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Journal of Pharmaceutical and... Aug 2024Recently, pharmaceutical research has been focused on the design of new antibacterial drugs with higher selectivity towards several strains. Major issues concern the...
Recently, pharmaceutical research has been focused on the design of new antibacterial drugs with higher selectivity towards several strains. Major issues concern the possibility to obtain compounds with fewer side effects, at the same time effectively overcoming the problem of antimicrobial resistance. Several solutions include the synthesis of new pharmacophores starting from piperazine or morpholine core units. Mass spectrometry-based techniques offer important support for the structural characterization of newly synthesized compounds to design safer and more effective drugs for various medical conditions. Here, two new piperazine derivatives and four new morpholine derivatives were synthesized and structurally characterized through a combined approach of Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) and Linear Trap Quadrupole (LTQ) mass spectrometry. The support of both high-resolution and low-resolution mass spectrometric data namely accurate mass measurements, isotopic distribution and MS spectra, was crucial to confirm the success of the synthesis. These compounds were further evaluated for inhibitory activity against a total of twenty-nine Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria to determine the action spectrum and the antimicrobial effectiveness. Results demonstrated compounds' antimicrobial activity against many tested bacterial species, providing an inhibitory effect linked to different chemical structure and suggesting that the new-synthesized derivatives could be considered as promising antimicrobial agents.
Topics: Morpholines; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Piperazines; Gram-Negative Bacteria; Mass Spectrometry; Gram-Positive Bacteria; Structure-Activity Relationship; Piperazine
PubMed: 38820833
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2024.116202 -
Free Radical Biology & Medicine Aug 2024Despite of yet unknown mechanism, microvascular deposition of oligomeric Tau (oTau) has been implicated in alteration of the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) function in...
Despite of yet unknown mechanism, microvascular deposition of oligomeric Tau (oTau) has been implicated in alteration of the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) function in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains. In this study, we employed an in vitro BBB model using primary mouse cerebral endothelial cells (CECs) to investigate the mechanism underlying the effects of oTau on BBB function. We found that exposing CECs to oTau induced oxidative stress through NADPH oxidase, increased oxidative damage to proteins, decreased proteasome activity, and expressions of tight junction (TJ) proteins including occludin, zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and claudin-5. These effects were suppressed by the pretreatment with Fasudil, a RhoA/ROCK signaling inhibitor. Consistent with the biochemical alterations, we found that exposing the basolateral side of CECs to oTau in the BBB model disrupted the integrity of the BBB, as indicated by an increase in FITC-dextran transport across the model, and a decrease in trans endothelial electrical resistance (TEER). oTau also increased the transmigration of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in the BBB model. These functional alterations in the BBB induced by oTau were also suppressed by Fasudil. Taken together, our findings suggest that targeting the RhoA/ROCK pathway can be a potential therapeutic strategy to maintain BBB function in AD.
Topics: Animals; rho-Associated Kinases; Mice; Blood-Brain Barrier; Endothelial Cells; rhoA GTP-Binding Protein; Signal Transduction; Oxidative Stress; 1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine; tau Proteins; Humans; Alzheimer Disease; Cells, Cultured; Tight Junctions; Zonula Occludens-1 Protein
PubMed: 38815773
DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2024.05.044 -
Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences 2023People living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) are getting older. Age-related comorbidities in PLWH result in polypharmacy and increase the risk for potential...
BACKGROUND/AIM
People living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) are getting older. Age-related comorbidities in PLWH result in polypharmacy and increase the risk for potential drug-drug interactions (pDDIs). This study aimed to evaluate how the rate of pDDIs would change if the treatment of patients receiving different combined antiretroviral therapies (ARTs) were theoretically changed with dolutegravir/lamivudine (DTG+3TC) or cabotegravir/rilpivirine (CAB+RPV).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This study was conducted at the infectious disease outpatient clinic of a university hospital as a follow-up of a previous study. The data of PLWH receiving at least 1 comedication other than antiretrovirals (ARVs) were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. The Drugs.com/Drug Interactions Checker and University of Liverpool HIV Drug Interactions Checker databases were used to identify pDDIs and their severities.
RESULTS
A total of 75 PLWH, of whom 83% were male, with a mean age (± standard deviation) of 46.5 (±12.98) years were included. Polypharmacy was observed in 59 (79%) of the participants; however, with dual ARV options, the probability of polypharmacy was 35 (47%) (p < 0.001). In the Drugs.com database, no significant difference was found in terms of pDDIs between the treatment of current ARTs (64%) and DTG/3TC (%44) (p = 0.06) or CAB/RPV (%64) (p = 0.521). However, in the University of Liverpool database, the current rate of pDDIs (55%) was significantly higher compared to the theoretical treatment of DTG/3TC (40%) (p = 0.029), oral CAB/RPV (48%) (p = 0.003), and injectable CAB/RPV (31%) use (p = 0.006).
