Gold(III) porphyrin complex is more potent than cisplatin in inhibiting growth of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in vitro and in vivo.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common neoplasm in Southeastern Asia, and cisplatin-containing regimens for combinational chemotherapy are widely used for treating locally recurrent or metastatic diseases. However, resistance to cisplatin is not infrequently seen and its associated side effects may be life-threatening. In this report, another metallo-pharmaceutical agent gold(III) porphyrin complex [Au(TPP)]Cl was investigated in comparison to cisplatin for its in vitro and in vivo anticancer effects.

Mannose-binding lectin in chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

Mannose binding lectin (MBL) is a pattern-recognition molecule of the innate immune system. The roles of MBL and its gene (mbl2) polymorphisms, -221X/Y and codon 54A/B, in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection were investigated in this study. We recruited 320 nonprogressed hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers; 199 progressed HBsAg carriers with hepatocellular carcinoma or cirrhosis; 87 spontaneously recovered individuals who were HBsAg negative and anti-HBs and anti HBc positive; and 484 controls who were naïve to HBV.

Mannose-binding lectin in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection.

Little is known about the innate immune response to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (CoV) infection. Mannose-binding lectin (MBL), a key molecule in innate immunity, functions as an ante-antibody before the specific antibody response. Here, we describe a case-control study that included 569 patients with SARS and 1188 control subjects and used in vitro assays to investigate the role that MBL plays in SARS-CoV infection.