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The Journal of Chemical Physics Sep 2023
PubMed: 37681692
DOI: 10.1063/5.0170807 -
Journal of the American Academy of... Jul 2023
Topics: Humans; Angioedema; Chronic Disease; Urticaria; Urticaria, Solar
PubMed: 36796725
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaad.2023.01.039 -
Plant, Cell & Environment Nov 2023Plants are constantly exposed to a multitude of external signals, including light. The information contained within the full spectrum of light is perceived by a battery... (Review)
Review
Plants are constantly exposed to a multitude of external signals, including light. The information contained within the full spectrum of light is perceived by a battery of photoreceptors, each with specific and shared signalling outputs. Recently, it has become clear that UV-B radiation is a vital component of the electromagnetic spectrum, guiding growth and being crucial for plant fitness. However, given the large overlap between UV-B specific signalling pathways and other photoreceptors, understanding how plants can distinguish UV-B specific signals from other light components deserves more scrutiny. With recent evidence, we propose that UV-B signalling and other light signalling pathways occur within distinct tissues and cell-types and that the contribution of each pathway depends on the type of response and the developmental stage of the plant. Elucidating the precise site(s) of action of each molecular player within these signalling pathways is key to fully understand how plants are able to orchestrate coordinated responses to light within the whole plant body. Focusing our efforts on the molecular study of light signal interactions to understand plant growth in natural environments in a cell-type specific manner will be a next step in the field of photobiology.
Topics: Signal Transduction; Plants; Light Signal Transduction; Ultraviolet Rays
PubMed: 37554043
DOI: 10.1111/pce.14680 -
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual... Nov 2023The incidence of myopia has rapidly increased in recent decades, making it a growing public health concern worldwide. Interventions to suppress the progression of myopia...
PURPOSE
The incidence of myopia has rapidly increased in recent decades, making it a growing public health concern worldwide. Interventions to suppress the progression of myopia are needed; one suggested strategy is the prevention of choroidal thinning, which can improve choroidal blood perfusion (ChBP). Bunazosin hydrochloride (BH) is an alpha1-adrenergic blocker and commercialized glaucoma eye drop that increases in blood circulation in the eye. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of BH in suppressing the progression of myopia in a lens-induced murine model.
METHODS
Lens-induced myopia was induced in 3-week-old C57BL/6 J mice with -30 diopter (D) lenses for three weeks. Refractive error, axial length, and choroidal thickness were evaluated at three and six weeks of age using an infrared photorefractor and a spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) system. Moreover, ChBP and scleral thickness were evaluated using swept-source OCT and histological analysis.
RESULTS
Compared with the controls, the administration of BH eye drops suppressed the myopic shift of refractive error (mean difference ± standard error in the eye with -30 D lens, -13.65 ± 5.69 D vs. 2.55 ± 4.30 D; P < 0.001), axial elongation (0.226 ± 0.013 mm vs. 0.183 ± 0.023 mm; P < 0.05), choroidal thinning (-2.01 ± 1.80 µm vs. 1.88 ± 1.27 µm; P < 0.001), and scleral thinning (11.41 ± 3.91 µm vs. 19.72 ± 4.01 µm; P < 0.01) with myopia progression and increased ChBP (52.0% ± 4.1% vs. 59.5% ± 6.3%; P < 0.05). The suppressive effect of BH eye drops was dose-dependent and higher than that of other glaucoma eye drops and alpha1 blockers.
CONCLUSIONS
These results demonstrate the potential of BH eye drops in the treatment of myopia and support further investigation of their efficacy in humans. Further studies are needed to determine the mechanism of action and long-term safety of this treatment.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Myopia; Refractive Errors; Glaucoma; Ophthalmic Solutions; Perfusion
PubMed: 37955611
DOI: 10.1167/iovs.64.14.15 -
Histology and Histopathology May 2024Retinal ischemia is a fundamental pathologic condition associated with retinal vascular occlusion, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and... (Review)
Review
Retinal ischemia is a fundamental pathologic condition associated with retinal vascular occlusion, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and other eye diseases. Extensive inflammation, redox imbalance, apoptosis, and abnormal vascular formation in retinal ischemia could lead to visual impairments. Developing or finding effective treatments is urgently needed to protect the eye against retinal ischemia and related damage. To address the demand, we have searched for promising therapeutic molecular targets in the eye (e.g., hypoxia-inducible factor [HIF], peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha [PPARα], and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide [NAD]), and found that modulations of each molecular target might protect the eye against retinal ischemic damage in terms of complex pathologic mechanisms. In the current article, we review and update the therapeutic evidence of modulation of HIF, PPARα, or NAD and discuss future directions for developing promising drugs based on these molecular targets. This summary urges research to obtain more solid evidence of each molecular target in retinal ischemic diseases.
PubMed: 38738342
DOI: 10.14670/HH-18-756 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2023Lysosome-targeting chimeras (LYTACs) have recently been developed to facilitate the lysosomal degradation of specific extracellular and transmembrane molecular targets....
