The affinity of low density lipoprotein(LDL) to its receptor is very important, because most of LDL-uptake pathway is done by the LDL receptor and the change in size of LDL particle and the modification in its components may affect the LDL affinity for its receptor. In this study, the effects of a powerful lipid-soluble antioxidant “ubiquinol-10” have been investigated on the affinity of LDL to...

BACKGROUND Apoptosis (programmed cell death) occurs in various physiological and pathological conditions, exhibits a characteristic mechanism of intracellular sequential reaction and may be involved in determining clinical outcome. The antioxidant activity of propofol (2,6-diisopropylphenol) together with the stimulating effect of protein kinase C suggests that propofol might have the potential...

Oligodendrocytes, the myelinating cells of the CNS, are highly vulnerable to glutamate excitotoxicity, a mechanism involved in tissue damage in multiple sclerosis. Thus, understanding oligodendrocyte death at the molecular level is important to develop new therapeutic approaches to treat the disease. Here, using microarray analysis and quantitative PCR, we observed that dual-specific phosphatas...

The nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat-containing receptor (NLR) family is a group of intracellular sensors activated in response to harmful stimuli, such as invading pathogens. Some NLR members form large multiprotein complexes known inflammasomes, acting platform for activating the caspase-1-induced canonical inflammatory pathway. inflammasome pathway triggers secretion pro-inflamm...

BACKGROUND VR3848 is a novel cycloheptapeptide, isolated from a Euphorbiaceae plant, which can suppress proliferation of various tumor cells at nanomolar concentration. Due to its novelty and potency, the molecular process of tumor cell growth inhibition was investigated intensively. MATERIALS AND METHODS MCF-7 cells, a caspase-3 deficient cancer cell line, were treated with VR3848. The genet...

Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed non-skin cancer in adult males in North America and is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality. For locally advanced or metastatic disease, androgen deprivation, through medical or surgical castration, is the primary treatment to induce prostate cancer cell death and extend patient survival. However, the vast majority of cancers prog...

On their own, retinoid X receptor (RXR)-selective ligands (rexinoids) are silent in retinoic acid receptor (RAR)-RXR heterodimers, and no selective rexinoid program has been described as yet in cellular systems. We report here on the rexinoid signaling capacity that triggers apoptosis of immature promyelocytic NB4 cells as a default pathway in the absence of survival factors. Rexinoid-induced a...

Pancreatic beta-cell apoptosis is an important feature of islets in type 2 diabetes. Apoptosis can occur through two major pathways, the extrinsic or death receptor mediated pathway, and the intrinsic or Bcl-2-regulated pathway. Hyperglycaemia, hyperlipidaemia and islet amyloid poly-peptide (IAPP) represent important possible causes of increased beta-cell apoptosis. Hyperglycaemia induces islet...

Caspase-8, the proximal enzyme in the death-induction pathway of the TNF/nerve growth factor receptor family, is activated upon juxtaposition of its molecules within the receptor complexes and is then self-processed. Caspase-8 also contributes to the regulation of cell survival and growth, but little is known about the similarities or the differences between the mechanisms of these nonapoptotic...

Epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) remains a highly lethal malignancy. Despite the progress in surgical and therapeutic strategies, resistance to chemotherapy is still a major concern. Cytotoxic therapies mediate killing of cancer cells by activating the intrinsic mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, and p53 status is a key factor in determining the efficacy of apoptotic signaling. The extrinsic (C...