Natriuretic peptides are neuroprotective on in vitro models of PD and promote dopaminergic differentiation of hiPSCs-derived neurons via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling.

Over the last 20 years, the efforts to develop new therapies for Parkinson's disease (PD) have focused not only on the improvement of symptomatic therapy for motor and non-motor symptoms but also on the discovering of the potential causes of PD, in order to develop disease-modifying treatments. The emerging role of dysregulation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling in the onset and progression of PD, as well as of other neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), renders the targeting of this signaling an attractive therapeutic opportunity for curing this brain disorder. The natriuretic peptides (NPs) atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP), are cardiac and vascular-derived hormones also widely expressed in mammalian CNS, where they seem to participate in numerous brain functions including neural development/differentiation and neuroprotection.

Bioassay-Guided Isolation of Nigracin, Responsible for the Tissue Repair Properties of Stem Bark.

Pierre ex Pax is used in Cameroon by Baka people in the wound healing process and for the treatment of burns. In a previous paper we demonstrated the ability of both water (WE) and defatted methanol (DME) extracts to accelerate scratch wound closure in fibroblast cultures, thus validating the traditional use of stem bark in the treatment of skin lesions. In this work we carried out a bioassay-guided fractionation of the most active DME, which exhibited efficacy in accelerating wound healing process, in order to isolate and identify the compound/s responsible for the assessed biological activity.

Atrial natriuretic peptide: a magic bullet for cancer therapy targeting Wnt signaling and cellular pH regulators.

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) is a cardiac hormone playing a crucial role in cardiovascular homeostasis mainly through blood volume and pressure regulation. In the last years, the new property ascribed to ANP of inhibiting tumor growth both in vitro and in vivo has made this peptide an attractive candidate for anticancer therapy. The molecular mechanism underlying the anti-proliferative effect of ANP has been mainly related to its interaction with the specific receptors NPRs, through which this natriuretic hormone inhibits some metabolic targets critical for cancer development, including the Ras-MEK1⁄2-ERK1⁄2 kinase cascade, functioning as a multikinase inhibitor.

Thymosin α1 as a stimulatory agent of innate cell-mediated immune response.

The innate immune response and its cellular effectors-peripheral blood mononuclear cells and differentiated macrophages-play a crucial role in detection and elimination of pathogenic microorganisms. Chemotherapy and some immunosuppressive drugs used after organ transplantation and for treatment of autoimmune diseases have, as main side effect, bone marrow suppression, which can lead to a reduced response of the innate immune system. Hence, many immune-depressed patients have a higher risk of developing bacterial and invasive fungal infections compared with immune-competent individuals.