Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology - Volume 19, Issue 12, 2018

Thymoquinone (TQ), derived from the seeds of Nigella sativa, has lately been shown as a miracle drug because of its wide range of therapeutic effects against various diseases, including cancer, asthma, diabetes, colitis and infectious diseases. In the present review, we aimed to decipher the molecular mechanisms of therapeutic action of TQ by modulating the cell signaling pathways. Many in vivo and in vitro studies have de Read More

This review article presents the concepts of aggregates, coaggregates, and a liquid droplet of proteins and compares the concentrated states in the presence of small additives to control their formation and dissociation. The aggregates composed of single protein molecules result mainly from hydrophobic interactions between unfolded protein molecules. Thus, the aggregation of protein can be effectively suppressed by s Read More

Objective: To identify the clinical and adverse effects of intravenous chemotherapy combined with intraperitoneal chemotherapy in the treatment of gastric cancer with abdominal peritoneal carcinomatosis. Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed on 49 gastric cancer patients with abdominal peritoneal carcinomatosis. Patients were divided into two groups: patients subjected to intravenous chemotherapy (n = 27) w Read More

Background: The local therapy is a particularly proper approach in treatment of cancer diseases, at which the drugs are highly toxic. Unfortunately, antitumor drugs diffusion is quite often limited by hyaluronic acid layers abundantly found in a cancer tissue. Methods: The undertaken approach assumed relaxation of hyaluronan layer by using a hydrolytic enzyme - hyaluronidase. The considered process corresponds to the heter Read More

Background: Trichilia silvatica, popularly known as “catiguá-branco”, is distributed in Brazil (Mato Grosso do Sul), and members of this genus are commonly used for the treatment of rheumatism (arthritis). The aim of this research was to investigate the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of the methanolic extract of the leaves (MEL-TS) and bark (MEB-TS) of T. silvatica. We also evaluated the conc Read More

Background: Over the last years, a new generation of oral anticoagulants (NOACs), including apixaban, rivaroxaban and dabigatran, has been developed for the control of thrombosis and related disorders. The presence of food within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract can potentially affect the oral bioavailability of drugs. Objective: In the present paper, we evaluated the stability of these drugs in in vitro GI digestion, with and wit Read More

Background: Endoglin is a marker of active, proliferating endothelial cells of blood vessels. In many cancers, it is present in both peripheral vessels and vessels located inside the tumor. Endoglin is more specific and sensitive compared to other tumor angiogenesis markers. It is suggested that endoglin can be considered a reliable marker of disease outcome. Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the expression of endo Read More

Background: Endostatin (ES) is a promising anti-angiogenesis protein and has been approved for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, but short half-life, poor stability and nonspecific delivery caused great pain to patients and produced unsatisfactory treatment effectiveness. Objective: In this work, in order to overcome these disadvantages, ES was covalently modified by polysulfated heparin (PSH) with the expectancy o Read More

Background: The further functionalization of natural existing biomaterials is a very efficient method to introduce additional advanced characteristics on a unique structural composition and architecture. Objective: As an example, different animal sources, if properly treated, can be used to develop bone xenograft active in hard tissues regeneration. In this sense, it is also important to consider that the selected process has t Read More