Colchicine, in low concentrations, inhibits cell division in a wide variety of cell types through an effect which results in dissolution of the spindle (1, p . 62 et seq .) This is especially clearly shown in the work of Inoué (2) . When exposed to sunlight, colchicine undergoes a photochemical rearrangement to give a, ß, and y lumicolchicines (3, 4) (Fig . 1) . There is also evidence that expo...

Bile acid sequestrants have been shown to reduce glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. We previously reported that the bile acid sequestrant colesevelam HCl (Welchol) (COL) induced the release of glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 and improved glycemic control in insulin-resistant rats. In the present study, we tested whether adding sitagliptin (Januvia) (SIT), which prolongs bioactive GL...

Minoxidil (Mx) is a conventional drug for treating androgenetic alopecia, preventing hair loss, and promoting hair growth. The solubility of Mx has been improved using chemical enhancement methods to increase its skin permeability over the long term. This study created a new ultrasound (US) contrast agent-albumin-shelled microbubbles (MBs) that absorb chitosan oligosaccharide lactate (COL) and ...

BACKGROUND Tree bark of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv., (commonly well-known as "Du-zhong" in China), has been used to treat hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, hyperglycemia, hepatic fibrosis and renal injury. This study aims to investigate the effects of lignans extracted from the bark of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. on Ang II-induced proliferation and extracellular matrix biosynthesis in rat mesangial c...

Colchicine binding and pyrene excimer fluorescence of tubulin have been used to identify cysteine residue(s) essential for the colchicine binding activity of the protein. We report here that both the colchicine binding activity and the ability to form pyrene excimers of tubulin decay at an identical rate when the protein ages at 37 degrees C. Glycerol, which stabilizes the colchicine binding si...

The first observations that the alkaloid colchicine affected the growth of neoplastic tissue were made by Dominici.7 He stated that patients with gout and cancer who were receiving colchicine showed a remarkable improvement in health. Amoroso' also noted similar beneficial effects in gouty patients with cancer. He reported complete retrogression of grafted tumors in mice which had received repe...

Colchicine is an alkaloid that is used clinically in the treatment of arthritic gout. This potent microtubule disrupting agent has also been used extensively as an experimental tool in studies characterizing the role of the cytoskeleton in a variety of cellular processes. Colchicine has also been used as a selective neurotoxin and in animal models of Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy. Although t...

The pathologic cardiac remodeling has been widely documented; however, the physiological cardiac remodeling induced by pregnancy and its reversion in postpartum are poorly understood. In the present study we investigated the changes in collagen I (Col I) and collagen III (Col III) mRNA and protein levels in left ventricle from rat heart during pregnancy and postpartum. Col I and Col III mRNA ex...

The present study aimed to investigate the role and mode of action of urotensin II (U II) in the occurrence and progression of cardiac fibrosis in a pressure‑overload rat model. Coarctation of the abdominal aorta was used to establish an animal model, and postoperative echocardiography, hemodynamic detection, hematoxylin and eosin staining, Masson staining and immunohistochemistry were performe...