Current Molecular Medicine - Volume 15, Issue 4, 2015

The pineal hormone melatonin controls several physiological functions that reach far beyond the regulation of the circadian rhythm. Moreover, it can be produced in extra-pineal organs such as reproductive organs. The role of melatonin in the mammalian seasonal and circadian rhythm is well known. Nevertheless, its overall effect in male reproductive physiology remains largely unknown. Melatonin is a very powerful endogeno Read More

The increasing prevalence, involvement of several signaling pathways, variable pathogenesis, progressive natural history and complications of type 2 diabetes emphasize an urgent need for a molecule with multiple actions. Resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene) is a polyphenolic antioxidant present in red wine gaining a worldwide interest because of its multi-target effect against diabetes and other life-threatening Read More

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex genetic disorder caused by interplay between several ‘susceptibility’ genes and environment factors. In the past few years, numerous studies of genomics and transcriptomics attempted to discover genes affecting PCOS. Pre-genome wide association study (GWAS) plays a stepping stone effect on the progress of PCOS, even though most of the strongest associations are for Read More

Hypoxia is defined as a reduction in oxygen supply to a tissue below physiological levels. However, physiological hypoxic conditions occur during early embryonic development; and in adult organisms, many cells such as bone marrow stem cells are located within hypoxic niches. Thus, certain processes take place in hypoxia, and recent studies highlight the relevance of hypoxia in stem cell cancer physiology. Cellular response t Read More

Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most deadly malignant tumors worldwide. A variety of mechanisms are involved in PDAC biological behaviors, of which, the mechanisms of immune escape may be a pivotal hallmark. HLA-G is a tolerant molecule implicated in tumor escape and serves as a prognostic biomarker in tumors. Our study evaluated the expression of HLA-G in PDAC and explored its clinical si Read More

Numb, an endocytic protein, is involved in both neural differentiation and protein post-endocytic trafficking. Although negative Numb expression has been linked to human mammary carcinomas, little is known about its expression and functions in other diseases. In the present study, we observed that Numb is expressed in renal tubule epithelia and its expression is increased in the fibrotic kidney in vivo. We determined that in proxi Read More

Although genetic predisposition plays a major role in the progression of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and its variation in symptoms, the precise relationships between genetic changes and disease status are not well understood. Here, to demonstrate the effect of a single gene mutation on disease etiology, we examined two mouse models of SLE with the same genetic background but different Fas genes. Mice w Read More

Antibody targeted cytoplasmic delivery of drugs is difficult to achieve as antigen-antibody interaction results in the payload being directed to the endosomal compartment. However, Sendai viral envelopes can bring about cytoplasmic delivery due to F-protein mediated membrane fusion. In this study we have generated and fused a recombinant scFv directed to the onco-fetal antigen, the Placental isozyme of Alkaline Phosph Read More

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are web-like structures released by activated neutrophils. Recent studies suggest that NETs play an active role in driving autoimmunity and tissue injury in diseases including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The purpose of this study was to investigate if celastrol, a triterpenoid compound, can inhibit NET formation induced by inflammatory stimuli associated Read More