Overexpression of CXCR4 synergizes with LL-37 in the metastasis of breast cancer cells.

Chemokine receptor CXCR4 was involved in the progression of breast cancer to a metastatic phenotype, leading to the major cause of death in patients. A more in-depth understanding of signaling mechanism underlying CXCR4 is critical to develop effective therapies toward metastasis. Recently, the role of antimicrobial peptide LL-37 in contributing to the metastasis of breast cancer cells was observed.

A dimeric Phaseolus coccineus lectin with anti-oxidative, anti-proliferative and cytokine-inducing activities.

In the present study, a dimeric glucosamine binding lectin, designated as CHL, was purified from Phaseolus coccineus L. var. albonanus Bailey through three chromatographic steps.

Silibinin, a novel chemokine receptor type 4 antagonist, inhibits chemokine ligand 12-induced migration in breast cancer cells.

Purpose: C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) signaling has been demonstrated to be involved in cancer invasion and migration; therefore, CXCR4 antagonist can serve as an anti-cancer drug by preventing tumor metastasis. This study aimed to identify the CXCR4 antagonists that could reduce and/or inhibit tumor metastasis from natural products.

Methods And Results: According to the molecular docking screening, we reported here silibinin as a novel CXCR4 antagonist.

Preferential cytotoxicity of the type I ribosome inactivating protein alpha-momorcharin on human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells under normoxia and hypoxia.

All primary nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tumors contain hypoxic regions which are implicated in decreased local control and increased distant metastases, as well as resistance to chemotherapy in advanced NPC patients. One of the promising therapeutic approaches for NPC is to use drugs that can target hypoxic factors in tumors. In the present investigation, the type I ribosome inactivating protein α-momorcharin (α-MMC), isolated from seeds of the bitter gourd Momordica charantia, reduced cell viability and inhibited clonogenic formation of human NPC CNE2 and HONE1 cells under normoxia and cobalt chloride-induced hypoxia.

Antifungal and antiviral products of marine organisms.

Marine organisms including bacteria, fungi, algae, sponges, echinoderms, mollusks, and cephalochordates produce a variety of products with antifungal activity including bacterial chitinases, lipopeptides, and lactones; fungal (-)-sclerotiorin and peptaibols, purpurides B and C, berkedrimane B and purpuride; algal gambieric acids A and B, phlorotannins; 3,5-dibromo-2-(3,5-dibromo-2-methoxyphenoxy)phenol, spongistatin 1, eurysterols A and B, nortetillapyrone, bromotyrosine alkaloids, bis-indole alkaloid, ageloxime B and (-)-ageloxime D, haliscosamine, hamigeran G, hippolachnin A from sponges; echinoderm triterpene glycosides and alkene sulfates; molluscan kahalalide F and a 1485-Da peptide with a sequence SRSELIVHQR; and cepalochordate chitotriosidase and a 5026.9-Da antifungal peptide. The antiviral compounds from marine organisms include bacterial polysaccharide and furan-2-yl acetate; fungal macrolide, purpurester A, purpurquinone B, isoindolone derivatives, alterporriol Q, tetrahydroaltersolanol C and asperterrestide A, algal diterpenes, xylogalactofucan, alginic acid, glycolipid sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol, sulfated polysaccharide p-KG03, meroditerpenoids, methyl ester derivative of vatomaric acid, lectins, polysaccharides, tannins, cnidarian zoanthoxanthin alkaloids, norditerpenoid and capilloquinol; crustacean antilipopolysaccharide factors, molluscan hemocyanin; echinoderm triterpenoid glycosides; tunicate didemnin B, tamandarins A and B and; tilapia hepcidin 1-5 (TH 1-5), seabream SauMx1, SauMx2, and SauMx3, and orange-spotted grouper β-defensin.

Biotype expression and insecticide response of Bemisia tabaci chemosensory protein-1.

Chemosensory proteins (CSPs) are a group of small soluble proteins found so far exclusively in arthropod species. These proteins act in chemical communication and perception. In this study, a gene encoding the Type 1 CSP (BtabCSP1) from the agricultural pest Bemisia tabaci (whitefly) was analyzed to understand sequence variation and expression specificity in different biotypes.

2-Amino-6-chloro-N-methyl-benzamide.

In the title compound, C8H9ClN2O, the dihedral angle between the benzene ring and the methyl-amide substituent is 68.39 (11)°. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked by N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming layers parallel to the ab plane.

Acetylshikonin, a Novel AChE Inhibitor, Inhibits Apoptosis via Upregulation of Heme Oxygenase-1 Expression in SH-SY5Y Cells.

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors are prominent alternative in current clinical treatment for AD patients. Therefore, there is a continued need to search for novel AChEIs with good clinical efficacy and less side effects. By using our in-house natural product database and AutoDock Vina as a tool in docking study, we have identified twelve phytochemicals (emodin, aloe-emodin, chrysophanol, and rhein in Rhei Radix Et Rhizoma; xanthotoxin, phellopterin, alloisoimperatorin, and imperatorin in Angelicae dahuricae Radix; shikonin, acetylshikonin, isovalerylshikonin, and β,β-dimethylacrylshikonin in Arnebiae Radix) as candidates of AChEIs that were not previously reported in the literature.

A calcium ion-dependent dimeric bean lectin with antiproliferative activity toward human breast cancer MCF-7 cells.

In this study, a 60.8-kDa dimeric lectin was isolated from the Phaseolus vulgaris cv. jade bean and characterized.

[Effectiveness of intervention services provided by social workers in methadone maintenance treatment clinics].

