Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Sar Study Of Niclosamide Derivatives In The Human Glioblastoma U-87 Mg Cells, Shizue Mito, Benxu Cheng, Benjamin A. Garcia, Daniela Gonzalez, Xin Yee Ooi, Tess C. Ruiz, Francisco Xavier Elisarraras, Andrew Tsin, Sue Anne Chew, Marco A. Arriaga

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Glioblastoma is a lethal malignant brain tumor, and the development of efficient chemotherapeutic agents remains an urgent need. Niclosamide, an anthelmintic drug, which has been used to treat tapeworm infections more than 50 years, has recently attracted renewed attention due to its evident anticancer activities. It has been shown that niclosamide induces cytotoxicity in human glioblastoma U-87 MG cells corresponding with increased protein ubiquitination, ER stress, and autophagy. Furthermore, niclosamide showed down regulation of multiple pro-survival signaling pathways including Wnt/β-catenin, PI3K/AKT, MAPK/ERK, and STAT3, which further caused reduction of U87-MG cell viability. However, the molecular mechanisms of niclosimide and its …

Heterocycles In The Treatment Of Neglected Tropical Diseases, Kush K. Maheshwari, Debasish Bandyopadhyay

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) affect a huge population of the world and the majority of the victims belong to the poor community of the developing countries. Until now, the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified 20 tropical diseases as NTDs that must be addressed with high priority. However, many heterocyclic scaffolds have demonstrated potent therapeutic activity against several NTDs.

Objective: There are three major objectives: (1) To discuss the causes, symptoms, and current status of all the 20 NTDs; (2) To explore the available heterocyclic drugs, as well as their mechanisms of action (if known), that are being used …

Electrospun Zno/Poly(Vinylidene Fluoride-Trifluoroethylene) Scaffolds For Lung Tissue Engineering, Bahareh Azimi, Mohammad Sajad Sorayani Bafqi, Alessandra Fusco, Claudio Ricci, Giuseppe Gallone, Roohollah Bagherzadeh, Giovanna Donnarumma, M. Jasim Uddin, Masoud Latifi, Andrea Lazzeri, Serena Danti

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Due to the morbidity and lethality of pulmonary diseases, new biomaterials and scaffolds are needed to support the regeneration of lung tissues, while ideally providing protective effects against inflammation and microbial aggression. In this study, we investigated the potential of nanocomposites of poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] incorporating zinc oxide (ZnO), in the form of electrospun fiber meshes for lung tissue engineering. We focused on their anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and mechano-electrical character according to different fiber mesh textures (i.e., collected at 500 rpm and 4000 rpm) and compositions: (0/100) and (20/80) w/w% ZnO/P(VDF-TrFE), plain and composite, respectively. The scaffolds were characterized in terms …

Electrospinning Piezoelectric Fibers For Biocompatible Devices, Bahareh Azimi, Mario Milazzo, Andrea Lazzeri, Stefano Berrettini, M. Jasim Uddin, Zhao Qin, Markus J. Buehler, Serena Danti

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The field of nanotechnology has been gaining great success due to its potential in developing new generations of nanoscale materials with unprecedented properties and enhanced biological responses. This is particularly exciting using nanofibers, as their mechanical and topographic characteristics can approach those found in naturally occurring biological materials. Electrospinning is a key technique to manufacture ultrafine fibers and fiber meshes with multifunctional features, such as piezoelectricity, to be available on a smaller length scale, thus comparable to subcellular scale, which makes their use increasingly appealing for biomedical applications. These include biocompatible fiber-based devices as smart scaffolds, biosensors, energy harvesters, and …

Pharmacological Aspects Of Resveratrol, Raisa Ramirez, Debasish Bandyopadhyay

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Resveratrol [(E)-5-(4-hydroxystyryl) benzene-1,3-diol], also known as 3,4′,5-trihydroxystilbene also known as resveratrol is classified as a phytoalexin in plants such as nuts, cocoa, berries and grapes for self-defense against injury and pathogenic attacks by bacteria and fungi. Research on this compound did not gain popularity until the 1990s when a published paper implied the relationship between resveratrol and the decrease in cardiovascular complications due to the consumption of grape fermented wine in French populations. This observation sparked research on resveratrol even though its concentration in wine is relatively low, leading to the realization that resveratrol has potential for benefits in other …

Vitamin D: Controversy Cancer And Beyond, Cristian J. Rosales, Debasish Bandyopadhyay

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Vitamins are an essential part to wellbeing. This was not something always known however, as the Germ theory was the accepted thesis of the 18th century. It was found that certain accessory factors helped mitigate and even cure these diseases such as beriberi, scurvy, and rickets. Accessory factors, later coined vitamins by Casimir Funk, are an essential constituent of the human diet. Vitamin D is technically not a vitamin but functions as a steroid hormone whose most well-known purpose is calcification of the human skeleton. This helps prevent osteomalacia in adults and rickets, a serious problem in children due to …

