Abstract Background Nanoparticles are being increasingly used in biomedical applications owing to their unique physical and chemical properties small size. However, biophysical assessment evaluation of side-effects remain challenging. We addressed this issue by investigating the effects silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles containing rhodamine B isothiocyanate [MNPs@SiO 2 (RITC)] on aspects, su...

Cultured cells possess high-affinity binding sites (receptors) for high density lipoprotein (HDL) that appear to mediate removal of excess intracellular cholesterol from cells. To examine the role of intact HDL apoproteins in receptor-mediated cholesterol removal, HDL3 apoproteins were digested with the proteolytic enzymes trypsin and pronase, and the residual particles were used in sterol effl...

Lipid droplets (LDs) are intracellular organelles that store neutral lipids within cells. Over the last two decades there has been a dramatic growth in our understanding of LD biology and, in parallel, our understanding of the role of LDs in health and disease. In its simplest form, the LD regulates the storage and hydrolysis of neutral lipids, including triacylglycerol and/or cholesterol ester...

Cell membranes are composed of many different lipids and protein receptors, which are important for regulating intracellular functions and cell signaling. To orchestrate these activities, the cell membrane is compartmentalized into microdomains that are stably or transiently formed. These compartments are called "lipid rafts". In gamete cells that lack gene transcription, distribution of lipids...

Chronic abuse of psychoactive drugs produces profound changes in neurotransmitter transporters and receptors, which have been associated with manifestations of many addiction phenotypes such as tolerance/sensitization, dependence and withdrawal (see reviews in [1]). Although the molecular mechanisms underlying psychostimulant-induced changes in transporters and receptors remain elusive, emergin...

Glycerophospholipids have long been recognized as substrates for the formation of important intracellular second messengers. Recently, another class of membrane-associated lipids, sphingolipids, has been identified as potentially important in cell-signaling events. Ceramides, long-chain bases, and sphingosine derivatives may be mediators of cellular growth, differentiation, and programmed death...

Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (CIR) injury is initiated by the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which leads to oxidation cellular proteins, DNA, and lipids as an initial event. The reperfusion process impairs critical cascades that support cell survival, including mitochondrial biogenesis antioxidant enzyme activity. Failure activate prosurvival signals may result in increased neuro...

Chlamydiae are obligate intracellular bacterial pathogens that replicate solely within the confines of a membrane-bound vacuole termed an inclusion. Within this protected organelle, chlamydiae acquire host-cell-derived biosynthetic precursors necessary for intracellular subsistence, yet the mechanisms and pathways responsible for this acquisition remain elusive. The present study identifies an ...