Editorial: The CB2 cannabinoid system: A new strategy in neurodegenerative disorder and neuroinflammation

Editorial for Frontiers journal without abstrac

Why PB28 Could Be a Covid 2019 Game Changer?

PB28, a cyclohexylpiperazine derivative, could be a potential strategy for Covid 19 because in a recent study it has been found more active than hydroxychloroquine without interaction with cardiac proteins. PB28 has been designed, developed, and biologically evaluated in the past decade in our research group. A possible mechanism to explain its surprising anti-COVID-19 activity is suggested

Sigma-2 Receptors as Potential Novel Biomarkers During the Progression of Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH) into Prostate Cancer

Abstract: BPH could be considered the most common benign tumor for men between 60 and 75 years of age. PSA is an unsatisfactory biomarker to define BPH progression to cancer. Recently, sigma-2 receptors have been recognized in several prostate cancer cell lines such as PC-3, DU-145 and LNCaP. It is reported that, in some cases, BPH could progress to malignancy and this progression can not easily be monitored by biomarkers such as PSA. In this paper we investigated 10 specimens from TURP, finding overexpression of sigma-2 receptors in two of these specimens (specimen 1 and 2) accompanied by 4 ng/mL PSA values. We hypothesize that the presence of sigma-2 receptors is related to a BPH progressing in prostate cancer. A possible correlation between sigma-2 receptors and PSA values could be useful to identify this pathological progression

Induced expression of P-gp and BCRP transporters on brain endothelial cells using transferrin functionalized nanostructured lipid carriers:A first step of a potential strategy for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease

P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (BCRP) are two transporters expressed in human neural stem/progenitor cells and at the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) level with decreased activity in the early stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Both proteins, have a protective role for the embryonic stem cells in the early developmental step, maintaining them in an undifferentiated state, and limit the access of exogenous and endogenous agents to the brain. Recently, MC111 selected from a P-gp/BCRP ligands library was investigated as multitarget strategy for AD treatment, considering its ability to induce the expression and activity of both proteins. However, MC111 clinical use could be limited for the ubiquitous physiological expression of efflux transporters and its moderate toxicity towards endothelial cells. Therefore, a selective MC111 delivery system based on nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) functionalized with transferrin were developed. The results proved the formation of NLC with average size about 120 nm and high drug encapsulation efficiency (EE% greater than 50). In vitro studies on hCMEC/D3 cells revealed that the MC111 was selectively released by NLC at BBB level and then inducing the activity and expression of BCRP and P-gp, involved in the clearance of amyloid p peptide on brain endothelial cells

Sugar-based bactericides targeting phosphatidylethanolamine-enriched membranes

Free PMC Article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6242839/Anthrax is an infectious disease caused by Bacillus anthracis, a bioterrorism agent that develops resistance to clinically used antibiotics. Therefore, alternative mechanisms of action remain a challenge. Herein, we disclose deoxy glycosides responsible for specific carbohydrate-phospholipid interactions, causing phosphatidylethanolamine lamellar-to-inverted hexagonal phase transition and acting over B. anthracis and Bacillus cereus as potent and selective bactericides. Biological studies of the synthesized compound series differing in the anomeric atom, glycone configuration and deoxygenation pattern show that the latter is indeed a key modulator of efficacy and selectivity. Biomolecular simulations show no tendency to pore formation, whereas differential metabolomics and genomics rule out proteins as targets. Complete bacteria cell death in 10 min and cellular envelope disruption corroborate an effect over lipid polymorphism. Biophysical approaches show monolayer and bilayer reorganization with fast and high permeabilizing activity toward phosphatidylethanolamine membranes. Absence of bacterial resistance further supports this mechanism, triggering innovation on membrane-targeting antimicrobials.The European Union is gratefully acknowledged for the support of the project “Diagnostic and Drug Discovery Initiative for Alzheimer’s Disease” (D3i4AD), FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IAPP, GA 612347. We thank the Management Authorities of the European Regional Development Fund and the National Strategic Reference Framework for the support of the Incentive System - Research and Technological Development Co-Promotion FACIB Project number 21457. Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia is also acknowledged for the support of projects UID/Multi/00612/2013, FCT/UID/ Multi/04046/2013, IF/00808/2013/CP1159/CT0003, PTDC/BBBBQB/6071/2014, as well as for the post-doc grant SFRH/BPD/42567/2007 (A.M.), the Ph.D. grants SFRH/BDE/51998/2012 (C.D.), and SFRH/BDE/51957/2012 (J.P.P.), both co-sponsored by CIPAN, and also for the Ph.D. grant SFRH/BD/116614/2016 (R.N.).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

New Strategies to Overcome Resistance to Chemotherapy and Immune System in Cancer

MultiDrug resistance (MDR) is a complex phenomenon responsible for multiple cross-resistance towards structurally unrelated drugs and it characterizes almost 70% of solid and haematological tumours at the diagnosis [...

Exploring prospects of β3-adrenoceptor agonists and inverse agonists for colon motility control

Inverse agonists are useful active ingredient of drugs clinically used to treat diseases mainly involving receptors endowed with nonendogenous agonist induced activity (constitutive or basal activity). SP-1e and SP-1g are the first two potent and highly selective β3-adrenoceptor inverse agonists [EC50=181 nM (IA=- 64%) and 136 nM (IA=-73%), respectively], which their peculiar activity seems due to the absolute configurations of the two stereogenic centres present in each molecule. Rat proximal colon motility measurements allowed their further pharmacological characterization and pA2 values determination by Schild analysis (7.89 and 8.16, respectively). The purpose of our work is a further characterization of our novel β3-adrenoceptor agonists (SP-1a-d, SP-1f,1h) and inverse agonists (SP-1e and SP1g) on rat proximal colon motility and a confirmation of their inverse agonist nature in a more complex system like the functional test on rat proximal colon. Male Wistar rats segment of the proximal colon were placed in organ baths containing Krebs solution. Muscle tension was recorded isotonically. Cumulative β3-AR agonists doses experiments were performed for each test compound: isoprenaline, BRL37344, SP-1a-d, SP-1f and SP-1h were dissolved in Krebs. The EC50 values of each agonists and pA2 of inverse agonists were determined. SP-1a-d, SP-1f and SP-1h in rat colon have a muscle relaxing effect thus confirming their partial agonist activity found in CHO-K1 cell line. SP-1e and SP-1g behaved as antagonists with pA2 values of 7.89 and 8.16, espectively. In conclusion, experiments carried out by using isolated rat proximal colon allowed us to determine the pA2 values of the two β3-AR inverse agonists and add knowledge on the behavior of a novel set of compounds and their possible value as agents useful whenever is necessary to also control the colon motility