OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the pharmacokinetics (PKs) and safety of a newly developed β-lapachone (MB12066) tablet, a natural NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) substrate, in healthy male volunteers. METHODS In a randomized, double-blind, multiple-dose, two-treatment study, 100 mg MB12066 or placebo was given twice daily for 8 days to groups of eight or three fasted healthy male subj...

Natural products comprise valuable sources for new antiparasitic drugs. Here we tested the effects of a novel β-lapachone derivative on Trypanosoma cruzi parasite survival and proliferation and used microscopy and cytometry techniques to approach the mechanism(s) underlying parasite death. The selectivity index determination indicate that the compound trypanocidal activity was over ten-fold mor...

1 Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco (U.N.P.S.J.B.) Km 4, Comodoro Rivadavia, (9000) Chubut, Argentina. 2 Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Universidad Nacional de San Luis (U.N.S.L.), Chacabuco 917, (5700) San Luis, Argentina. 3 Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Farmacognosia, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Suipacha 5...

Normal tissue architecture is disrupted following injury, as resident tissue cells become damaged and immune cells are recruited to the site of injury. While injury and inflammation are critical to tissue remodeling, the inability to resolve this response can lead to the destructive complications of chronic inflammation. In the pancreas, acinar cells of the exocrine compartment respond to injur...

The selective activity of an antineoplastic drug is related to its ability promote cytotoxic action on tumor cells and preserve the integrity non-neoplastic cells. Beta-lapachone extracted from sawdust Ipe wood, a thick bark tree wood found in Brazilian Cerrado biome. This study aimed evaluate beta-lapachone endothelial cell line. EA.hy926 were seeded two groups, G1 G2, cultured exposed at conc...

The liver has a finite capacity for regeneration. In mice, removal of 70% of the liver (partial resection) is tolerated but 85% removal (massive resection) is often fatal. Cataldegirmen et al. show on page 473 that blocking RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation end products) allows massively resected mice to survive and regain liver function. Previous studies in mice suggested that recovery aft...

The liver has a finite capacity for regeneration. In mice, removal of 70% of the liver (partial resection) is tolerated but 85% removal (massive resection) is often fatal. Cataldegirmen et al. show on page 473 that blocking RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation end products) allows massively resected mice to survive and regain liver function. Previous studies in mice suggested that recovery aft...

Retinal neovascularization in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is the most common cause of blindness for children. Despite evidence that hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1α -VEGF axis is associated with the pathogenesis of ROP, the inhibitors of HIF-1α have not been established as a therapeutic target in the control of ROP pathophysiology. We investigated the hypothesis that degradation of HIF-1α...

Nontuberculous mycobacteria are ubiquitous and saprophytic organisms that have been implicated in a wide spectrum of diseases due to an increasing number of immunocompromised patients. The natural resistance of atypical mycobacteria to classical antituberculous drugs has encouraged research into new chemotherapeutic agents and drug combinations. The aim of this study was to determine the in vit...

Identifying the initiation signals for tissue regeneration in vertebrates is one of the major challenges in regenerative biology. Much of the research thus far has indicated that certain growth factors have key roles. Here we show that complement fragment C3a is sufficient to induce complete regeneration of the embryonic chick retina from stem/progenitor cells present in the eye, independent of...