Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Olga A. Korczeniewska, Fengshen Kuo, Ching-Yu Huang, Cibele Nasri-Heir, Junad Khan, Rafael Benoliel, Craig Hirschberg, Eli Eliav, Scott R. Diehl
Summary: This study investigated the impact of the COMT gene on pain sensitivity and found that the low pain sensitivity haplotype is influenced by genetic variation in gene expression, rather than SNP rs4680. The results suggest that the frequency of the COMT low pain sensitivity haplotype varies widely among global populations.
JOURNAL OF GENE MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Hyemi Hwang, Yeonjae Han, Geun-Young Park, Soohwan Lee, Hae-Yeon Park, Sun Im
Summary: This study investigated the effects of tDCS on swallowing function in individuals with different COMT gene polymorphisms. The results showed that individuals with COMT Val/Val polymorphism experienced improvement in swallowing motor function after tDCS, while those with COMT Met carrier group did not show significant changes.
JOURNAL OF PERSONALIZED MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Dong-Fang Zhao, Yu-Fan Fan, Fang-Yuan Wang, Fan-Bin Hou, Frank J. Gonzalez, Shi-Yang Li, Ping Wang, Yang-Liu Xia, Guang-Bo Ge, Ling Yang
Summary: The study identified Scutellariae radix as the most potent inhibitor of hCOMT among 53 herbal products. Specific chemicals like scutellarein, baicalein, and oroxylin A from the extract were found to be potent COMT inhibitors. These findings suggest the potential for developing more effective non-nitrocatechol COMT inhibitors for biomedical applications.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hitomi Ikarashi, Naofumi Otsuru, Hirotake Yokota, Kazuaki Nagasaka, Kazuki Igarashi, Shota Miyaguchi, Hideaki Onishi
Summary: The correlation between alexithymia and hypervigilance to pain is influenced by COMT polymorphism, with a significant positive correlation observed in COMT Met carriers but not in Val/Val individuals.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Dong-Fang Zhao, Yu-Fan Fan, Hao-Nan Yu, Fan-bin Hou, Yan-Wei Xiang, Ping Wang, Guang-Bo Ge, Ling Yang, Jian-Guang Xu
Summary: The study revealed that the flavonoids in vine tea exhibit strong inhibition against human catechol-Omethyltransferase, with myricetin being the most potent compound. This finding not only has implications for the drug exposure of catechol drugs, but also provides a promising lead compound for developing more effective hCOMT inhibitors.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Seul Hoo Lee, Bongsang Kim, Kyung-Jin Kim
Summary: The study reported the biochemical and structural analysis of COMT enzyme from Niastella koreensis, revealing that its activity is mainly influenced by magnesium ion, but also shows significant activity with copper and zinc ions. Structural analysis showed that the region near the SAM binding site undergoes conformational changes upon binding of the cosubstrate and the metal ion. Additionally, by developing variants, the activity and selectivity of NkCOMT can be enhanced.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Annabel Vetterlein, Merlin Monzel, Martin Reuter
Summary: The COMT gene has been considered as the pain sensitivity gene for almost two decades, but there is inconsistent evidence in the literature. Our meta-analyses of 31 samples and 4631 participants showed small effects of rs4680 on pain thresholds in fibromyalgia, headache, and chronic pain conditions. The effects of rs4680 were found in pain patients when affected body sites were assessed. No effects were found for other investigated SNPs. These results support the theory that rs4680 may only impact behavioral measures of pain under certain conditions.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Wataru Kadowaki, Ryo Miyata, Misa Fujinami, Yoshizumi Sato, Shigenori Kumazawa
Summary: The study found that Calendula officinalis leaves contain 10 compounds with inhibitory activities against neurotransmitter-related diseases, particularly Parkinson's disease and depression.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Debashree Goswami, Sudhir Kumar, William Betz, Janna M. Armstrong, Meseret T. Haile, Nelly Camargo, Chaitra Parthiban, Annette M. Seilie, Sean C. Murphy, Ashley M. Vaughan, Stefan H. I. Kappe
Summary: A C-type ATP-binding cassette transporter called Pf ABCC2 is expressed in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum and marks the transition from invasive sporozoite to intrahepatocytic early liver stage. It localizes to the parasite plasma membrane in early and mid-liver stage parasites, but not in late liver stages. Lack of Pf ABCC2 leads to the failure of sporozoites to transition to exoerythrocytic schizogony and blood stage infection, indicating its essential role in the successful initiation of liver stage replication.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jin-Hee Kim, Jimin Lee, Hyesoo Jeong, Mi Seo Bang, Jin-Hyun Jeong, Minsun Chang
Summary: The study investigated the novel biological activities of NDGA in relation to COMT and how COMT inhibition by NDGA affects 4-OHE2-induced cyto- and genotoxicity in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. The results showed that NDGA both inhibits COMT-mediated formation of 4-MeOE2 and increases 4-OHE2-induced DNA damage and cytotoxicity, potentially increasing catechol estrogen-induced genotoxicities in mammary tissues.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Andrea Polli, Jolien Hendrix, Kelly Ickmans, Jelena Bakusic, Manosij Ghosh, Dora Monteyne, Brigitte Velkeniers, Bram Bekaert, Jo Nijs, Lode Godderis
Summary: The study found associations between COMT haplotypes and DNA methylation, cytokine expression, and symptoms in patients with CFS/FM, but not specific to one condition. Significant differences were observed in increased DNA methylation in the MB-COMT promoter and decreased IFN-gamma expression in patients.
JOURNAL OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Jan Olav Christensen, Morten Birkeland Nielsen, Ann Christin Sannes, Johannes Gjerstad
Summary: The study found that abusive supervision was associated with increased risk of headache and neck pain, while transformational leadership was related to decreased risk, especially with more pronounced effects in individuals with the Met/Met genotype. Therefore, Met/Met employees may be relatively vulnerable to adversity, but also more responsive to constructive leadership.
JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
A. Katherine Hatstat, Grace M. Kennedy, Trevor R. Squires, Gisela Xhafkollari, C. Skyler Cochrane, Mauricio Cafiero, Larryn W. Peterson
Summary: L-DOPA, a dopamine precursor, is commonly used in Parkinson's disease treatment. Inhibiting COMT can prolong the effects of L-DOPA and dopamine, increasing the efficiency of the treatment. Nitrile derivatives with a nitro substituent show the most promise as COMT inhibitors.
BIOORGANIC & MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
K. Poonkuzhali, R. Seenivasagan, J. Prabhakaran, A. Karthika
Summary: Chemically engineered PLGA nanospheres inhibiting Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) are a promising technology for treating neurodegenerative disorders. PLGA-MATPM nanospheres, synthesized using PLGA and MATPM, effectively inhibit COMT in a dose-dependent manner. The interaction between COMT and PLGA nanospheres is explained through spectroscopic and molecular dynamics analysis. PLGA-MATPM nanospheres show neurodegenerative recovery by suppressing the growth of neuroblastoma cells and effectively cross the blood-brain barrier.
BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xiaohui Huang, Changwang Wang, Li Zheng, Lei Ren, Tao Jin, Zeqing Yu, Yanxia Tang
Summary: This study conducted a meta-analysis to examine the association between the rs4680 polymorphism in the COMT gene and OUD. The results showed a significant association between rs4680 and OUD in Asians, but no association in Caucasians.
GENETIC TESTING AND MOLECULAR BIOMARKERS
(2022)