Cytisine-Pterocarpan-Derived Compounds: Biomimetic Synthesis and Apoptosis-Inducing Activity in Human Breast Cancer Cells.

Cytisine-pterocarpan-derived compounds were biomimetically synthesized with (-)-cytisine and (-)-maackiain via a ,-4-dimethyl-4-aminopyridine (DMAP)-mediated synthetic strategy in a mild manner. In the present study, tonkinensine B () was elaborated in good and high yields with the optimized reaction conditions. The in vitro cytotoxicity of compound was evaluated against breast cancer cell lines and showed that had a better cytotoxicity against MDA-MB-231 cells (IC = 19.

Lack of trehalose accelerates H2O2-induced Candida albicans apoptosis through regulating Ca2+ signaling pathway and caspase activity.

Trehalose is a non-reducing disaccharide and can be accumulated in response to heat or oxidative stresses in Candida albicans. Here we showed that a C. albicans tps1Δ mutant, which is deficient in trehalose synthesis, exhibited increased apoptosis rate upon H(2)O(2) treatment together with an increase of intracellular Ca(2+) level and caspase activity.

In vitro synergism of fluconazole and baicalein against clinical isolates of Candida albicans resistant to fluconazole.

In vitro interaction of fluconazole and baicalein (BE) was investigated against 30 fluconazole-resistant clinical isolates of Candida albicans. Synergistic activities were determined using the checkerboard microdilution assay based on the fractional inhibitory concentration indices. Organisms were also tested against the 2 drugs singly and in combination using time-kill methods.