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The role of nitric oxide (NO) in tumour progression and metastasis is not clear, therefore the present work aimed to better characterise the effects of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibition by L-Nω -nitroarginine methyl ester (L-NAME) on primary tumour growth, pulmonary metastasis, inflammatory state and prostacyclin (PGI2)/thromboxane A2 (TXA2) balance in a 4T1 murine model of breast cancer. To distinguish effects of NO deficiency on disease development, 4T1 cancer cells were administered orthotopically or intravenously to Balb/c mice. The systemic NO bioavailability, pulmonary inflammation and plasma levels of thromboxane B2 (TXB2) and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1α (6-keto-PGF1α ) were assessed. The study shows that, in the orthotopic model of 4T1 breast cancer, L-NAME hampered primary tumour growth, reduced pulmonary metastases, delayed inflammatory response but did not alter biosynthesis of TXB2 and 6- keto-PGF1α as well as PGI2/TXA2 ratio in cancer-bearing mice. Interestingly, in the intravenous model of 4T1 breast cancer, NOS inhibition did not influence metastasis nor inflammation, but it increased both TXB2 and 6-keto-PGF1α biosynthesis without affecting PGI2/TXA2 ratio. In conclusion, in a 4T1 murine model of metastatic breast cancer, NO plays a major role in primary tumour development, while NO is not the key mediator of cancer cell extravasation to the lungs. Furthermore, NO-deficiency activates a PGI2-dependent compensatory mechanism only in the intravenous model of 4T1 breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bacteriophage F8 belongs to the Myoviridae group of phages and is a pathogen of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Since Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a multidrug-resistant opportunistic bacterium and can cause serious challenges for health services, studying the potential use of phages against them is a promising approach. Pseudomonas aeruginosa can be found on medical devices because bacteria can attach to surfaces and develop biofilms, which are difficult to eradicate because of their high resistance to environmental conditions and antimicrobial therapeutics. Phage therapy is becoming promising as an alternative for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant infections, but there is still a lack of standardized protocols approved by health organizations for possible use in the clinic. In our research, we focused on the potential use of 1-octanol, which was previously used by our team to develop a method for phage purification from bacterial lysate. 1-octanol is a fatty alcohol that is mostly used in the cosmetics industry, and its advantage is that it is approved by the FDA as a food additive. In this paper, we studied the protective properties of the addition of 1-octanol for storing phage liquid preparations. We demonstrated the stabilization effect of 1-octanol addition on F8 bacteriophage preparation during storage under various conditions. Interestingly, more effective biofilm reduction was observed after treatment with the purified bacteriophage and with 1-octanol addition compared to crude lysate., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: The main objective of the present work was to assess the utility of KA-104 as potential therapy for drug-resistant seizures and neuropathic pain, and to characterize its druglike properties in a series of absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity (ADME-Tox) studies. We also aimed to establish its mechanism of action in electrophysiological studies., Methods: The activity of KA-104 against drug-resistant seizures was tested in the mouse 6-Hz (44-mA) model, whereas the antinociceptive activity was assessed with the capsaicin- and oxaliplatin-induced pain models in mice. The patch-clamp technique was used to study the influence of KA-104 on fast voltage-gated sodium currents in rat prefrontal cortex pyramidal neurons. The pharmacokinetic profile was determined after intraperitoneal (ip) injection in mice. The in vitro ADME-Tox properties were studied by applying routine testing procedures., Results: KA-104 was effective in the 6-Hz (44-mA) model (median effective dose [ED 50 ] = 73.2 mg/kg) and revealed high efficacy in capsaicin-induced neurogenic pain as well as in oxaliplatin-induced neuropathic pain in mice. Patch-clamp technique showed that KA-104 reversibly inhibits voltage-gated sodium currents. KA-104 was rapidly absorbed after the ip injection and showed relatively good penetration through the blood-brain barrier. This molecule was also characterized by high passive permeability, moderate influence on CYP2C9, and negligible hepatotoxicity on HepG2 cells., Significance: The results reported herein indicate that KA-104 is a new wide-spectrum multitargeted anticonvulsant with favorable in vitro ADME-Tox properties. Importantly, this compound may also prove to become an interesting and hopefully more effective therapeutic option for treatment of neuropathic pain., (© 2020 International League Against Epilepsy.)

