Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 19, Issue 1, 2013

Cigarette smoke has always been the single most preventive cause of death in the world. In 2011, over 460,000 died from cigarette smoke-related diseases in US. The detrimental effects of cigarette smoke on human beings are due to the presence of many carcinogens and other components (e.g. nicotine and tar). Nicotine is now accepted as one of the major components responsible for gastrointestinal disorders. Cigarette sm Read More

Cytokines are known to play a key role in regulation of gastric functions. Interferon-alpha (IFN-α) has been published to impair gastric motility. Aims of this study were to clarify effect of IFN-α on gastric acid secretion (GAS) and determine role of nitric oxide (NO) in the process. Both subcutaneous (1000, 10000, 100 000 IU, s.c.) and intracisternal (10, 100, 1000 IU, i.c.) injections of IFN-α dose-dependently inhibited GAS induced by p Read More

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, relapsing inflammatory disorder of the colonic mucosa followed by poor quality of healing and recurring lesions. Recent studies demonstrated that the poor healing and chronic inflammation in colon of UC could be the result of microvascular dysfunction and endothelial barrier defect, resulting in sustained tissue hypoperfusion and ischemia in the colon. Long before angiogenesis became a po Read More

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) make significant contributions to gastric ulcer disease which remains widespread. Although several factors have been postulated as pathogenic elements of the gastric injury induced by NSAIDs, it is, however believed that prostaglandin deficiency plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of this injury. During prostaglandin deficiency, other defensive mechanisms might operate to atte Read More

Several human and experimental data suggest the particular importance of gastric protective processes in maintaining mucosal integrity. Both peripheral and central mechanisms are involved in this process. In the periphery, pre-epithelial mucus-bicarbonate layer, mucus, phospholipids, trefoil peptides, prostaglandins, heat shock proteins, sensory neuropeptides, nitric oxide, and hydrogen sulfide may mediate mucosal pr Read More

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are important components of innate immunity. They are often expressed in response to colonic inflammation and infection. Over the last several years, the roles of several antimicrobial peptides have been explored. Gene expression of many AMPs (beta defensin HBD2-4 and cathelicidin) is induced in response to invasion of gut microbes into the mucosal barrier. Some AMPs are expresse Read More

A prominent group of effective cancer chemopreventive drugs has been derived from natural products having low toxicity while possessing apparent benefit in the disease process. It is plausible that there are multiple target molecules critical to cancer cell survival. Herbal terpenoids have demonstrated excellent target-specific anti-neoplastic functions by suppression of cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis. Tra Read More

The proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) lansoprazole (LPZ) and omeprazole (OPZ) have been widely used for more than 20 years in the treatment of acid-related diseases such as gastro-duodenal ulcers and reflux esophagitis. Both LPZ and OPZ are derivatives of 2-[(2- pyridylmethyl)sulfinyl]-1H-benzimidazole, but LPZ has a trifluoroethoxy group in the molecule which seems to provide unique pharmacological properties in additio Read More

Stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 is an anti-ulcer peptidergic agent, proven in clinical trials to be both safe in inflammatory bowel disease (PL-10, PLD-116, PL 14736) and wound healing, stable in human gastric juice, with no toxicity being reported. Recently, we claim that BPC 157 may be used as an antidote against NSAIDs. We focused on BPC 157 beneficial effects on stomach, duodenum, intestine, liver and brain injuri Read More

Background: Actions of various drugs have been tested on the gastric acid basal secretion and on the drug (Indomethacin)- induced gastric mucosal damage; however their physiological and pharmacological mechanisms have not been compared. Aims: The effects of capsaicinoids, atropine, cimetidine, omeprazole, famotidine and ranitidine were studied on gastric basal acid output, whereas the gastric mucosal prev Read More

This review was designed to provide an update on the role of asymmetric arginine (ADMA), the endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) synthase in the pathophysiology of the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Numerous studies in the past confirmed that NO is a multifunctional endogenous gas molecule involved in most of the body organs' functional and metabolic processes including the regulation of gastrointestinal (GI) secret Read More

Somatostatin was discovered four decades ago and since then its physiological role has been extensively investigated, first in relation with its inhibitory effect on growth hormone secretion but soon it expanded to extrapituitary actions influencing various stressresponsive systems. Somatostatin is expressed in distinct brain nuclei and binds to five somatostatin receptor subtypes which are also widely expressed in th Read More

Irsogladine, a mucosal protective drug, was developed in Japan for the treatment of peptic ulcer disease and acute gastritis. This drug is superior to gefarnate, the same therapeutic category drug, in a randomized, controlled and double-blind clinical study in 1987. The mechanisms of irsogladine's actions are apparently different from those of antisecretory drugs. Irsogladine increases intracellular cyclic adenosine 3',5'- Read More

The finding that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is over-expressed and plays an important role in carcinogenesis in gastrointestinal (GI) cancers including esophagus, gastric and colorectal cancers has triggered the researches of COX-2 inhibitors as the chemopreventive option for GI cancers. This reviewer updates the current molecular biology on the regulation of COX-2 expression, pharmacological concepts of COX-2 inhibitors in t Read More

This article updates current views on gastric mucosal defense, injury, protection and ulcer healing with a focus on mucosal protective and ulcer healing actions of antacids. The gastric mucosa is continuously exposed to a variety of noxious factors, both endogenous such as: 0.1N hydrochloric acid, pepsin, bile acids, lysolecithin, H. pylori toxins and exogenous such as NSAIDs, ethanol and others. Gastric mucosal integrity is main Read More

Both stem cell research and gene delivery are very promising fields of today's biomedical research. In the present review we first attempt to summarize the state of the art in stem cell research. We describe the major categories of stem cells based on cell sources: embryonic, fetal, postnatal and induced pluripotent stem cells. We then present new data on stem cell cultures of dental pulp origin as examples of the pr Read More

This narrative review covers the mechanisms of actions of trendy drugs approved for or proposed for calming the irritable bowel. Many drugs that target functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDS), which includes IBS, have their actions in the enteric nervous system (i.e., the brain-in-the-gut). The in-depth insight into fundamental neurophysiology, which is essential for understanding how the drugs act to achieve their effects, is Read More

Background and Aims: Recent studies have shown that daily use of NSAIDs, frequently causes small intestinal ulcers and erosions. However, effective drugs to prevent aspirin/NSAIDs-induced small intestinal lesions have not been developed. In the present study, we examined the effects of sulforaphane (SFN), a substance rich in broccoli sprouts, on aspirin/NSAIDs-induced small intestinal injury. Methods: 1. In vitro study: IE Read More