Phycotoxins are monitored in seafood because they can cause food poisonings in humans. Phycotoxins do not only occur singly but also as mixtures in shellfish. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro toxic interactions of binary combinations of three lipophilic phycotoxins commonly found in Europe (okadaic acid (OA), yessotoxin (YTX) and azaspiracid-1 (AZA-1)) using the neutral red up...

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a serious global problem, and present therapeutics are inadequate to cure HCV infection. In the present study, various antiviral assays show that As2O3 at submicromolar concentrations is capable of inhibiting HCV replication. The 50% effective concentration (EC50) of As2O3 required to inhibit HCV replication was 0.35 microM when it was determined by a reporter-based H...

Some of the largest improvements in clinical outcomes for patients with solid cancers observed over the past 3 decades have been from concurrent treatment with chemotherapy and radiotherapy (RT). The lethal effects of RT on cancer cells arise primarily from damage to DNA. Ruthenium (Ru) is a transition metal of the platinum group, with potentially less toxicity than platinum drugs. We postulate...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of clindamycin and metronidazole to synergize with natural antimicrobials against biofilms of bacterial vaginosis (BV)-associated Gardnerella vaginalis. Minimum bactericidal concentrations for biofilm cells (MBCs-B) were determined for each antimicrobial. The MBCs-B of lauramide arginine ethyl ester (LAE), subtilosin, clindamycin and metroni...

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of lapatinib, a selective inhibitor of EGFR/HER2 tyrosine kinases, on pancreatic cancer cell lines both alone and in combination with chemotherapy. Two cell lines, BxPc-3 and HPAC, displayed the greatest sensitivity to lapatinib (IC50< 2 μM). Lapatinib also demonstrated some activity in three KRas mutated pancreatic cancer cell lines which dis...

Trastuzumab (Herceptin) is an effective treatment in patients with HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer. Risk of trastuzumab-induced cardiotoxicity raises concerns regarding combined use with anthracyclines or other potentially cardiotoxic agents following anthracycline treatment. We characterized interactions between trastuzumab and gemcitabine (Gemzar) and the combination of gemcitabi...

BACKGROUND Since miltefosine monotherapy against visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by Leishmania donovani has been discontinued in the Indian subcontinent due to an increase in the number of treatment failures, single dose liposomal amphotericin B is now advocated as a treatment option of choice. Paromomycin-miltefosine combination therapy can be used as substitute first-line treatment in regi...

This study was designed to investigate the antimicrobial effects of CDots in combination with other antimicrobial reagents, including H2O2, Na2CO3, and AcOH (acetic acid). CDots were synthesized and passivated with 2,2'-(ethylenedioxy)bis(ethylamine) (EDA). The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of CDots was 64 μg/mL on both Gram negative bacteria E.coli cells and Gram positive bacteria Bac...

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a worldwide health problem causing serious complications, such as liver cirrhosis and hepatoma. Alpha interferon (IFN-alpha) or its polyethylene glycol-modified form combined with ribavirin is the only recommended therapy. However, an alternative therapy is needed due to the unsatisfactory cure rate of the IFN-based therapy. Using a modified reporter...

A series of novel 10-N-substituted acridones, bearing alkyl side chains with tertiary amine groups at the terminal position, were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for the ability to enhance the potency of quinoline drugs against multidrug-resistant (MDR) Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites. A number of acridone derivatives, with side chains bridged three or more carbon atoms apart betwe...