The functional state of mitochondria is vital to cellular and organismal aging in eukaryotes across phyla. Studies in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae have provided evidence that age-related changes in some aspects of mitochondrial functionality can create certain molecular signals. These signals can then define the rate of cellular aging by altering unidirectional and bidirectional communica...

The success of nucleic acid delivery requires the development of safe and efficient delivery vectors that overcome cellular barriers for effective transport. Herein we describe the synthesis of a series of novel, single-chain rigid cationic carotenoid lipids and a study of their preliminary in vitro siRNA delivery effectiveness and cellular toxicity. The efficiency of siRNA delivery by the sing...

Phospholipid transfer between small unilamellar vesicles and Chinese hamster fibroblasts, a process in which cellular uptake of vesicle lipids without concomitant uptake of vesicle contents occurs, was studied. Isotopically asymmetric vesicles were formed by incubation of 3H-labeled dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine or 3H-labeled dioleoyl phosphatidylethanolamine-containing vesicles with appropriate...

New types of cationic lipids based on AZT were evaluated for their biological effects in terms of their cytotoxicity and their cellular delivery of siRNA.

Lipids play vital roles in a wide variety of cellular functions. They act as structural components in cell membranes, serve as a major form of energy storage, and function as key signaling molecules. Mounting evidence points towards a tight interplay between lipids and circadian clocks. In mammals, circadian clocks regulate the daily physiology and metabolism, and disruption of circadian rhythm...

The long chain saturated fatty acids, arachidic (C20) and lignoceric (C24), are found as components of phospholipids within mammalian cellular membranes. Although these lipids have rarely been used as components of transfection reagents, we recently demonstrated that elongation of the fatty tail beyond C18 provide a means of increasing the transfection efficiency of cationic lipids. To investig...

Lipids play critical functions in cellular survival, proliferation, interaction and death, since they are involved in chemical-energy storage, cellular signaling, cell membranes, and cell-cell interactions. These cellular processes are strongly related to carcinogenesis pathways, particularly to transformation, progression, and metastasis, suggesting the bioactive lipids are mediators of a numb...

Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) are produced from physiologically biocompatible lipids. They have been proven to improve solubility, cellular uptake, and stability, reduce enzyme degradation, prolong the circulation time of various drugs. SLNs applied in oral, parenteral, transdermal, intranasal, ocular, pulmonary drug delivery different drugs, with enhanced safety, bioavailability, overall th...

Viruses intricately interact with and modulate cellular membranes at several stages of their replication, but much less is known about the role of viral lipids compared to proteins and nucleic acids. All animal viruses have to cross membranes for cell entry and exit, which occurs by membrane fusion (in enveloped viruses), by transient local disruption of membrane integrity, or by cell lysis. Fu...

The glycerolipids of most cells are characterized by a specific proportion of ether linkages at the sn-1 position of the glycerol backbone. A number of tumors are known to have altered concentrations of ether-linked lipids compared to normal tissues. However, no through examination of the ether-lipid content of human leukemia cells has been reported despite the importance of these lipids in nor...