Diabetic retinopathy is characterized by blood-retinal barrier (BRB) breakdown and neurotoxicity. These pathologies have been associated with oxidative stress and proinflammatory cytokines, which may operate by activating their downstream target p38 MAP kinase. In the present study, the protective effects of a nonpsychotropic cannabinoid, cannabidiol (CBD), were examined in streptozotocin-induc...

Malonate, an inhibitor of mitochondrial complex II, is a widely used toxin to study neurodegeneration in Huntington’s disease and ischemic stroke. We have previously shown that malonate increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, leading to oxidative stress, cytochrome-c release, and apoptotic cell death. Expression of a Green Fluorescent Protein-Bax...

It has been shown that thrombopoietin (TPO) amplifies agonist-induced platelet activation. However, the precise mechanism of action of TPO has not yet been fully elucidated. We have previously reported that the adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced phosphorylation of heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) via the p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway correlates with the ADP-induced platelet-d...

Cancer cells express survivin that facilitates tumorigenesis. Celecoxib has been shown to reduce human colorectal cancers. However, the role and regulation of survivin by celecoxib in colorectal carcinoma cells remain unclear. Treatment with 40-80 muM celecoxib for 24 h induced cytotoxicity and proliferation inhibition via a concentration-dependent manner in RKO colorectal carcinoma cells. Cele...

(1) Increased oxidative stress plays a significant role in the etiology of cardiovascular disease. Lipid peroxidation, initiated in the presence of hydroxy radicals resulting in the production of malondialdehyde, directly produces oxidative stress. This study was designed to examine the direct impact of malondialdehyde on ventricular contractile function at the single cardiac myocyte level. Ven...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the potential mechanisms of cell death after the treatment with ceramide. METHODS MTT assay, DNA ladder, reporter assay, FACS and Western blot assay were employed to investigate the potential mechanisms of cell death after the treatment with C2-ceramide. RESULTS A short-time treatment with C2-ceramide induced cell death, which was associated with p38 MAP kinase acti...

Vitamin K3 derivatives have been shown to exert anticancer activities. Here we show a novel vitamin K3 derivative (S)-2-(2-hydroxy-3-methylbutylthio)naphthalene-1,4-dione, which is named as CR108 that induces apoptosis and tumor inhibition through reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial dysfunction in human breast cancer. CR108 is more effective on the breast cancer cell death than othe...

Signaling via p38 MAP kinase has been implicated in the mechanotransduction associated with mechanical stress and ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). However, the critical downstream mediators of alveolar injury remain incompletely defined. We provide evidence that high-tidal volume mechanical ventilation (HVt MV) rapidly activates caspases within the lung, resulting in increased alveolar ce...