Polyphenolic antioxidants and neuronal regeneration

Many studies indicate that oxidative stress is involved in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases. Oxidative stress can induce neuronal damages, modulate intracellular signaling and ultimately leads to neuronal death by apoptosis or necrosis. To review antioxidants preventive effects on oxidative stress and neurodegenerative diseases we accumulated data from international medical journals and academic informations' sites. According to many studies, antioxidants could reduce toxic neuronal damages and many studies confirmed the efficacy of polyphenol antioxidants in fruits and vegetables to reduce neuronal death and to diminish oxidative stress. This systematic review showed the antioxidant activities of phytochemicals which play as natural neuroprotectives with low adverse effects against some neurodegenerative diseases as Parkinson or Alzheimer diseases

α:Non-α and Gγ:Aγ globin chain ratios in thalassemia intermedia patients treated with hydroxyurea

<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>To elucidate the possible ways by which hydroxyurea molecules affect globin chain (α or β-like) synthesis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 23 thalassemia intermedia patients (13 male and 10 female) aged between 5 and 26 years were treated for five months with 15 mg/(kg·day) of hydroxyurea. Hemoglobins electrophoresis and globin chain electrophoresis was performed on each sample at different time points before and during the treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Fetal hemoglobin increased significantly in most patients and average episodes of transfusion decreased. Both Gγ and Aγ-globin chains increased significantly and α-globin:Nonα-globin chain as well as Gγ-globin:Aγ globin chains ratios decreased.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Improvement in α:non-α ratio and consequent decrease of free α-globin chain might be the cause of beneficial effects of hydroxyurea therapy. Two patients who felt better didn't show significant increase in their fetal hemoglobin level, and this is in contradiction with the hypothesis claiming that the HbF level increase is the cause of such therapeutic effect. In spite of the unclear mechanism of action of this drug, hydroxyurea therapy had noticeable impacts on thalassemia intermedia and also sickle cell disease and even patients suffering from thalassemia major.</p>

New intracellular and molecular aspects in pathophysiology of colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common malignancy in the world and the second cancer-related death, many molecular and genetic aspects of this disease have been cleared as chromosomal instability and the role of some key proteins as WNT/beta catenin, trypsin and others. Also recently the role of folate turnover and some neurotransmitters as serotonin were also considered. The scope of this review is to describe some details about new molecular pathways suggested for occurrence or progress of this disease

Study of 5 HT[3] and 5 HT[4] receptors expression in HT29 cell line and human colon adenocarcinoma tissues

Serotonin [5HT] has been shown to be a mitogenic factor in several carcinomas. Its mitogenic effect is elicited through a wide range of 5HT receptor subtypes. In this study, the effects of 5HT, 5HT[3] [1-phenylbiguanide hydrochloride] and 5HT[4] [cisapride] agonists in promoting the growth of the HT29 cell line and the growth-inhibition effect of the 5HT[3] receptor antagonist [Y-25130 hydrochloride] and 5HT4 receptor antagonist [RS 23597-190] were investigated. The expressions of 5HT[3] and 5HT[4] receptors in human colon cancer tissues and the HT29 cell line were studied. The growth-promoting and growth-inhibition effects of 5-HT, 5HT[3] and 5HT[4] agonists and antagonists on the HT29 cell line were studied using MTT assay. Receptor expression has been demonstrated by western blotting. The results showed that 5HT, 5HT[3], and 5HT[4] agonists caused significant proliferation of HT29 cells. 5HT[3] and 5HT[4] receptor antagonists had an inhibitory effect on the growth of these cells. Western blot analysis gave bands from colon tissue extracts and the HT29 cell line. The results indicate which 5HT[3] and 5HT[4] receptors are significantly expressed in both colon cancer tissue and the HT29 cell line. Expression for the 5HT[3] receptor is more potent. Furthermore, 5HT plays a mitogenic role in colon cancer cells and antagonists of 5HT[3], and 5HT[4] receptors can inhibit cancer cell growth