| 1. |
- Abbafati, Cristiana, et al.
(author)
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- 2020
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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| 2. |
- Ardalani, Hamidreza, et al.
(author)
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Potential antidiabetic phytochemicals in plant roots : a review of in vivo studies
- 2021
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In: Journal of Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2251-6581. ; 20:2, s. 1837-1854
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Medicinal plants are used to treat various disorders, including diabetes, globally in a range of formulations. While attention has mainly been on the aerial plant parts, there are only a few review studies to date that are focused on the natural constituents present in the plant roots with health benefits. Thus, the present study was performed to review in vivo studies investigating the antidiabetic potential of the natural compounds in plant roots. Methods: We sorted relevant data in 2001–2019 from scientific databases and search engines, including Web of Knowledge, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Medline, Reaxys, and Google Scholar. The class of phytochemicals, plant families, major compounds, active constituents, effective dosages, type of extracts, time of experiments, and type of diabetic induction were described. Results: In our literature review, we found 104 plants with determined antidiabetic activity in their root extracts. The biosynthesis pathways and mechanism of actions of the most frequent class of compounds were also proposed. The results of this review indicated that flavonoids, phenolic compounds, alkaloids, and phytosteroids are the most abundant natural compounds in plant roots with antidiabetic activity. Phytochemicals in plant roots possess different mechanisms of action to control diabetes, including inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes, oxidative stress reduction, secretion of insulin, improvement of diabetic retinopathy/nephropathy, slow the starch digestion, and contribution against hyperglycemia. Conclusion: This review concludes that plant roots are a promising source of bioactive compounds which can be explored to develop against diabetes and diabetes-related complications. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]
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| 3. |
- Koushki, Mehdi, et al.
(author)
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Screening the critical protein subnetwork to delineate potential mechanisms and protective agents associated with arsenic-induced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma: A toxicogenomic study
- 2024
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In: Food and Chemical Toxicology. - 1873-6351 .- 0278-6915. ; 185
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recent studies show that complex mechanisms are involved in arsenic-induced malignant transformation of cells. This study aimed to decipher molecular mechanisms associated with arsenic-induced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) and suggest potential protective factors. RNA-seq-based differentially expressed genes between arsenic-exposed human keratinocytes (HaCaT) and controls were used to construct a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and discover critical subnetwork-based mechanisms. Protective compounds against arsenic toxicity were determined and their target interactions in the core sub-network were identified by the comparative toxicogenomic database (CTD). The binding affinity between the effective factor and target was calculated by molecular docking. A total of 15 key proteins were screened out as critical arsenic-responsive subnetwork (FN1, IL-1A, CCN2, PECAM1, FGF5, EDN1, FGF1, PXDN, DNAJB9, XBP1, ERN1, PDIA4, DNAJB11, FOS, PDIA6) and 7 effective protective agents were identified (folic acid, quercetin, zinc, acetylcysteine, methionine, catechin, selenium). The GeneMANIA predicted detailed interactions of the subnetwork and revealed terms related to unfolded protein response as the main processes. FN1, IL1A and CCN2, as top significant genes, had good docking affinity with folic acid and quercetin, as selected key compounds. Integration of gene expression and protein-protein interaction related to arsenic exposure in cSCC explored the potential mechanisms and protective agents.
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| 4. |
- Pirhaghi, Mitra, et al.
(author)
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Cell-Penetrating Peptides : Promising Therapeutics and Drug-Delivery Systems for Neurodegenerative Diseases
- 2024
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In: Molecular Pharmaceutics. - 1543-8384 .- 1543-8392.
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Currently, one of the most significant and rapidly growing unmet medical challenges is the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). This challenge encompasses the imperative development of efficacious therapeutic agents and overcoming the intricacies of the blood-brain barrier for successful drug delivery. Here we focus on the delivery aspect with particular emphasis on cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), widely used in basic and translational research as they enhance drug delivery to challenging targets such as tissue and cellular compartments and thus increase therapeutic efficacy. The combination of CPPs with nanomaterials such as nanoparticles (NPs) improves the performance, accuracy, and stability of drug delivery and enables higher drug loads. Our review presents and discusses research that utilizes CPPs, either alone or in conjugation with NPs, to mitigate the pathogenic effects of neurodegenerative diseases with particular reference to AD and PD.
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