Thrombospondin (TSP) binds to its cellular receptor, CD36 (glycoprotein IV or IIIb), and participates in many adhesive cell interactions. We have shown that the CD36-TSP interaction occurs in a stepwise, conformation-dependent process. CD36 sequence 139-155 binds TSP and induces a second CD36-binding site, which binds CD36 sequence 93-110 with high affinity. To characterize this high affinity C...

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most common complications of diabetes mellitus (DM). However, the exact mechanism is not clearly understood. In this study, our results showed that 24 h urinary protein, kidney index, and glomerular area were decreased, while creatinine clearance ratio was increased in DN rats when the rats were treated with NAR 50 mg/d for 6 weeks. Mesangial cell (MMCs) ...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate cell proliferation and differentiation by silencing gene expression at the post-transcriptional level; moreover, by binding to the complementary sequences within mRNAs in cancer cells, these small non-coding RNA molecules can function as tumor suppressors or oncogenes. Recently, the dysregulation of miRNA expression has been found to be associated with increased tumo...

Starting from theophylline (1,3-dimethylxanthine) new thiazolidin-4-one derivatives 7a₁₋₇, 7b₁₋₇ have been synthesized as potential antidiabetic drugs. The structure of the new derivatives was confirmed using spectral methods (FT-IR, ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR). The in vitro antioxidant potential of the synthesized compounds was evaluated according to the ferric reducing power, the total antioxidant activ...

Dysregulation of micro (mi)RNA-let-7 has been associated with the development and prognosis of multiple cancer types. Lin28, a RNA-binding protein, plays a conserved role in regulating the maturation of let-7 family proteins. However, few studies have focused on the effects of Lin28/let-7 on Wnt-activated esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Analysis of the expression of let-7a, let-7b an...

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Despite the availability of several chemotherapeutic drugs, there is still a great need for more efficient agents for a better management of cancer. In this contribution, a series of 11 DHPs (4a, 4b & 7a-i) were synthesized and evaluated for their cytotoxic effect against MCF-7, LS180, and MOLT-4 cancer cell lines using MTT assay. Synthesized 2,6-di...

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Despite the availability of several chemotherapeutic drugs, there is still a great need for more efficient agents for a better management of cancer. In this contribution, a series of 11 DHPs (4a, 4b & 7a-i) were synthesized and evaluated for their cytotoxic effect against MCF-7, LS180, and MOLT-4 cancer cell lines using MTT assay. Synthesized 2,6-di...

A series of iminopyridine ligated Co(II) (1a–7a) and Ni(II) (1b–7b) complexes were synthesized. The structures of complexes 3a, 4a, 5a, 7a, 5b, and 6b were determined by X-ray crystallographic analyses. Complex 3a formed a chloro-bridged dimer, whereas 4a, 5a, and 7a, having a substituent (4a, 5a: CH3; 7a: Br) at the 6-position of pyridine, producing the solid structures with a single ligand co...

Among nine strains of rat, two were found that responded to phenobarbital treatment with increased activity of hepatic cholesterol 7a-hydroxylase. This effect was maximal after 2-3 days of treatment and was then reduced. Interestingly the increased cholesterol 7a-hydroxylase activity was associated with increased activity of hepatic HMG-CoA reductase in the two responding strains but not in the...