Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 16, Issue 7, 2010

Part II of the above mentioned hot topic will focus on the pathogenesis of cardiovascular events; the molecular bases of longevity, and diet and ageing. Panaro and associates [1], Panaro and associates [2], Nicita-Mauro and associates [3], Forte and associates [4], Licastro and associates [5] and Bennati and associates [6] will point out the molecular bases for the cardiovascular risk, even including infections, smoking and met Read More

This study is focused on the links between the major products of inflammation and cell damage induced by the administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Salmonella typhimurium in embryonal cardiomyocytes. LPS treatment for 72 hours induced transcription factor NF-κB activation, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression, nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α releas Read More

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) the major structural component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria contributes to the cardiovascular collapse and death observed in septic patients, as well as in the immunocompromised host. LPS activates multiple cells to release proinflammatory cytokines, nitric oxide (NO) and other reactive molecules able to depress cardiac functions. It has been appreciated that the pattern rec Read More

The smoke of cigarettes represents an important accelerator of the aging process, and there is no doubt that smoke is an important risk factor for many diseases, in particular for cardiovascular, neoplastic and respiratory diseases. Smoking plays an important role also in the development of other pathological conditions being particularly frequent in geriatric ages, such as dementia, osteoporosis, diabetes, erectile dysfunction Read More

Aims: The complex pathogenesis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) implicates phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity. In this pilot case-control study single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in several inflammatory genes, such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL- 10, α-1-antichymotrypsin (ACT), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF)-α and interferon gamma (IFN)-γ genes along with SNPs of genes regulating vascular functions (vascul Read More

Introduction: Centenarians are reservoirs of genetic and environmental information to successful ageing and local centenarian groups may help us to understand some of these secrets. The current centenarian cohort in Belfast survived the 1970s epidemic of death from coronary heart disease in Northern Ireland, where cardiovascular mortality was almost highest in the world. These centenarians provided an opportunity to ass Read More

A positive relationship between stress tolerance and longevity has been observed in several model systems. That the same correlation is applicable in humans and that it may be open to experimental manipulation for extending human lifespan requires studies on association of stress genes with longevity. The involvement of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) in cellular maintenance and repair mechanisms, including its role as an anti Read More

Human aging and longevity are complex and multi-factorial traits that result from a combination of environmental, genetic, epigenetic and stochastic factors, each contributing to the overall phenotype. The multi-factorial process of aging acts at different levels of complexity, from molecule to cell, from organ to organ systems and finally to organism, giving rise to the dynamic “aging mosaic”. At present, an increasi Read More

Objective: The aim of this study was to verify the effects of Italian Mediterranean Diet (IMD), consisting of organic versus conventional foods, on body composition, and biochemical parameters in a healthy individuals and in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients, in order to decrease cardiovascular diseases (CVD) risk factor and the progression of renal diseases. Design: After providing a written fully informed consent Read More

Different lines of evidence suggest that higher intake of fiber may somehow protect against metabolic syndrome. The prebiotic inulin has widely been studied in relation to its putative beneficial effects on lipid and glucose metabolism. Therefore, adding inulin to diet may be a suitable strategy to prevent metabolic syndrome. Aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of the daily consumption of inulin-enriched pasta o Read More

Over the past decades, the clinical relevance and biological significance of magnesium (Mg) have been documented. Deficiency in Mg, aside from having a negative impact on the energy production pathway required by mitochondria to generate ATP, also reduces the threshold antioxidant capacity of the aging organism and its resistance to free-radical damage. Mg also acts as an antioxidant against free radical damage of Read More

Lipid peroxidation is believed to be the major biochemical alteration underling oxidant-induced cell injury in stress including numerous diseases. One of the natural molecules known to prevent or retardate oxidation is α-lipoic acid (α-LA) thus, the lipoic acid/dihydrolipoic acid (LA/DHLA) redox couple has received considerable attention. Recent studies highlighted the potential of free LA and DHLA as powerful metabolic antioxid Read More

Chemoprevention by dietary constituents has recently emerged as a novel approach to control gastric cancer incidence. Over the past years, functional foods and food supplements, especially probiotics, have received much attention as potential dietary cancer prevention agents. The precise mechanisms by which these lactic cultures exert their antitumorigenic activities are not fully elucidated, but there is some evide Read More

Ten free-living elderly were administered with a synbiotic [fermented milk containing Lactobacillus rhamnosus Gorbach and Goldin (LGG®)] and oligofructose as a prebiotic for one month. Serum cytokines were evaluated before (T0) and after (T1) synbiotic administration. At T0, values of Interleukin (IL)-12, IL-6, IL-10, IL-1β and Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-α were lower than normal controls, with the exception of IL-8, thus Read More

The environmental impact as well as malnutrition are responsible for an increased incidence of inflammatory diseases with a consequential loss of immune homeostasis. Therefore, administration of nutraceuticals is aimed at reconstituting the immune balance in terms of the so-called immune nutrition. Among many known nutraceuticals, more recently, donkey's and goat's milks have been used as good alternatives to human a Read More

In a group of 14 healthy aged subjects, donkey and goat milk was administered respectively, for a period of one month. Cytokine profile [interleukin (IL)-12, IL-10, IL-1β, IL-8, IL-6 and Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-α] was assessed before and after milk intake by means of a cytometric bead array test. Data demonstrated that IL-12 was undetectable, while IL-10, IL-1β and TNF-β were released in very low amounts. Quite interestingl Read More

The in vitro effects of goat's milk from different sources (Jonica, Saanen, and Priska breeds plus a commercial preparation) on healthy human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were evaluated in terms of nitric oxide (NO) and cytokine release. According to the incubation time (24 h or 48 h) used all milks could induce release of NO from monocytes. In this context, however, in the presence of a commercial milk pre Read More

Regular consumption of cruciferous vegetables or spices is associated with a reduced incidence of cancer and reduction of markers for neurodegenerative damage. Furthermore, greater health benefit may be obtained from raw as opposed to cooked vegetables. Nutritional interventions, by increasing dietary intake of fruits and vegetables, can retard and even reverse age-related declines in brain function a Read More

No genes exist that have been selected to promote ageing. The evolutionary theory of ageing tells us that there is a trade-off between body maintenance and investment in reproduction. It is commonly acceptable that the ageing process is driven by the lifelong accumulation of molecular damages mainly due to reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by mitochondria as well as random errors in DNA replication. Although Read More

Body mass index (BMI), serum cytokines and serum obesity markers were evaluated in 33 obese children before, during and after a hypocaloric diet. The cytometric bead array “human inflammatory kit” was used for the evaluation of serum interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-10 and tumor necrosis factor-... On the other hand, the following obesity biomarkers were evaluated by means of a flowcytomixhuman obesity 9 plex kit: Solubl Read More