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Objective: The present work examined the anti-metastatic effects of auraptene and their underlying mechanisms of action in U87 Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cells. Materials and Methods: To test the hypothesis, cell culture, Matrigel invasion assay, scratch wound healing assay, gelatin zymography assay, qRT-PCR, and western blot experiments were conducted. Results: At sublethal concentrations of 12.5 and 25 µg/ml, auraptene exhibited a significant reduction in cell invasion and migration of U87 cells, as assessed using scratch wound healing and Transwell tests, respectively. The qRT-PCR and zymography experiments demonstrated a significant decrease in both mRNA expression and activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 following auraptene treatment. Western blot analysis also showed that MMP-2 protein level and phosphorylation of metastasis-related proteins (p-JNK and p-mTOR) decreased in auraptene-treated cells. Molecular docking studies consistently demonstrated that auraptene exhibits a significant affinity towards MMP-2/-9, the ATP binding site of mTOR and JNK1/2/3. Conclusion: Auraptene inhibited the migration and invasion of GBM cells. This inhibitory effect was induced by modulating specific mechanisms, including suppressing MMPs, JNK, and mTOR activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurokinin/tachykinin receptors are classified as the G‐protein coupled receptor superfamily. The neurokinin 2 receptor (NK2R) is widely expressed in different tissues. NK2R is associated with a range of biological events, such as inflammation, smooth muscle contraction, intestinal motor functions, and asthma. Despite these diverse activities, no approved drugs targeting NK2R have been developed yet. Our study focuses on finding potential inhibitors for NK2R using virtual screening, molecular docking, and ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) approaches. We used a homology modeling approach and AlphaFold DB to obtain the three‐dimensional structure of mouse and human NK2R proteins, respectively. The homology model of NK2R was predicted using MODELLER v10.3 and further refined and validated using the 3Drefine tool and RAMPAGE server, respectively. Molecular docking was performed using a library of 910 structurally similar molecules to four NK1R antagonists: aprepitant, casopitant, fosaprepitant, and rolapitant. Molecular docking revealed six small molecules that displayed high Chemscore fitness scores, and binding energies with desirable ligand–NK2R interactions. The evaluation of the in silico ADME profile, solubility, and permeability of the ligand molecules has revealed that the small molecules are potentially nontoxic and have the chance of exhibiting biological activity after oral administration. Further experimental studies (in vitro and in vivo assays) are required to evaluate the effectiveness of these inhibitors as therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human T lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV‐1) infection can cause adult T‐cell lymphoblastic leukemia (ATLL), an incurable, chemotherapy‐resistant malignancy. In a quest for new therapeutic targets, our study sought to determine the levels of AKT, mTOR, and PI3K in ATLL MT‐2 cells, HTLV‐1 infected NIH/3T3 cells (Inf‐3T3), and HTLV‐1 infected patients (Carrier, HAM/TSP, and ATLL). Furthermore, the effects of rigosertib, wortmannin, and rapamycin on the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway to inhibit the proliferation of ATLL cells were examined. The results showed that mRNA expression of Akt/PI3K/mTOR was down‐regulated in carrier, HAM/TSP, and ATLL patients, as well as MT‐2, and Inf‐3T3 cells, compared to the healthy individuals and untreated MT‐2 and Inf‐3T3 as controls. However, western blotting revealed an increase in the phosphorylated and activated forms of AKT and mTOR. Treating the cells with rapamycin, wortmannin, and rigosertib decreased the phosphorylated forms of Akt and mTOR and restored their mRNA expression levels. Using these inhibitors also significantly boosted the expression of the pro‐apoptotic genes, Bax/Bcl‐2 ratio as well as the expression of the tumor suppressor gene p53 in the MT‐2 and Inf‐3T3cells. Rigosertib was more potent than wortmannin and rapamycin in inducing sub‐G1 and G2‐M cell cycle arrest, as well as late apoptosis in the Inf‐3T3 and MT‐2 cells. It also synergized the cytotoxic effects of vincristine. These findings demonstrate that HTLV‐1 downregulation of the mRNA level may occur as a negative feedback response to increased PI3K‐Akt‐mTOR phosphorylation by HTLV‐1. Therefore, using rigosertib alone or in combination with common chemotherapy drugs may be beneficial in ATLL patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) technique, a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system can provide high spectral efficiency and high data transmission over a fading channel. To achieve the best performance in a MIMO-OFDM system, high accuracy in channel estimation is a very important factor which leads to appropriate receiver design. Therefore, in the most channel estimation algorithms, the mean square error (MSE) is the main criterion for noise minimisation which is robust in the case of Gaussian noise. However, in telecommunication systems which do not have noise with Gaussian distribution, the MSE criterion is not appropriate. So as to tackle this problem, a robust adaptive filtering algorithm was proposed using minimum error entropy (MEE) criterion and improved least square (ILS) approach which by far is better than MMSE criterion to robust channel estimation. In this work, impulsive noise is used for non-Gaussian environment simulation. Furthermore, MEE is employed to attenuate the impulsive noise, and ILS is adopted to reduce LS estimation variance. Compared to the MSE-based algorithms, simulation results indicate that the proposed method outperforms the channel estimation in a non-Gaussian environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quercetin, a plant‐derived flavonoid, is known for its antitumor and antiproliferative activities. