MOHAMAD ZULKEFLEE SABRI¹, JOANNA BOJARSKA², FAI-CHU WONG^3,4, TSUN-THAI CHAI^3,4,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.8, pp. 1727-1742, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.029272

Abstract Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is a computational technique that analyzes the movement of a system of particles over a given period. MD can provide detailed information about the fluctuations and conformational changes of biomolecules at the atomic level over time. In recent years, MD has been widely applied to the discovery of peptides and peptide-like molecules that may serve as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) inhibitors. This review summarizes recent advances in such explorations, focusing on four protein targets: angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), spike protein (S protein), main protease (M^pro), and papain-like protease (PL^pro). These four proteins are… More > Graphic Abstract

LI TIAN^1,#, YONGYI HUANG^1,#, BAOZHEN ZHANG^2,#, YI SONG^1,#, LIN YANG³, QIANQIAN CHEN¹, ZHENG WANG³, YILING WANG¹, QIHAN HE¹, WENHAN YANG¹, SHUYONG YU⁴, TIANYU LU⁵, ZICHEN LIU¹, KAIPING GAO^1,*, XIUJUN FAN^2,*, JIAN SONG^4,*, RIHONG ZHAI^1,*

Oncology Research, Vol.31, No.4, pp. 463-479, 2023, DOI:10.32604/or.2023.028791

Abstract Accumulating evidence has indicated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical roles in the development and progression of cancers, including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, the mechanisms of lncRNAs in ESCC are still incompletely understood and therapeutic attempts for in vivo targeting cancer-associated lncRNA remain a challenge. By RNA-sequencing analysis, we identified that LLNLR-299G3.1 was a novel ESCC-associated lncRNA. LLNLR-299G3.1 was up-regulated in ESCC tissues and cells and promoted ESCC cell proliferation and invasion. Silencing of LLNLR-299G3.1 with ASO (antisense oligonucleotide) resulted in opposite effects. Mechanistically, LLNLR-299G3.1 bound to cancer-associated RNA binding proteins and regulated the expression of cancer-related… More >

YINGHUA LUO^1,#, YU ZHANG^2,#, TONG ZHANG^2,#, YANNAN LI², HUI XUE², JINGLONG CAO², WENSHUANG HOU², JIAN LIU², YUHE CUI², TING XU², CHENGHAO JIN^2,3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.5, pp. 965-975, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.027729

Abstract Marine collagen peptides (MCPs) are natural products prepared by hydrolyzing marine collagen protein through a variety of chemical methods or enzymes. MCPs have a range of structures and biological activities and are widely present in marine species. MCPs also have a small molecular weight, are easily modified, and absorbed by the body. These properties have attracted great interest from researchers studying antioxidant, anti-tumor, and anti-aging activities. MCPs of specific molecular weights have significant anti-tumor activity and no toxic side effects. Thus, MCPs have the potential use as anti-cancer adjuvant drugs. Free radicals produced by oxidation are closely related to human… More >

Sunil Kumar Suryawanshi¹, Usha Chouhan², Jyoti Kant Choudhari^2,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.19, No.4, pp. 191-208, 2022, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2022.023911

Abstract Cancer is the second biggest cause of death globally, and the use of therapeutic peptides to specifically target and destroy cancer cells has gotten much interest. Cancer peptides or vaccinations are utilized to treat cancer nowadays, apart from chemotherapy, which has significant discomfort, side effects and costly. It is time demanding to identify and predict potential anticancer peptides using computational biology approaches. Thus, 3-D molecular modeling is being used to find possible ACP candidates. In this research, Curcuma longa has predicted peptide sequences were docked on breast cancer receptors and used a molecular docking technique to assess the anticipated peptides’… More >

Touseef Hussain^1,*, Abrar A. Khan¹, Heba I. Mohamed^2,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.3, pp. 783-799, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2022.026045

Abstract Fusarium dry rot is considered to be the most critical soilborne and postharvest disease that damages potato tubers worldwide when they are stored for a long time. This study was performed to demonstrate the effect of crude extract, culture filtrate, and cell suspension obtained from the bacterium Bacillus subtilis HussainT-AMU, on the net house and field. From oil-contaminated soil, through the serial dilution method, biosurfactant bacteria were isolated on nutrient agar medium. To isolate and screen the prospective biosurfactant strain, various biosurfactant screening methods were used. Standard protocols were carried out for morphological, molecular, and chemical characterization. The disease incidences… More >

