and resulting in a more compact and thicker lattice formation.
  • The intercalation of MTX between the DNA base pairs leads to increased oxidation peaks for purines, indicating unwinding of the dsDNA, with additional investigations using various electrochemical biosensors to analyze this interaction.
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The adsorption and the redox behaviour of thrombin-binding aptamer (TBA) and extended TBA (eTBA) were studied using atomic force microscopy and voltammetry at highly oriented pyrolytic graphite and glassy carbon. The different adsorption patterns and degree of surface coverage were correlated with the sequence base composition, presence/absence of K(+), and voltammetric behaviour of TBA and eTBA. In the presence of K(+), only a few single-stranded sequences present adsorption, while the majority of the molecules forms stable and rigid quadruplexes with no adsorption.

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