Lysosome-targeting chimeras (LYTACs) have recently been developed to facilitate the lysosomal degradation of specific extracellular and transmembrane molecular targets. However, the LYTAC particles described to date are based on glycopeptide conjugates, which are difficult to prepare and produce on a large scale. Here, we report on the development of pure protein LYTACs based on the non-glycosylated IGF2 peptides, which can be readily produced in virtually any facility capable of monoclonal antibody production. These chimeras utilize the IGF2R/CI-M6PR pathway for lysosomal shuttling and, in our illustrative example, target programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), eliciting physiological effects analogous to immune checkpoint blockade. Results from in vitro assays significantly exceed the effects of anti-PD-L1 antibodies alone.
Topics: Peptides; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Glycopeptides; Membrane Proteins; Lysosomes
PubMed: 38005242
DOI: 10.3390/molecules28227519 -
Micromachines Dec 2023The present work is a review of the research on using hydrogels based on natural biodegradable polymers, starch, and gelatin for enzyme immobilization. This review... (Review)
Review
The present work is a review of the research on using hydrogels based on natural biodegradable polymers, starch, and gelatin for enzyme immobilization. This review addresses the main properties of starch and gelatin that make them promising materials in biotechnology for producing enzyme preparations stable during use and storage and insensitive to chemical and physical impacts. The authors summarize their achievements in developing the preparations of enzymes immobilized in starch and gelatin gels and assess their activity, stability, and sensitivity for use as biorecognition elements of enzyme inhibition-based biosensors.
PubMed: 38138386
DOI: 10.3390/mi14122217 -
Molecular Therapy. Methods & Clinical... Sep 2023Ectopic induction of optogenetic actuators, such as channelrhodopsin, is a promising approach to restoring vision in the degenerating retina. However, the cell...
Ectopic induction of optogenetic actuators, such as channelrhodopsin, is a promising approach to restoring vision in the degenerating retina. However, the cell type-specific response of ectopic photoreception has not been well understood. There are limits to obtaining efficient gene expression in a specifically targeted cell population by a transgenic approach. In the present study, we established a murine model with high efficiency of gene induction to retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and amacrine cells using an improved tetracycline transactivator-operator bipartite system (KENGE-tet system). To investigate the cell type-specific visual restorative effect, we expressed the channelrhodopsin gene into RGCs and amacrine cells using the KENGE-tet system. As a result, enhancement in the visual restorative effect was observed to RGCs and starburst amacrine cells. In conclusion, a photoresponse from amacrine cells may enhance the maintained response of RGCs and further increase or improve the visual restorative effect.
PubMed: 37324975
DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2023.05.011 -
Photochemistry and Photobiology Sep 2023This article is a highlight of the paper by Huang et al. in this issue of Photochemistry and Photobiology. It describes shades of phototoxicity in fluorescent imaging...
This article is a highlight of the paper by Huang et al. in this issue of Photochemistry and Photobiology. It describes shades of phototoxicity in fluorescent imaging agents that are not intended to be phototoxic. Phototoxicity was assessed using a modified neutral red uptake (NRU) in vitro assay with mean photo-effects (MPE) for the fluorescent agents IRdye800, indocyanine green (ICG), proflavine, and methylene blue (MB), with comparisons to known phototoxic agents benzoporphyrin derivative (BPD) and rose bengal (RB). The experimental conditions were aimed to mimic clinical settings, using not only visible light, but also near-infrared light for insight to photosafety and deep tissue damage. Molecular mechanisms underlying the phototoxicities were not sought, but IRdye800 and ICG were mainly deemed to be safe, whereas proflavine and MB would require precautions since phototoxicity can overshadow their utility as fluorescent imaging agents.
PubMed: 37698338
DOI: 10.1111/php.13856 -
Photodermatology, Photoimmunology &... Nov 2023Sunless tanning products have risen in popularity as the desire for a tanned appearance continues alongside growing concerns about the deleterious effects of ultraviolet... (Review)
Review
Sunless tanning products have risen in popularity as the desire for a tanned appearance continues alongside growing concerns about the deleterious effects of ultraviolet radiation exposure from the sun. Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) is a simple carbohydrate found nearly universally in sunless tanning products that serves to impart color to the skin. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates sunless tanning products as cosmetics, allows DHA for external use while maintaining that its ingestion, inhalation, or contact with mucosal surfaces should be avoided. Given its widespread use and a paucity of reviews on its safety, we aim to review the literature on the topical properties and safety profile of DHA. Available data indicate that DHA possesses only minimal to no observable photoprotective properties. In vitro studies suggest that, while DHA concentrations much higher than those in sunless tanning products are needed to induce significant cytotoxicity, even low millimolar, nonlethal concentrations can alter the function of keratinocytes, tracheobronchial cells, and other cell types on a cellular and molecular level. Instances of irritant and allergic contact dermatitis triggered by DHA exposures have also been reported. While no other side effects in humans have been observed, additional studies on the safety and toxicity of DHA in humans are warranted, with a focus on concentrations and frequencies of DHA exposure typically encountered by consumers.
Topics: Humans; Dihydroxyacetone; Ultraviolet Rays; Sunbathing; Cosmetics; Skin Pigmentation
PubMed: 37697919
DOI: 10.1111/phpp.12913