Cardiovascular and renal pathologic implications of prorenin, renin, and the (pro)renin receptor: promising young players from the old renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system.

The overactivation of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system accounts for many cardiovascular and renal abnormalities. At several levels of its cascade, the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system can be efficiently inhibited, of which interruption of the generation of angiotensin I by renin inhibition is considered most efficacious. All of these interruptions (renin inhibition, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition, and AT1 receptor blockade) increase plasma renin levels by inhibiting the negative feedback loop exerted by angiotensin II on renin production.

Multifarious molecular signaling cascades of cardiac hypertrophy: can the muddy waters be cleared?

The mammalian heart during its development and in response to physiological or pathological stimuli undergoes hypertrophic enlargement, a consequence of an increase in cardiac myocyte size. Cardiac hypertrophy in response to biomechanical stress stimuli may be initially a compensatory event, but gradually becomes a pathological event if the mechanical stress on the myocardium persists. In fact, studies have shown cardiac hypertrophy as a dominant risk factor for the development of heart failure and coronary artery disease.

Gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity: Do we have a promising therapeutic approach to blunt it?

Aminoglycoside antibiotics are employed clinically because of their potent bactericidal activities, less bacterial resistance, post-antibiotic effects and low cost. However, drugs belong to this class are well-known to cause nephrotoxicity, which limits their frequent clinical exploitation. Gentamicin, a commonly used aminoglycoside, is associated with an induction of tubular necrosis, epithelial oedema of proximal tubules, cellular desquamation, tubular fibrosis, glomerular congestion, perivascular edema and inflammation, which ultimately show the way to renal dysfunction.

The multifaceted therapeutic potential of benfotiamine.

Thiamine, known as vitamin B(1), plays an essential role in energy metabolism. Benfotiamine (S-benzoylthiamine O-monophoshate) is a synthetic S-acyl derivative of thiamine. Once absorbed, benfotiamine is dephosphorylated by ecto-alkaline phosphatase to lipid-soluble S-benzoylthiamine.

Synthesis, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities of some novel 2-phenyl-3-substituted quinazolin-4(3H) ones.

A series of novel 2-phenyl-3-substituted quinazolin-4(3H)-ones have been synthesized by treating methyl-N-(2-phenyl quinazolin-3-yl-4(3H)-one) dithiocarbamate with different amines, the starting material dithiocarbamate was synthesized from anthranilic acid. The title compounds were investigated for analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities. All the test compounds exhibited significant activity, the compounds A1, A2 and A3 shown more potent analgesic activity, and the compound A3 shown more potent anti-inflammatory activity than the reference standard diclofenac sodium.