HD1 and HD22 are two of the most-studied aptamers binding to thrombin exosite I and exosite, respectively. To complete of their pharmacological profiles, the effects of HD1 and HD22 on thrombin-, ristocetin-, and collagen-induced human platelet aggregation, on thrombin generation and fibrin formation in human plasma, as well as on thrombus formation in human whole blood under flow conditions were assessed. The dissociation constants for HD1 and HD22 complexes with thrombin in simulated plasma ionic buffer were also evaluated. HD1 was more potent than HD22 in terms of inhibiting thrombin-induced platelet aggregation in platelet-rich plasma (PRP; 0.05-3 μM) and in washed platelets (WPs; 0.005-3 μM): approximately 8.31% (±6.99% SD) and 89.53% (±11.38% SD) for HD1 (0.5 μM) and HD22 (0.5 μM), respectively. Neither HD1 nor HD22 (3 μM) did influence platelets aggregation induced by collagen. Both of them inhibited ristocetin-induced aggregation in PRP. Surprisingly, HD1 and HD22 aptamers (3 μM) potentiated ristocetin-induced platelet aggregation in WP. HD1 reduced thrombin generation in a concentration-dependent manner [ETP at 3 μM: 1677.53 ± 55.77 (nM⋅min) vs. control 2271.71 ± 423.66 (nM⋅min)], inhibited fibrin formation (lag time at 3 μM: 33.70 min ± 8.01 min vs. control 7.91 min ± 0.91 min) and reduced thrombus formation under flow conditions [AUC 30 at 3 μM: 758.30 ± 344.23 (kPa⋅min) vs. control 1553.84 ± 118.03 (kPa⋅min)]. HD22 (3 μM) also delayed thrombin generation but increased the thrombin peak. HD22 (3 μM) shortened the lag time of fibrin generation (5.40 min ± 0.26 min vs. control 7.58 min ± 1.14 min) but did not modify thrombus formation (3, 15 μM). K d values for the HD1 complex with thrombin was higher (257.8 ± 15.0 nM) than the K d for HD22 (97.6 ± 2.2 nM). In conclusion, HD1 but not HD22 represents a potent anti-thrombotic agent, confirming the major role of exosite I in the action of thrombin. HD22 aptamer blocking exosite II displays weaker anti-platelet and anti-coagulant activity, with surprising activating effects on thrombin and fibrin generation most likely induced by HD22-induced allosteric changes in thrombin dynamic structure.

The role of nitric oxide (NO) in tumour progression and metastasis is not clear, therefore the present work aimed to better characterise the effects of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibition by L-N ω -nitroarginine methyl ester (L-NAME) on primary tumour growth, pulmonary metastasis, inflammatory state and prostacyclin (PGI 2 )/thromboxane A 2 (TXA 2 ) balance in a 4T1 murine model of breast cancer. To distinguish effects of NO deficiency on disease development, 4T1 cancer cells were administered orthotopically or intravenously to Balb/c mice. The systemic NO bioavailability, pulmonary inflammation and plasma levels of thromboxane B 2 (TXB 2 ) and 6-keto-prostaglandin F 1α (6-keto-PGF 1α ) were assessed. The study shows that, in the orthotopic model of 4T1 breast cancer, L-NAME hampered primary tumour growth, reduced pulmonary metastases, delayed inflammatory response but did not alter biosynthesis of TXB 2 and 6-keto-PGF 1α as well as PGI 2 /TXA 2 ratio in cancer-bearing mice. Interestingly, in the intravenous model of 4T1 breast cancer, NOS inhibition did not influence metastasis nor inflammation, but it increased both TXB 2 and 6-keto-PGF 1α biosynthesis without affecting PGI 2 /TXA 2 ratio. In conclusion, in a 4T1 murine model of metastatic breast cancer, NO plays a major role in primary tumour development, while NO is not the key mediator of cancer cell extravasation to the lungs. Furthermore, NO-deficiency activates a PGI 2 -dependent compensatory mechanism only in the intravenous model of 4T1 breast cancer.

The thermodynamic acid dissociation constants (pK a1 and pK a2 ) of 16 anthracycline antibiotics, including doxorubicin (DOX) and daunorubicin (DAU), their epimers, epidoxorubicin (EDOX) and epidaunorubicin (EDAU), as well as novel anthracycline derivatives containing piperidine (FPIP), morpholine (FMOR) and hexamethylenoimine (FHEX) rings in the formamidine group of the daunosamine moiety were determined by analysis of the dependence between measured electrophoretic mobility and the pH of the buffer using the capillary zone electrophoresis method. The results obtained confirmed the ampholytic character of anthracyclines with at least two ionization states. The determined values were in the range of 8.36-9.28 and 9.38-11.48 for pK a1 and pK a2 arising from ionization of amino and phenolic groups, respectively. Structural modifications in the daunosamine moiety of the studied anthracyclines affected their pharmacological properties, such as antiproliferative activity., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)