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), as a highly aggressive cerebrum tumor, has a poor prognosis that is approximately 12 months despite standard therapy. Therefore, because of the low effectiveness of the current therapeutic strategies, additional medications in combination with chemotherapy and radiotherapy are needed, which could improve the prognosis of GBM patients. Multiple lines of evidence have shown that quercetin regulates many proteins involved in the cellular signal transduction in GBM. In this review, recent findings on the targeting of particular signaling pathways by quercetin and the subsequent effect on the pathogenesis of GBM are presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Curcumin (diferuloylmethane), a yellowish agent extracted from turmeric, is a bioactive compound known for its anti‐inflammatory, antiproliferative, antidiabetic, and anticancer activities. Multiple lines of evidence have indicated that curcumin regulates several regulatory proteins in the cellular signal transduction pathway. AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) is one of the central regulators of cellular metabolism and energy homeostasis, which is activated in response to increasing cellular adenosine monophosphate/adenosine triphosphate ratio. AMPK plays a critical role in regulating growth and reprogramming metabolism and is linked to several cellular processes including apoptosis and inflammation. Recently, it has been demonstrated that AMPK is a new molecular target affected by curcumin and its derivatives. In this review, we discuss recent findings on the targeting of AMPK signaling by curcumin and the resulting impact on the pathogenesis of proinflammatory diseases. We also highlight the therapeutic value of targeting AMPK by curcumin in the prevention and treatment of proinflammatory diseases, including cancers, atherosclerosis, and diabetes. In this review, we discuss recent findings on the targeting of AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling by curcumin and the resulting impact on the pathogenesis of proinflammatory diseases. We also highlight the therapeutic value of targeting AMPK by curcumin in the prevention and treatment of proinflammatory diseases including cancers, atherosclerosis, and diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hypoxic niche of tumor leads to a tremendous increase in the extracellular adenosine concentration through alteration of adenosine metabolism in the tumor microenvironment (TME). This consequently affects cancer progression, local immune responses, and apoptosis of tumor cells. Regulatory effect of adenosine on apoptosis in TME depends on the cancer cell type, pharmacological characteristics of adenosine receptor subtypes, and the adenosine concentration in the tumor niche. Exploiting specific pharmacological adenosine receptor agonist and antagonist inducing apoptosis in cancer cells can be considered as a proper procedure to control cancer progression. This review summarizes the regulatory role of adenosine in cancer cell apoptosis for a better understanding, and hence better management of the disease. Exploiting specific pharmacological adenosine receptor agonist and antagonist inducing apoptosis in cancer cells can be considered as a proper procedure to control of cancer progression. This review summarizes the regulatory role of adenosine in cancer cell apoptosis for a better understanding and hence a better management of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway controls cell energy metabolism. There is an interplay between mTOR and proinflammatory signaling pathways, supporting the role of the pathway in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases. Inhibition of mTOR signaling using specific pharmacological inhibitors could offer therapeutic promise in several inflammatory‐associated diseases. In this review, we summarize recent findings on the regulatory effects of mTOR signaling on inflammation and the therapeutic potency of mTOR pharmacological inhibitors in the treatment of inflammatory diseases including cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, atherosclerosis, sepsis, and rheumatoid arthritis for a better understanding and hence a better management of these diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Streptokinase is a potent fibrinolytic agent which is widely used in treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE) and acute myocardial infarction (MI). Major limitation of this enzyme is its short biological half-life in the blood stream. Our previous report showed that complexing streptokinase with chitosan could be a solution to overcome this limitation. The aim of this research was to establish an artificial neural networks (ANNs) model for identifying main factors influencing the loading efficiency of streptokinase, as an essential parameter determining efficacy of the enzyme. Three variables, namely, chitosan concentration, buffer pH and enzyme concentration were considered as input values and the loading efficiency was used as output. Subsequently, the experimental data were modeled and the model was validated against a set of unseen data. The developed model indicated chitosan concentration as probably the most important factor, having reverse effect on the loading efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many animals have individual and social mechanisms for combating pathogens. Animals may exhibit short-term physiological tradeoffs between social and individual immunity because the latter is often energetically costly. Genetic tradeoffs between these two traits can also occur if mutations that enhance social immunity diminish individual immunity, or vice versa. Physiological tradeoffs between individual and social immunity have been previously documented in insects, but there has been no study of genetic tradeoffs involving these traits. There is strong evidence that some genes influence both innate immunity and behaviour in social insects – a prerequisite for genetic tradeoffs. Quantifying genetic tradeoffs is critical for understanding the evolution of immunity in social insects and for devising effective strategies for breeding disease-resistant pollinator populations. We conducted two experiments to test the hypothesis of a genetic tradeoff between social and individual immunity in the honey bee, Apis mellifera. First, we estimated the relative contribution of genetics to individual variation in innate immunity of honey bee workers, as only heritable traits can experience genetic tradeoffs. Second, we examined if worker bees with hygienic sisters have reduced individual innate immune response. We genotyped several hundred workers from two colonies and found that patriline genotype does not significantly influence the antimicrobial activity of a worker’s hemolymph. Further, we did not find a negative correlation between hygienic behaviour and the average antimicrobial activity of a worker’s hemolymph across 30 honey bee colonies. Taken together, our work indicates no genetic tradeoffs between hygienic behaviour and innate immunity in honey bees. Our work suggests that using artificial selection to increase hygienic behaviour of honey bee colonies is not expected to concurrently compromise individual innate immunity of worker bees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]