CONCLUSION
The results suggest that dual treatment regimens can reduce pDDIs, resulting in better tolerance and probably higher quality of life among PLWH.
Topics: Humans; Drug Interactions; Retrospective Studies; Male; Female; Middle Aged; HIV Infections; Adult; Polypharmacy; Anti-HIV Agents; Lamivudine; Pyridones; Drug Therapy, Combination; Heterocyclic Compounds, 3-Ring; Oxazines; Anti-Retroviral Agents; Piperazines
PubMed: 38813033
DOI: 10.55730/1300-0144.5718 -
Scientific Reports May 2024The relation of antipsychotics with severe Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) outcomes is a matter of debate since the beginning of the pandemic. To date, controversial...
The relation of antipsychotics with severe Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) outcomes is a matter of debate since the beginning of the pandemic. To date, controversial results have been published on this issue. We aimed to prove whether antipsychotics might exert adverse or protective effects against fatal outcomes derived from COVID-19. A population-based retrospective cohort study (January 2020 to November 2020) comprising inpatients (15,968 patients) who were at least 18 years old and had a laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection. Two sub-cohorts were delineated, comprising a total of 2536 inpatients: individuals who either had no prescription medication or were prescribed an antipsychotic within the 15 days preceding hospitalization. We conducted survival and odds ratio analyses to assess the association between antipsychotic use and mortality, reporting both unadjusted and covariate-adjusted results. We computed the average treatment effects, using the untreated group as the reference, and the average treatment effect on the treated, focusing solely on the antipsychotic-treated population. Among the eight antipsychotics found to be in use, only aripiprazole showed a significant decrease in the risk of death from COVID-19 [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.86; 95% CI, 0.79-0.93, multiple-testing adjusted p-value < 0.05]. Importantly, these findings were consistent for both covariate-adjusted and unadjusted analyses. Aripiprazole has been shown to have a differentiated beneficial effect in protecting against fatal clinical outcome in COVID-19 infected individuals. We speculate that the differential effect of aripiprazole on controlling immunological pathways and inducible inflammatory enzymes, that are critical in COVID19 illness, may be associated with our findings herein.
Topics: Humans; Aripiprazole; COVID-19; Male; Female; Antipsychotic Agents; Middle Aged; Retrospective Studies; Aged; SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19 Drug Treatment; Adult; Aged, 80 and over
PubMed: 38811612
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60297-y -
Indian Journal of Pharmacology Mar 2024Sildenafil, a common over-the-counter pill often self-administered at high doses for erectile dysfunction, has been reported to rarely cause prothrombotic events and...
Off-target effect of high-dose sildenafil on adenosine 5'- diphosphate and collagen-induced platelet activation through mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in treated BALB/C mice and in vitro experiments: A preliminary study.
Sildenafil, a common over-the-counter pill often self-administered at high doses for erectile dysfunction, has been reported to rarely cause prothrombotic events and sudden cardiac death in a few case reports. Therefore, we investigated the in vitro and in vivo effect of sildenafil treatment and dosage on platelet activation and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation. BALB/C mice were segregated into four groups, each having four mice each (control, low [3.25 mg/kg], medium [6.5 mg/kg], and high [13 mg/kg] sildenafil), and after the treatment, blood was drawn from each mouse and washed platelets prepared. Washed platelets were incubated with CD41 PE-Cy7 and Phospho-p38 MAPK PE antibodies and analyzed using a flow cytometer for platelet activation and adenosine 5'- diphosphate (ADP)/collagen-induced MAPK phosphorylation. Washed platelets obtained from the venous blood of 18 human volunteers, were incubated with PAC-1 FITC and Phospho-p38 MAPK PE antibodies, and platelet activation (ADP and collagen), followed by flow cytometry analysis. There was a significant increase in both platelet activation as well as MAPK phosphorylation in the presence of collagen in the high-dose (13 mg/kg) sildenafil group (P = 0.000774). Further, increased platelet activation was observed in samples that were treated with high-dose sildenafil as compared to the untreated samples (P < 0.00001). These studies show the risk of prothrombotic episodes in patients on high-dose sildenafil (100 mg), in those with even mild endothelial dysfunction due to ADP, and collagen-induced platelet activation through MAPK phosphorylation, which was not seen in the low-and intermediate-dose cohorts.
