Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Jessica A. Collins, Neil Osheroff
Summary: 1,2-Naphthoquinone, a secondary metabolite of naphthalene found in diesel exhaust particles, is an environmental pollutant that displays cytotoxic and genotoxic effects. It acts as a covalent poison of human topoisomerase II enzymes, increasing double-stranded DNA scission, potentially by blocking ligation via interactions at the enzyme-DNA interface.
CHEMICAL RESEARCH IN TOXICOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Suhaila O. Alhaj-Suliman, Youssef W. Naguib, Emad I. Wafa, Sanjib Saha, Kareem Ebeid, Xiangbing Meng, Hamada H. Mohammed, Gamal El-Din A. Abuo-Rahma, Shujie Yang, Aliasger K. Salem
Summary: Dysfunction of p53 gene and presence of MDR1 gene are associated with many malignant tumors, including endometrial cancer, and contribute to drug resistance. A new ciprofloxacin derivative, CIP2b, in combination with taxanes, showed synergistic cytotoxic effects against endometrial cancer cells with MDR1 expression and loss-of-function p53. CIP2b targets multiple pathways and enhances the effects of paclitaxel on microtubule assembly.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Joyce H. Lee, Eric P. Mosher, Young-Sam Lee, Namandje N. Bumpus, James M. Berger
Summary: Topoisomerase II is crucial for disentangling newly replicated chromosomes and its activity is regulated by the TCA cycle. TCA metabolites have been found to stimulate topo II activity in vitro and modulate cellular sensitivity to anti-topo II drugs in vivo. This discovery reveals an unexpected link between DNA topology control and cellular metabolism, with implications for clinical use of antitopo II therapies.
CELL CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Amanda Lyons, James Kirkham, Kevin Blades, David Orr, Elizabeth Dauncey, Oliver Smith, Emma Dick, Rolf Walker, Teresa Matthews, Adam Bunt, Jonathan Finlayson, Ian Morrison, Victoria J. Savage, Emmanuel Moyo, Hayley S. Butler, Rebecca Newman, Nicola Ooi, Andrew Smith, Cedric Charrier, Andrew J. Ratcliffe, Neil R. Stokes, Stuart Best, Anne-Marie Salisbury, Mark Craighead, Ian R. Cooper
Summary: There is an urgent need for novel antibiotic drugs to treat infections caused by antibiotic-resistant pathogens. The identified novel series of bicyclic-oxazolidinone inhibitors of bacterial type II topoisomerase show potent broad-spectrum anti-bacterial activity, including against multidrug-resistant strains, and have a promising in vitro safety profile.
BIOORGANIC & MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sahdeo Prasad, Dan DuBourdieu, Ajay Srivastava, Prafulla Kumar, Rajiv Lall
Summary: Curcumin, an active compound in turmeric, has various pharmacological properties, but its effectiveness is limited by its nature. Metal-curcumin complexes have been developed to enhance solubility and absorption, showing positive effects against chronic diseases.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Filomena Mottola, Marianna Santonastaso, Concetta Iovine, Cristina Rossetti, Valentina Ronga, Lucia Rocco
Summary: The study demonstrated that alpha-lipoic acid and curcumin have the ability to protect the genetic material of amniocytes, reducing genotoxic damage caused by oxidative stress.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hamada H. H. Mohammed, Samar H. Abbas, Alaa M. Hayallah, Gamal El-Din A. Abuo-Rahma, Yaser A. Mostafa
Summary: A novel series of urea-linked ciprofloxacin-chalcone hybrids 3a-j showed significant antiproliferative activities against colon cancer and leukemia cells, making them potential candidates for further optimization as antitumor agents.
BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Xiaohong Yang, Zhi-Peng Wang, Sichuan Xiang, Daoqiang Wang, Yi Zhao, Dong Luo, Yanfei Qiu, Chao Huang, Jian Guo, Yuanwei Dai, Shao-Lin Zhang, Yun He
Summary: A library of novel CAA analogues was synthesized, among which compound F16 exhibited superior water solubility and antiproliferative activities compared to CAA. Mechanism studies confirmed that F16 acted as a dual Topo I and II poison and displayed potent antiproliferative activities against high Topo I and II expression cell lines. In xenograft models, F16 reduced tumor growth without apparent effect on mouse weight, making it a promising lead for the development of novel dual Topo I and II antitumor agents.
