THANDI MQOCO¹, SUMARI MARAIS¹ AND ANNIE JOUBERT

BIOCELL, Vol.34, No.3, pp. 113-120, 2010, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2010.34.113

Abstract 2-Methoxyestradiol-bis-sulphamate is a bis-sulphamoylated derivative of the naturally occurring 17-beta-estradiol metabolite namely 2-methoxyestradiol. 2-Methoxyestradiol-bis-sulphamate is regarded as a potential anticancer drug with increased antiproliferative activity when compared to 2-methoxyestradiol. The aim of this pilot in vitro study was to determine the influence of 2-methoxyestradiol-bis-sulphamate on cell growth, morphology and possible induction of certain types of cell death in the SNO esophageal carcinoma cell line. A dose-dependent study (0.2-1.0μM) was conducted with an exposure time of 24 hours. Data revealed that 2-methoxyestradiol-bis-sulphamate reduced cell numbers statistically significantly to 74% after exposure to 0.4μM of the drug. Morphological studies including light microscopy… More >

CHRIS VORSTER, ANNIE JOUBERT

BIOCELL, Vol.34, No.2, pp. 71-80, 2010, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2010.34.071

Abstract In the search for new and improved anticancer therapies, researchers have identified several potentially useful compounds. One of these agents is 2-methoxyestradiol-bis-sulphamate (2ME-BM), a sulphamoylated derivative of 2-methoxyestradiol. The objective of this study was to evaluate 2ME-BM’s in vitro efficacy as antiproliferative agent in the MCF-7 breast adenocarcinoma cell line. Light- and fluorescent microscopy showed decreased cell density, increased apoptotic characteristics and significant ultrastructural aberrations indicative of autophagic cell death after 24 hours of exposure at a concentration of 0.4μM. In addition, mitotic indices revealed that 2ME-BM induces a G₂M block. The latter was confirmed by flow cytometric analyses where… More >

GREGOR KOSEC^*¶, VANINA ALVAREZ^**¶, JUAN J. CAZZULO**

BIOCELL, Vol.30, No.3, pp. 479-490, 2006, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2006.30.479

Abstract Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite causing Chagas disease, contains a number of proteolytic enzymes. The recent completion of the genome sequence of the T. cruzi CL Brener clone suggests the presence of 70 cysteine peptidases, 40 serine peptidases (none of them from the chymotrypsin family), about 250 metallopeptidases (most leishmanolysin homologues), 25 threonine peptidases, and only two aspartyl peptidases, none of them from the pepsin family. The cysteine peptidases belong to 7 families of Clan CA, 3 families of Clan CD, and one each of Clans CE and CF. In Clan CA, the C1 family is represented by cruzipains 1 and… More >

Wang QL, DH Liu, JY Yue

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.85, pp. 155-161, 2016, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2016.85.155

Abstract Allium cepa var. agrogarum L. seedlings are sensitive to Cd stress. We used fluorescence imaging to indicate that Cd2+ was localized in cytoplasm in the epidermis of the basal parts of root and vascular tissues after Cd treatment. The nucleoli and the cell walls were the first storage sites of Cd²⁺. When Cd exposure was prolonged, severe irregularly-shaped nuclei were induced. We used silver nitrate staining to analyze the effects of different concentrations (1–300 μM) of cadmium chloride on chromosome, nucleolus and nucleolus organizer regions (NORs) in root tip cells. Cd²⁺ induced c-mitosis, chromosome bridges, chromosome stickiness and micronuclei. More… More >

Cristiane Dos Santos VERGILIO, Edésio José Tenório De MELO^*

BIOCELL, Vol.37, No.2, pp. 45-54, 2013, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2013.37.045

Abstract Cadmium (Cd) induces several effects in different tissues, but our knowledge of the toxic effects on organelles is insufficient. To observe the progression of Cd effects on organelle structure and function, HuH-7 cells (human hepatic carcinoma cell line) were exposed to CdCl2 in increasing concentrations (1 μM – 20 μM) and exposure times (2 h – 24 h). During Cd treatment, the cells exhibited a progressive decrease in viability that was both time- and dose-dependent. Cd treated cells displayed progressive morphological changes that included cytoplasm retraction and nuclear condensation preceding a total loss of cell adhesion. Treatment with 10 μM… More >