CARLOS ALBERTO-SILVA^1,*, ANA CAROLINA DE ARAUJO¹, RODRIGO SIMãO BONFIM¹, JOYCE MEIRE GILIO²

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.2, pp. 289-295, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.023787

Abstract Bothrops envenomation is complex and provokes prominent local tissue damage and systemic disturbances, but little is known about their effects on the male reproductive system. After intratesticular injection, the bioactive peptide fraction (Bj-PF) obtained from Bothrops jararaca snake venom changes the structure of different stages of the seminiferous epithelium cycle in adult mice. For the first time, we investigated whether local envenomation of Bj-PF induces toxicological effects on the male reproductive system, particularly on the seminiferous epithelium and Sertoli cells. Male adult mice were treated with 0.24 mg.kg⁻¹ by intramuscular (i.m.) injection for 24 h. The testes samples were collected… More >

Xinyue Wang^1,#, Jing Xu^1,#, Qihong Gu¹, Dingxuan Tang¹, Huoyan Ji², Shaoqing Ju², Feng Wang^2,*, Lin Chen³, Ruoyu Yuan^2,*

Oncologie, Vol.24, No.3, pp. 513-526, 2022, DOI:10.32604/oncologie.2022.024373

Abstract Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been identified as promising novel biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis, especially for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Nowadays, the expression level of miR-21 in serum samples is a diagnostic indicator for HCC diagnosis. Thus, the quantitative determination of miRNA concentration is of significance in clinical practice. It is particularly important to establish an analytical detection method for miR-21 in patient serum. Methods: The signal readout for miR-21 was based on the mass response of a reporter peptide using an isotope dilution mass spectrometry (MS) method in this work. To be more specific, miR-21 was biotinylated before being… More >

Pravej Alam^*, Thamer H. Al balawi

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.91, No.9, pp. 1923-1931, 2022, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2022.021334

Abstract Bacterial leaf blight (BLB) caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) is one of the most damaging diseases to rice across the world. Various chemicals have been employed so far for the management of bacterial leaf blight. On the other hand, these compounds are damaging to the ecosystem and have an impact on non-target species such as humans and animals. As a result, there is a need to create a new natural inhibitor for BLB management. Deformylase (PDF) enzyme is present in all eubacteria and its necessity in bacterial protein synthesis reveals it as an attractive target for drug development.… More >

Muzi Li^1,4, Hong Meng^1,4,*, Liang Zhang², Yuzi Zhou³, Chao Liang⁴, Zhiling Luo⁴, Hao Wang^1,*

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.17, No.3, pp. 231-244, 2022, DOI:10.32604/chd.2022.019480

Abstract Background: Children are at risk of extubation failure after congenital heart disease surgery. Such cases should be identified to avoid possible adverse consequences of failed extubation. This study aimed to identify ultrasound predictors of successful extubation in children who underwent cardiac surgery. Methods: Children aged 3 months to 6 years who underwent cardiac surgery (if they were intubated for >6 h and underwent a spontaneous breathing trial) were included in this study. Results: We included 83 children who underwent surgery for congenital heart disease. Transthoracic echocardiography and lung ultrasound were performed immediately before spontaneous breathing trials. Upon spontaneous breathing trial… More >

PANKE CHEN^*, SHUAI MA

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.8, pp. 1903-1909, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018651

Abstract This work aimed to investigate the effects of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-modified mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on vascular stenosis in carotid balloon-injured rats. The CGRP gene labeled with EGFP was transfected into bone marrow MSCs, and CGRP protein expression in MSCs was confirmed by immunofluorescence assays. A rat carotid balloon injury model was established using a surgical method. CGRP-modified MSCs were orthotopically transplanted into the injured area of the rats. At 28 days after cell transplantation, EGFP and CD31 expression was detected by immunofluorescence staining. Hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining was used to detect the intima/media area of the injured carotid artery… More >