Topics: Animals; Sildenafil Citrate; Platelet Activation; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Male; Humans; Collagen; Mice; Adenosine Diphosphate; Blood Platelets; Phosphorylation; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; MAP Kinase Signaling System; Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Adult
PubMed: 38808925
DOI: 10.4103/ijp.ijp_312_23 -
Acta Oncologica (Stockholm, Sweden) May 2024In this manuscript we describe the academic French multicentric molecular analysis platforms including PROFILER, promoted by Centre Léon Berard, and the multicentric... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
In this manuscript we describe the academic French multicentric molecular analysis platforms including PROFILER, promoted by Centre Léon Berard, and the multicentric personalized medicine trials MOST, MOST Plus and MEGAMOST.
PATIENTS/MATERIAL AND METHODS
MOST, MOST Plus and MEGAMOST comprise 14 cohorts with different targeted agents and immunotherapies.
RESULTS AND INTERPRETATION
PROFILER has recruited 5,991 patients in 10 years, MOST and MOST Plus 875 patients since 2014 and MEGAMOST 172 patients since 2020, and are still ongoing. We provide a description of the local, national and international implications of these initiatives, and we review the results of the sorafenib and olaparib cohorts.
Topics: Humans; Precision Medicine; France; Neoplasms; Sorafenib; Phthalazines; Piperazines; Molecular Targeted Therapy; Clinical Trials as Topic; Immunotherapy; Antineoplastic Agents
PubMed: 38807312
DOI: 10.2340/1651-226X.2024.32745 -
Cell Death & Disease May 2024In ovarian tumors, the omental microenvironment profoundly influences the behavior of cancer cells and sustains the acquisition of stem-like traits, with major impacts...
In ovarian tumors, the omental microenvironment profoundly influences the behavior of cancer cells and sustains the acquisition of stem-like traits, with major impacts on tumor aggressiveness and relapse. Here, we leverage a patient-derived platform of organotypic cultures to study the crosstalk between the tumor microenvironment and ovarian cancer stem cells. We discovered that the pro-tumorigenic transcription factor FOXM1 is specifically induced by the microenvironment in ovarian cancer stem cells, through activation of FAK/YAP signaling. The microenvironment-induced FOXM1 sustains stemness, and its inactivation reduces cancer stem cells survival in the omental niche and enhances their response to the PARP inhibitor Olaparib. By unveiling the novel role of FOXM1 in ovarian cancer stemness, our findings highlight patient-derived organotypic co-cultures as a powerful tool to capture clinically relevant mechanisms of the microenvironment/cancer stem cells crosstalk, contributing to the identification of tumor vulnerabilities.
Topics: Humans; Tumor Microenvironment; Forkhead Box Protein M1; Female; Ovarian Neoplasms; Neoplastic Stem Cells; Cell Line, Tumor; Signal Transduction; YAP-Signaling Proteins; Focal Adhesion Kinase 1; Mice; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Animals; Phthalazines; Piperazines
PubMed: 38806454
DOI: 10.1038/s41419-024-06767-7 -
Pain Physician May 2024Flupentixol and melitracen are being investigated for their potential effectiveness in managing persistent idiopathic facial pain (PIFP), based on their mechanisms of... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
BACKGROUND
Flupentixol and melitracen are being investigated for their potential effectiveness in managing persistent idiopathic facial pain (PIFP), based on their mechanisms of action as dopamine receptor antagonists and noradrenaline/serotonin reuptake inhibitors, respectively. The efficacy and safety of flupentixol and melitracen (FM) tablets in treating PIFP were retrospectively analyzed at our hospital.
OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness and safety of FM tablets in treating PIFP.
STUDY DESIGN
Retrospective unicentric cohort design.
SETTING
An academic university hospital.
METHODS
A retrospective analysis was conducted on a cohort comprising 128 patients with a definite diagnoses of PIFP who were treated with FM tablets (flupentixol 0.5 mg and melitracen 10 mg tablet, >= 4 tablets/d) from January 2022 through May 2023 at an academic university hospital. Baseline conditions were statistically described, and Numeric Rating Scale (NRS-11) scores of pain levels before and during treatment were collected. Pain relief rates were calculated. Differences in baseline characteristics between responsive and unresponsive patients were evaluated using statistical tests. Additionally, the side effects experienced during treatment were summarized.
