We recently reported that chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells synthesize and release vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. CLL B cells also express VEGF membrane receptors (VEGF-R1 and VEGF-R2), suggesting that they use VEGF as a survival factor. To assess the mechanism of apoptosis resistance related to VEGF, we determined the impact of VEGF on C...

New antifungal agents are urgently required to combat life-threatening infections caused by opportunistic fungal pathogens like Candida albicans. The manipulation of endogenous fungal programmed cell death responses could provide a basis for future therapies. Here we assess the physiology of death in C. albicans in response to environmental stresses (acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide) and an an...

This study was aimed to investigate the effects of baicalin (BA), a major flavonoid constituent found in the herb Baikal skullcap, on dendritic cells (DCs). DCs were generated by culturing murine bone marrow (BM) cells for 6 days with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and interleukin (IL)-4, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was added on day 5 to stimulate DCs maturation. The expressi...

This study deals with the design and synthesis of a series of novel 4-methoxy-substituted and 5-methyl-substituted (3'S,4'S)-(-)-cis-khellactones. The newly synthesized compounds were characterized by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), 13C-NMR, mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis. All the derivatives were subjected to in vitro cytotoxicity screening against HEPG-2 (human liver carcinoma...

Oridonin, a diterpenoid isolated from Rabdosia rubescencs, has been reported to have antitumor effects. However, low solubility has limited its clinical applications. Preparation of drugs in the form of nanosuspensions is an extensively utilized protocol. In this study, we investigated the anticancer activity of oridonin and oridonin nanosuspension on human pancreatic carcinoma PANC-1 cells. 3-...

The present study aimed to investigate the ability of SS31, a novel mitochondria‑targeted peptide to protect against t‑BHP‑induced mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis in 661W cell lines. The 661W cells were treated with various concentrations of SS‑31 and an MTT assay was used to determine cell viability. The expression of nitrotyrosine and 8‑hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8‑OHdG) was detected usin...

We examined the relationship between clusterin and activated complement in human heart infarction and evaluated the effect of this protein on ischemic rat neonatal cardiomyoblasts (H9c2) and isolated adult ventricular rat cardiomyocytes as in vitro models of acute myocardial infarction. Clusterin protects cells by inhibiting complement and colocalizes with complement on jeopardized human cardio...

The reliability of eight distinct methods (Giemsa staining, trypan blue exclusion, acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) double staining for fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry, propidium iodide (PI) staining, annexin V assay, TUNEL assay and DNA ladder) for detection and quantification of cell death (apoptosis and necrosis) was evaluated and compared. Each of these methods detects di...

Xiao Jin Wan (XJW) is a well-known traditional Chinese folk-medicine, which is commonly used for the treatment of various types of diseases including cancers. However, the mechanism of the anticancer activity of XJW against U-2OS human osteosarcoma cells, have not yet been reported. In the present study, we investigated the cellular effects of the XJW on the U-2OS human osteosarcoma cell line. ...

Protein oxidation within cells exposed to oxidative free radicals has been reported to occur in an uninhibited manner with both hydroxyl and peroxyl radicals. In contrast, THP-1 cells exposed to peroxyl radicals (ROO(*)) generated by thermo decomposition of the azo compound AAPH showed a distinct lag phase of at least 6 h, during which time no protein oxidation or cell death was observed. Gluta...