Glutathione: A Small Molecule With Big Sense, Cristina E. Raya, Debasish Bandyopadhyay

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Glutathione, a peptide found in microbes, plants and animals including human plays a key role in maintaining healthy cells. The peptide exists in both reduced and oxidized forms. Synthesis of GSH occurs in the cytosol of cells, and the extent of glutathione synthesis relies on various factors, such as amino acid availability, protein activity etc. Once synthesized, glutathione exists in both forms: oxidized (GSSG) and reduced (GSH). Oxidized glutathione characterized by its disulfide linkage. On the other hand, presence of a thiol group characterizes the reduced glutathione. This thiol makes the tripeptide an essential component of health; it makes glutathione …

Calmodulin Lobes Facilitate Dimerization And Activation Of Estrogen Receptor-Alpha, Zhigang Li, Yonghong Zhang, Andrew C. Hedman, James B. Ames, David B. Sacks

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Estrogen receptor α (ER-α) is a nuclear hormone receptor that controls selected genes, thereby regulating proliferation and differentiation of target tissues, such as breast. Gene expression controlled by ER-α is modulated by Ca²⁺ via calmodulin (CaM). Here we present the NMR structure of Ca²⁺-CaM bound to two molecules of ER-α (residues 287–305). The two lobes of CaM bind to the same site on two separate ER-α molecules (residues 292, 296, 299, 302, and 303), which explains why CaM binds two molecules of ER-α in a 1:2 complex and stabilizes ER-α dimerization. Exposed glutamate residues in CaM (Glu-11, …

Dihydropyridines As Calcium Channel Blockers: An Overview, Thelma Salazar, Andres Gonzalez, Debasish Bandyopadhyay

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cardiovascular disease remains one of the leading causes of death in the United States. It is estimated that 1 in every 3 American adults suffer from high blood pressure. Hypertension, a precursor to most cardiovascular diseases, continues to grow at an alarming rate and is seldom managed carefully. Attempts have been made to manage hypertension and reduce the morbidity and mortality of the cardiovascular organ through methods including diets, increased amount of exercise, and medications. Many commercial drugs have been derived from dihydropyridine due to its antihypertensive property. Dihydropyridine derivatives work by acting as calcium channel blockers blocking the intake …

Curcumin: A Folklore Remedy From Kitchen On The Way To Clinic As Cancer Drug, Debasish Bandyopadhyay

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Numerous compounds are widely distributed in nature and many of these possess medicinal/biological/pharmacological activity. Curcumin, a polyphenol derived from the rhizomes (underground stems) of Curcuma longa Linn (a member of the ginger family, commonly known as turmeric) is a culinary spice and therapeutic used in India for thousands of years to induce color and flavor in food as well as to treat a wide array of diseases. The origin of turmeric as spice and folklore medicine is so old that it is lost in legend. Curcumin has many beneficial pharmacological effects which includes, but are not limited with, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, …

Identifying Risk Factors For Disparities In Breast Cancer Mortality Among African-American And Hispanic Women, Nancy Tian, Pierre Goovaerts, T. Benjamin Zhan, T. Edwin Chow, J. Gaines Wilson

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: This study evaluated the risk factors associated with racial disparities in female breast cancer mortality for African-American and Hispanic women at the census tract level in Texas from 1995 to 2005.

Methods: Data on female breast cancer cases were obtained from the Texas Cancer Registry. Socioeconomic and demographic data were collected from Census 2000. Network distance and driving times to mammography facilities were estimated using Geographic Information System techniques. Demographic, poverty and spatial accessibility factors were constructed using principal component analysis. Logistic regression models were developed to predict the census tracts with significant racial disparities in breast cancer mortality …

In-House Polymerase Chain Reaction For Affordable And Sustainable Chlamydia Trachomatis Detection In Trinidad And Tobago, Joanne Rampersad, Xiaohui Wang, Helen Gayadeen, Samuel Ramsewak, David Ammons

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objectives: To provide a preliminary assessment of in-house polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as an alternative to the more costly commercial test for detection of asymptomatic infection by Chlamydia trachomatis and to provide much needed demographic data on infection indicators within the Trinidad and Tobago public health care system.

Methods: An inexpensive in-house nested-PCR with an Internal Amplification Control was used to detect C. trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in urine samples collected from 273 apparently healthy, pregnant women from March-September 2004 in Trinidad, West Indies. Demographic information on participants was collected and subjected to statistical analyses.

Results: C. trachomatis was detected …