Current Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 19, Issue 1, 2012

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Peptic ulcer disease is a worldwide disease affecting 15-20% of the human population with an etiology that depends on regional and socioeconomic factors with the pathogenesis of this disorder remaining a mystery. In this issue of the journal, we have focused on the recent advances in the mechanism of gastrointestinal (GI) integrity, gastroprotection and ulcer healing that had recently triggered the attention of basic scientis Read More

This paper reviews and updates current views on gastric mucosal injury with a focus on the microvascular endothelium as the key target and the role of the anti-apoptosis protein survivin. Under normal conditions, mucosal integrity is maintained by well structured and mutually amplifying defense mechanisms, which include pre-epithelial “barrier” - the first line of defense; and, an epithelial “barrier”. Other important defen Read More

In this paper we reviewed and updated current views on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of gastric and esophageal ulcer healing. Gastric ulcer healing encompasses inflammation, cell proliferation, epithelial regeneration, gland reconstruction, formation of granulation tissue, neovascularization (new blood vessel formation), interactions between various cells and the matrix and tissue remodeling, resulting in sc Read More

The field of gut nutrient chemosensing is evolving rapidly. Recent advances have uncovered the mechanism by which specific nutrient components evoke multiple metabolic responses. Deorphanization of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in the gut has helped identify previously unliganded receptors and their cognate ligands. In this review, we discuss nutrient receptors, their ligand preferences, and the evoked neurohormo Read More

Earlier experimental studies indicated that the integrity of vagal pathway was required to confer gastric protection against damaging agents. Several peptides located in the brainstem initially identified to influence vagal outflow to the stomach, as assessed by electrophysiological approach or by vagal dependent alterations of gastric secretory and motor function, were investigated for their influence in the vagal regulation o Read More

The secretion of HCO3 - in the duodenum is increased by mucosal acidification, and this process is modulated by gas mediators such as nitric oxide (NO), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and carbon monoxide (CO), in addition to prostaglandins (PGs). The secretion is increased by NOR3 (NO donor), NaHS (H2S donor), and CORM-2 (CO donor). The HCO3 - responses to NOR3 and CORM-2 are attenuated by indomethacin, while that to NaHS Read More

The term cytoprotection pioneered by Robert and colleagues has been introduced to describe the remarkable ability of endogenous and exogenous prostaglandins (PGs) to prevent acute gastric hemorrhagic lesions induced by noxious stimuli such as ethanol, bile acids, hiperosmolar solutions and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents such as aspirin. Since that time many factors were implicated to possess gastroprotective proper Read More

Ulceration in the gastrointestinal (GI) mucosa is a common disorder in humans. It has been shown that cigarette smoking is closely related to the increase of peptic ulcer and also plays an inhibitory role on ulcer healing. However, the underlying mechanisms by which cigarette smoke exerts these adverse effects remain largely unknown. It is perhaps partly due to the complexity of chemical compositions in the smoke and furt Read More

The pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is complicated and even several therapeutic strategies have been developed, they are not adequate for achieving mucosal remission in all IBD patients. Several reports have described the role of carbon monoxide (CO) in protection against chronic intestinal inflammation. CO has recently emerged as a potent immunomodulatory entity, anti-inflammatory agent, and h Read More

Small intestinal injury caused by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or aspirin is an epoch making topic in clinical field with the aid of new devices, capsule endoscopy and double balloon enteroscopy to look at small intestine directly. However, the injury has been reported in animals since more than 40 years ago. Proposed mechanisms are impairment of mucosal defense through inhibition of cyclooxygenase Read More

Recent advances in endoscopic techniques such as capsule endoscopy have revealed that aspirin and other nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) often cause mucosal lesions not only in the upper gastrointestinal tract, but also in the small intestine in humans. Gastric and duodenal lesions caused by NSAIDs can be treated with anti-secretory agents such as proton pump inhibitors or histamine H2-receptor antagonist Read More

Vascular injury of esophageal and gastrointestinal mucosa caused by injurious and ulcerogenic factors leads to the cessation of blood flow, ischemia, and hypoxia and tissue necrosis in form of erosions or ulcers. The re-establishment of blood vessels through the process of angiogenesis - formation of new blood vessels - is critical for healing of tissue injury because is essential for delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the he Read More

The term “enterochromaffin cell” was introduced more than 100 years ago. The cells that are morphologically similar to the enterochromaffin cells have been referred to as “enterochromaffin-like cells”. One of the enterochromaffin-like cell populations in the oxyntic mucosa of stomach is known to produce and store histamine and chromogranin A, and referred to as ECL cells. The biology and the functional morphology and topol Read More

Natural medicinal products have been used for millennia for the treatment of several ailments. Although many have been superseded by conventional pharmaceutical approaches, there is currently a resurgence in the interest in natural products by the general public and the use of complementary and alternative medicine is increasing rapidly in developed countries. Also, pharmaceutical industries are more and mor Read More

Ghrelin, a peptide predominantly produced in the stomach exhibits numerous physiological functions, including stimulation of growth hormone release, food intake and gastric empting, and regulation of energy expenditure. This peptide exhibits also some protective and healing-promoting effects. This review summarizes the recent findings concerning animal and human data showing protective and therapeutic effects of g Read More

Stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 (GEPPPGKPADDAGLV, M.W. 1419) may be the new drug stable in human gastric juice, effective both in the upper and lower GI tract, and free of side effects. BPC 157, in addition to an antiulcer effect efficient in therapy of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (PL 14736) so far only tested in clinical phase II, has a very safe profile, and exhibited a particular wound healing effect. It also has show Read More

Recent studies have revealed that chronic inflammation represents a major basis for different forms of human malignancies. Chronic inflammations are involved in the pathogenesis of 15-25% of human malignancies. Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer is one of the most common causes of mortality in the European Union. The mechanisms leading to cancer development and its progression are not completely understood. Read More

Methylglyoxal is a reactive dicarbonyl compound produced from cellular glycolytic intermediates that reacts nonenzymatically with proteins to form products such as argpyrimidine at arginine residues. Abnormal accumulation of methylglyoxal and methylglyoxalderived advanced glycation end products (AGEs) occurs under hyperglycemic conditions and has been implicated in endothelium dysfunction, arterial stiffening, and mic Read More

Malignant melanoma is a disease with high mortality rate caused by rapid metastasis. Cell motility is physically and biochemically restricted by cadherin-mediated cell interactions and signalling pathways, and alterations in cadherin expression strongly correlate with E to N-cadherin switch as well as the metastasis and progression of tumours. Contrary to E-cadherin, N-cadherin plays an important role in stimulating process Read More