Xiumei Guan¹, Hong Li¹, Xin Li¹, Xiaoyun Zhang¹, Xiaodong Cui¹, Hong Yan¹, Yuzhen Wang², Shunmei Liu², Min Cheng^3,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.1, pp. 91-91, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.05755

Abstract Aims: Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) play an important role in postnatal angiogenesis and neovascularization. Previous studies have revealed shear stress could accelerate EPC proliferation, differentiation, migration and so on, which contribute to postnatal angiogenesis and neovascularization. Moreover, some studies indicate that autophagy actively participates angiogenesis by affecting EPC migration and differentiation. Here, we try to elucidate the possible roles of autophagy of EPC differentiation induced by shear stress. Methods and Results: EPCs were exposed to shear stress (12 dyne/cm²). And then the expression of autophagy markers, such as LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ, P62andATG5, were analyzed using Western blot. The results have shown that… More >

Maximiliano GIRAUD-BILLOUD^{1, 2*}, Fernando EZQUER², Javiera BAHAMONDE², Marcelo EZQUER²

BIOCELL, Vol.41, No.1, pp. 1-12, 2017, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2017.41.001

Abstract A decrease in the tubular expression of albumin endocytic transporters megalin and cubilin has been associated with diabetic nephropathy, but there are no comprehensive studies to date relating early tubulointerstitial injury and the effect of the disease on both transporters in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). We used eight-weekold male C57BL/6 mice divided into two groups; one of them received the vehicle (control group), while the other received the vehicle + 200 mg/kg streptozotocin (T1DM). Ten weeks after the injection, we evaluated plasma insulin, enzymuria, urinary vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP), tubulointerstitial fibrosis and proximal tubule histology, markers of autophagy, and… More >

Estela M. MUÑOZ

BIOCELL, Vol.42, No.2, pp. 41-46, 2018, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2018.07011

Abstract Until recently, microglia were mainly known as the resident phagocytes of the brain, i.e. the ‘immunological warriors’ of the brain. However, extensive knowledge is being accumulated about the functions of microglia beyond immunity. Nowadays, it is well accepted that microglial cells are highly dynamic and responsive, and that they intervene in a dual manner in many developmental processes that shape the central nervous system, including neurogenesis, gliogenesis, spatial patterning, synaptic formation and elimination, and neural circuit establishment and maturation. The differentiation and the pool of precursor cells were also shown to be under microglia regulation via bidirectional communication. In this… More >

Maximiliano GIRAUD-BILLOUD^1,2,*, Claudio M. FADER^1,3, Rocío AGÜERO², Fernando EZQUER⁴, Marcelo EZQUER⁴

BIOCELL, Vol.42, No.2, pp. 35-40, 2018, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2018.07010

Abstract Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the most frequent cause of chronic renal failure. Until now, the pathophysiological mechanisms that determine its development and progression have not yet been elucidated. In the present study, we evaluate the role of autophagy at early stages of DN, induced in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) mouse, and its association with proximal tubule membrane endocytic receptors, megalin and cubilin. In T2DM animals we observed a tubule-interstitial injury with significantly increased levels of urinary GGT and ALP, but an absence of tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Kidney proximal tubule cells of T2DM animals showed autophagic vesicles larger than those observed… More >

Sergio Andrés CARMINATI^1,2, María Carolina BARBOSA², Claudio Marcelo FADER^1,2*

BIOCELL, Vol.42, No.1, pp. 13-16, 2018, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2018.07008

Abstract Autophagy is an essential cellular homeostatic mechanism by which intracellular components are delivered into the lysosomes for degradation and recycling. Autophagy has been related with a diversity of pathological or physiological dentary processes such as bone remodeling, skeletal aging, osteoclastogenesis, osteoblastogenesis and different types of oral cancer. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), isolated from autologous blood, is a plasma preparation containing a higher concentration of platelets which contains numerous different growth factors and cytokines that activate several cellular signaling cascades. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of PRP on autophagy stimulation in both osteoblast precursor 3T3-L1 and non-related… More >