Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology - Volume 13, Issue 15, 2012

Success in cancer chemotherapy relies on efficient delivery of anti-neoplastic drugs, with minimal side-effects on non-cancerous cells. Nanoparticulation of prospective anti-cancer drugs, that were deemed unsuitable due to short biological half life, poor water solubility and low cellular permeability, has been hypothesized to generate superior chemotherapeutic agents, leading to reduced non-specific action and Read More

Injuries to articular cartilage are one of the most challenging issues of musculoskeletal medicine due to the poor intrinsic ability of this tissue for repair. Despite progress in orthopaedic surgery, cell-based surgical therapies such as autologous chondrocyte transplantation (ACT) have been in clinical use for cartilage repair for over a decade but this approach has shown mixed results. Moreover, the lack of efficient modalities o Read More

Prevention of hepatitis B, one of the most prevalent human diseases, still requires cheap and commonly available vaccines. Oral vaccines, including plant-based formulations, have been considered as alternatives or supplements for standard injection vaccines, due to the assumed low-cost production and simplified vaccination. Although plant production of HBV antigens is sufficiently efficient, despite almost 20 years of rese Read More

Programmed cell death can occur through two separate pathways caused by treatment of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with acetic acid (AA-PCD), which differ from one another essentially with respect to their sensitivity to Nacetylcysteine (NAC) and to the role played by cytochrome c and metacaspase YCA1. Moreover, yeast can also undergo macroautophagy which occurs in NAC-insensitive manner. In order to gain some i Read More

A number of transcriptional control elements are activated when Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells are submitted to various stress conditions, including high hydrostatic pressure (HHP). Exposure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells to HHP results in global transcriptional reprogramming, similar to that observed under other industrial stresses, such as temperature, ethanol and oxidative stresses. Moreover, treatment with Read More

Toona sinensis (Chinese Mahogany; Meliaceae), a subtropical deciduous tree, has a tangy scent resembling a mix of shallots and garlic. T. sinensis has long been known for its medicinal efficacy for treating enteritis, dysentery, itch and some cancers. However, its volatile components and their biosynthesis remain unexamined. In this study, we identified the spectrum of volatile compounds, isolated and functionally characterized Read More

Through the photosynthetic activity, microalgae process more than 25% of annual inorganic carbon dissolved in oceans into carbohydrates that ultimately, serve to feed the other levels of the trophic networks. Besides, microalgae synthesize bioactive molecules such as pigments and lipids that exhibit health properties. In addition, abiotic stresses, such as high irradiance, nutrient starvation, UV irradiation, trigger metabolic r Read More

In order to valorize novel biotechnology innovations, there is a need to evaluate ex-ante their market potential. A case in point is biofortification, i.e. the enhancement of the micronutrient content of staple crops through conventional or genetic breeding techniques. In a recent article in Nature Biotechnology, for example, De Steur et al. (2010) demonstrated the large potential consumer health benefits of folate biofortified rice Read More

The progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is accompanied by disturbances of the endosome/lysosome (EL) system and there is accumulation of peptides of the AD-associated amyloid beta (Abeta) type in EL vesicles of affected neurons. EL modulating agents partially ameliorate the Abeta-mediated cell abnormalities. However, no extensive studies on the potential pharmaceutical applications of combinations of such agents Read More