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xiaomei Zhang, Liu Liu, Jianming Luo, Xichun Peng
Summary: This study compared the anti-aging activities of different in vitro fungal polysaccharides fermented by human feces on Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). The results showed that fermented Lanmaoa asiatica polysaccharides (FLAP) and Hohenbuehelia serotina polysaccharides (FHSP) exhibited the best anti-aging activities. Beneficial bacteria (Romboutsia and Weissella) and metabolites with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immune-protective effects were found to be positively correlated and enriched in FLAP and FHSP. These findings suggest that the anti-aging potency of the fermented polysaccharides is related to the metabolites produced by specific bacteria during fermentation.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hua Zhang, Nan Zhang, Wei Zhou, Xujia Zeng, Xiao Wang, Meixiao Zhan, Weiguo Xu, Yue Huang, Ligong Lu, Zhizhong Li, Yunfei Gao
Summary: This study revealed the widespread presence of NEOs and their metabolites in paired saliva and periodontal blood samples from South China, with males displaying lower levels compared to females. The S/PB ratios of NEOs and their metabolites were higher than 1, indicating easy excretion via saliva. Additionally, exposure to NEOs and their metabolites was associated with oxidative stress as indicated by the positive correlations with 8-OHdG concentrations in saliva and periodontal blood.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Amanpreet Kaur, Weifeng Lin, Vladyslav Dovhalyuk, Lena Driutti, Maria Letizia Di Martino, Miroslav Vujasinovic, J. -Matthias Lohr, Mikael E. Sellin, Daniel Globisch
Summary: Sulfur is essential for life, and thiol-containing metabolites play a crucial role in regulating biological processes. However, the analysis of these compounds is challenging due to a lack of specific tools. In this study, a new methodology using bicyclobutane was developed for the selective capture and investigation of thiol-containing metabolites in human plasma, fecal samples, and bacterial cultures. The mass spectrometric analysis detected a wide range of thiol-containing metabolites, including reactive sulfur species, highlighting the importance of this comprehensive methodology for discovering bioactive metabolites in humans and the microbiome.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jaeyoon Lee, Meiling Wu, James T. Inman, Gundeep Singh, Seong ha Park, Joyce H. Lee, Robert M. Fulbright, Yifeng Hong, Joshua Jeong, James M. Berger, Michelle D. Wang
Summary: This study examines the efficiency and torsional dependence of topoisomerase II on DNA and chromatin using multiple single-molecule approaches. The results show that topoisomerase II is more efficient on buckled DNA and chromatin, with its relaxation ability decreasing with diminishing torsion. The study also highlights the major stimulant role of chromatin in topoisomerase II function.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Review
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Hajar Heidari, Mehrnaz Shojaei, Gholamreza Askari, Muhammed Majeed, Mohammad Bagherniya, George E. Barreto, Amirhossein Sahebkar
Summary: Migraine is a neurovascular condition that affects about 15% of the global population. The exact pathophysiology and etiology of migraine are still unclear, but oxidative stress, inflammation, and neuroendocrine imbalances are identified as critical risk factors. Curcumin, extracted from turmeric, shows promise in preventing and controlling migraine due to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, antiprotein aggregate, and analgesic effects. More studies are needed to fully understand the efficacy of curcumin on clinical symptoms of migraine and its potential mechanisms.
BIOMEDICINE & PHARMACOTHERAPY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Daiane Manica, Gilnei Bruno da Silva, Alana Patricia da Silva, Filomena Marafon, Sarah Franco Vieira de Oliveira Maciel, Margarete Dulce Bagatini, Marcelo Moreno
Summary: Curcumin inhibits migration and promotes apoptosis in SK-MEL-28 cells, while increasing oxidative stress levels.
CELL BIOCHEMISTRY AND FUNCTION
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Eliana Jardim Fernandes, Elize Aparecida Santos Musachio, Luana Barreto Meichtry, Dieniffer Espinosa Janner, Franciele Romero Machado Balok, Magna Sotelo Barrientos, Nathalie Savedra Gomes, Ketnne Hanna Poleto Pinto, Mustafa Munir Mustafa Dahleh, Andrieli Rodrigues, Sandra Elisa Haas, Silvana Peterini Boeira, Marina Prigol, Gustavo Petri Guerra
Summary: We investigated the potential toxic effects of chronic exposure to free curcumin and curcumin-loaded nanocapsules in Drosophila melanogaster, demonstrating the safe applications of nanoencapsulated curcumin.
FOOD AND CHEMICAL TOXICOLOGY
(2023)