RESULTS
Among the included 128 patients, 105 (82.0%) patients achieved pain relief (pain NRS-11 score reduction rate >= 50%). The median treatment onset time was 3 (1-7) days. NRS-11 scores of responsive patients at week 2, week 4, week 8, and week 12 were significantly lower than the baseline NRS-11 scores (P < 0.001), regardless of their Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score. Pain duration was the only factor that related to responsiveness (Wilcoxon rank sum test, P < 0.001; logistic regression, P = 0.001). No serious side effects that could affect patients' lives were observed during the first week of treatments.
LIMITATIONS
Due to its retrospective nature, this study is limited by its lack of a randomized control. The lack of data on nonresponders who did not achieve significant pain relief hinders assessing overall change and the placebo effects'. Patients previously treated with antidepressants were excluded, making it hard to determine if FM tablets were a better treatment for PIFP. Additionally, the small sample size in a single center may be influenced by chance variation in pain relief.
CONCLUSIONS
FM tablets showed its potential in the management of PIFP with considerable efficacy and safety. Early administration of FM tablets after a PIFP diagnosis may result in a high possibility of pain relief.
Topics: Humans; Retrospective Studies; Male; Female; Middle Aged; Facial Pain; Adult; Flupenthixol; Tablets; Aged; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 38805533
DOI: No ID Found -
Narra J Apr 2024In Indonesia, malaria remains a problem, with 94,610 active cases in 2021 and its current therapy includes chloroquine and artemisinin; however, resistance has been...
In Indonesia, malaria remains a problem, with 94,610 active cases in 2021 and its current therapy includes chloroquine and artemisinin; however, resistance has been commonly reported. To overcome this problem, studies about potential medicinal plants that can be used as antimalaria, such as moringa () started to receive more attention. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of moringa in parasitemia, monocyte activation, and organomegaly on animal model malaria. This experimental study used male , infected by ANKA, as an animal malaria model. The extract was made by maceration of dry moringa leaves, which were then divided into three concentrations: 25%, 50%, and 75%. Dihydroartemisinin-piperazine was used as a positive control treatment, and distilled water as a negative control treatment. The animals were observed for six days to assess the parasitemia count and the number of monocyte activation. On day 7, the animals were terminated, and the liver, spleen, and kidney were weighed. The results showed that the effective concentrations in reducing parasitemia and inducing monocyte activation were 50% and 25% of moringa leaf extract, respectively. The smallest liver and spleen enlargement was observed among animals within the group treated with a 50% concentration of extract. In contrast, the smallest kidney enlargement was observed in the group treated with 25% of extract. Further analysis is recommended to isolate compounds with antimalarial properties in moringa leaves.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Plasmodium berghei; Plant Extracts; Male; Malaria; Monocytes; Parasitemia; Disease Models, Animal; Antimalarials; Moringa; Moringa oleifera; Plant Leaves; Spleen; Organ Size
PubMed: 38798832
DOI: 10.52225/narra.v4i1.653 -
Epigenetic editing of promoter increases cisplatin and olaparib sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells.Epigenetics Dec 2024Drug resistance is the primary contributor to the high mortality rate of ovarian cancer (OC). The loss of /2 function is linked to drug sensitivity in OC cells. The aim...
Drug resistance is the primary contributor to the high mortality rate of ovarian cancer (OC). The loss of /2 function is linked to drug sensitivity in OC cells. The aim of this study is to enhance the drug sensitivity of OC cells by inducing dysfunction through promoter epigenetic editing. Epigenetic regulatory regions within the promoter, affecting gene expression, were initially discerned through analysis of clinical samples. Subsequently, we designed and rigorously validated epigenetic editing tools. Ultimately, we evaluated the cisplatin and olaparib sensitivity of the OC cells after editing. The promoter contains two CpG-rich regions, with methylation of the region covering the transcription start site (TSS) strongly correlating with transcription and influencing OC development, prognosis, and homologous recombination (HR) defects. Targeting this region in OC cells using our designed epigenetic editing tools led to substantial and persistent DNA methylation changes, accompanied by significant reductions in H3K27ac histone modifications. This resulted in a notable suppression of expression and a decrease in HR repair capacity. Consequently, edited OC cells exhibited heightened sensitivity to cisplatin and olaparib, leading to increased apoptosis rates. Epigenetic inactivation of the promoter can enhance cisplatin and olaparib sensitivity of OC cells through a reduction in HR repair capacity, indicating the potential utility of epigenetic editing technology in sensitization therapy for OC.
Topics: Humans; Cisplatin; Phthalazines; Female; Ovarian Neoplasms; Promoter Regions, Genetic; BRCA1 Protein; Piperazines; Cell Line, Tumor; Epigenesis, Genetic; DNA Methylation; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Gene Editing; Antineoplastic Agents; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
PubMed: 38796857
DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2024.2357518