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of psychosocial services provided by social workers in reducing dropout rate and increasing treatment dosage in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) users.

Methods: From May in 2009 to April in 2010, 300 MMT users were recruited from three MMT clinics in Guangzhou, and were randomly allocated into the intervention group and the control groups. The control group (152 cases) received standard MMT services while the intervention group (148 cases) received additional services provided by social workers.

Differential inhibitory potencies and mechanisms of the type I ribosome inactivating protein marmorin on estrogen receptor (ER)-positive and ER-negative breast cancer cells.

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer with a high incidence rate worldwide. One of the promising therapeutic approaches on breast cancer is to use the drugs that target the estrogen receptor (ER). In the present investigation, marmorin, a type I ribosome inactivating protein from the mushroom Hypsizigus marmoreus, inhibited the survival of breast cancer in vitro and in vivo.

Trichosanthin inhibits breast cancer cell proliferation in both cell lines and nude mice by promotion of apoptosis.

Breast cancer ranks as a common and severe neoplasia in women with increasing incidence as well as high risk of metastasis and relapse. Translational and laboratory-based clinical investigations of new/novel drugs are in progress. Medicinal plants are rich sources of biologically active natural products for drug development.

Pharmacotherapy approaches to antifungal prophylaxis.

Introduction: Invasive fungal infection (IFI) is a serious problem due to difficulties in early diagnosis and high mortality. Different approaches are adopted for the treatment and management of IFI, including prophylactic, empiric, preemptive and directed strategies.

Areas Covered: This paper reviews the type of pharmacotherapy used for antifungal prophylaxis in infants with extremely low birth weights, pediatric patients with cardiac disease, preterm neonates, pediatric oncology patients, adult cancer patients with neutropenia, adult patients with hematologic malignancy, hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation recipients, organ transplant recipients, HIV-infected patients, immunosuppressed patients treated with moderate or high doses of corticosteroids, and patients with invasive fusariosis, candidemia, invasive candidiasis, systemic mycoses and immunocompromised patients.

An antifungal peptide from Phaseolus vulgaris cv. brown kidney bean.

A 5.4-kDa antifungal peptide, with an N-terminal sequence highly homologous to defensins and inhibitory activity against Mycosphaerella arachidicola (IC(50)= 3 μM), Setospaeria turcica and Bipolaris maydis, was isolated from the seeds of Phaseolus vulgaris cv. brown kidney bean.

A potential human hepatocellular carcinoma inhibitor from Bauhinia purpurea L. seeds: from purification to mechanism exploration.

A 20-kDa Kunitz-type trypsin-chymotrypsin inhibitor, Bauhinia purpurea trypsin inhibitor (BPLTI), has been isolated from the seeds of B. purpurea L. by using liquid chromatography procedures that involved ion exchange chromatography on Sp-Sepharose and Mono S and gel filtration on Superdex 75.

Momordica Charantia lectin, a type II ribosome inactivating protein, exhibits antitumor activity toward human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo.

The incidence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains high in endemic regions, including southern China, northern Africa, and North America. One of the promising therapeutic approaches on NPC is drug screening from natural products, such as components from traditional Chinese medicine. In this study, the antitumor activity of Momordica charantia lectin (MCL), a type II ribosome inactivating protein from bitter gourd, on NPC was investigated.

Protein from red cabbage (Brassica oleracea) seeds with antifungal, antibacterial, and anticancer activities.

A 30 kDa antifungal protein was purified from red cabbage ( Brassica oleracea ) seeds. It exhibited a molecular mass and N-terminal amino acid sequence disinct from those of previously isolated Brassica antifungal proteins. The protocol used entailed ion exchange chromatography on Q-Sepharose and SP-Sepharose followed by fast protein liquid chromatography on Mono S.

A new Phaseolus vulgaris lectin induces selective toxicity on human liver carcinoma Hep G2 cells.

We describe here the purification and characterization of a new Phaseolus vulgaris lectin that exhibits selective toxicity to human hepatoma Hep G2 cells and lacks significant toxicity on normal liver WRL 68 cells. This polygalacturonic acid-specific lectin (termed BTKL) was purified from seeds of P. vulgaris cv.

Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) induces caspase-3-dependent apoptosis in human lung adenocarcinoma ASTC-a-1 cells.

Background: Dihydroartemisinin (DHA), a semi-synthetic derivative of artemisinin, isolated from the traditional Chinese herb Artemisia annua, is recommended as the first-line anti-malarial drug with low toxicity. DHA has been shown to possess promising anticancer activities and induce cancer cell death through apoptotic pathways, although the molecular mechanisms are not well understood.

Methods: In this study, cell counting kit (CCK-8) assay was employed to evaluate the survival of DHA-treated ASTC-a-1 cells.

[Identification of volatiles from field cotton plant under different induction treatments].

The volatiles of field cotton plant at its squaring stage were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively under treatments of mechanical injury (treatment A), cotton bollworm (CBW) injury (treatment B), CBW plus CBW larva injury (treatment C), and salicylic acid (SA) inducement (treatment D). The volatiles were gathered in an automatic circle system, absorbed by Tenax-TA column, and analyzed with GC-MS system. About 30 kinds of volatiles were qualitatively identified, including terpenoids, aliphatic compounds, aromatic compounds, 3-hexanone, 2-hexanone, 3-hexanol, a-pinene, beta-pinene, beta-myrcene, propenoic acid, butyl ester, acetic acid, pentyl ester, acetic acid, butyl ester, butanoic acid, 3-methyl-, ethyl ester, benzaldehyde, acetophenone and 1, 3, 6-octatriene,3 ,7-dimethyl, etc.