Caspase-3, one of the dominant effectors caspases, is activated in almost every model of apoptosis with various signaling pathways. Hence, inhibition of caspase-3 has become an attractive target in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Caspase-3 inhibitory activities of some 1,2-benzisothiazol-3-one derivatives were modeled by quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) using ste...

A hallmark of Entamoeba histolytica (Eh) invasion in the gut is acute intestinal inflammation dominated by secretion pro-inflammatory cytokines. Eh contact with macrophages activates caspase-1 recruitment NLRP3 inflammasome complex a Gal-lectin and cysteine proteases 5 (EhCP-A5)-dependent manner, resulting maturation interleukin (IL)-1β IL-18. Although it well-defined that activation important ...

26 Release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to the cytosol is a critical step for 27 downstream caspase-mediated apoptotic signal transduction in ischemia/reperfusion 28 (I/R)-induced myocardial tissue injury. 10-N-nonyl acridine orange (NAO), a 29 cardiolipin-specific dye, has been shown to inhibit Bid-mediated cytochrome c release 30 from isolated mitochondria in vitro; however, the possible...

Caspase-3, one of the dominant effectors caspases, is activated in almost every model of apoptosis with various signaling pathways. Hence, inhibition of caspase-3 has become an attractive target in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Caspase-3 inhibitory activities of some 1,2-benzisothiazol-3-one derivatives were modeled by quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) using ste...

Background and Aims: The caspases are unique proteases that mediate the host cell apoptosis during viral infection. In this study, we identified the caspase cleavage motifs of H5N1 and H9N2 influenza viruses isolated during 1998-2012. Materials and Methods: Amino acid sequences of the eleven proteins encoded by the viruses as the caspase substrates downloaded from NCBI. The caspase cleavage mot...

BACKGROUND Lidocaine, a local anesthetic, can be neurotoxic. However, the cellular mechanisms of its neurotoxicity at concentrations encountered during spinal anesthesia remain unclear. METHODS The authors examined the mechanisms of lidocaine neurotoxicity in the ND7 cell line derived from rat dorsal root ganglion. Individual neurons were assayed by flow cytometry or microscopy using fluoresc...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Protein kinase C epsilon (epsilonPKC) has been implicated as a neuroprotectant in vitro. We studied epsilonPKC activation (by its localization and proteolysis) in a rodent stroke model and correlated the effects of hypothermia with epsilonPKC activity after cerebral ischemia. METHODS Rats were subjected to permanent distal middle cerebral artery occlusion plus 1 hour of...

BACKGROUND We investigated whether intermittent blood and crystalloid cardioplegia differentially affect myocardial apoptosis and apoptosis gene-related proteins. METHODS AND RESULTS Rabbit hearts were perfused with Krebs-Henseleit buffer on a Langendorff apparatus. Control hearts (n=6) were perfused for 120 minutes without cardioplegic ischemia. Hearts were arrested for 60 minutes with warm ...

AIM To evaluate the long-term stability of the fluorescence signals of new fluorescence-based semen analysis assays for clinical application. METHODS Semen samples from 87 unselected infertile patients were used to perform the following assays: (i) detection of active caspase-3 (n=17); (ii) integrity of the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) (n=17); (iii) externalization of phosphatidylse...

PDZD2 (PDZ-domain-containing 2; also known as PAPIN, AIPC and PIN1) is a ubiquitously expressed multi-PDZ-domain protein. We have shown that PDZD2, which shows extensive homology to pro-interleukin-16 (pro-IL-16), is localized mainly to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Pro-IL-16 is cleaved in a caspase-3-dependent mechanism to generate the secreted cytokine IL-16. The abundant expression of PDZD...