In the last 8 years the field of microRNA (miRNA) replacement therapeutics has generated a lot of interest and at the same time skepticism due to failures. The therapeutic prospect is to use small synthetic RNA molecules that mimic endogenous miRNAs to restore the miRNA levels in cells that have lost them with the final goal of modulating cellular pathways that drive pathogenesis. However, as w...

the association between helicobacter pylori (hp) infection and concentration of folate or homocysteine are still unclear. the aim of the present study was to assess the effect of  hp infection on folate and homocysteine concentrations in patients infected with hp and healthy participants. we also assessed dietary intakes of folate, vitamins b6 and b12 in two groups. in this case-control study, ...

Neural tube defects (NTDs) are a group of congenital malformations with worldwide distribution and complex etiopathogenesis. Folic acid plays a pivotal role in their prevention. We aimed to identify the protective effect of folic acid intake against NTDs and its dependence on different socioeconomic and environmental factors in a cohort of mothers in Egypt. A cross-sectional study was carried o...

Cancer cells preferentially utilize glucose and glutamine, which provide macromolecules and antioxidants that sustain rapid cell division. Metabolic reprogramming in cancer drives an increased glycolytic rate that supports maximal production of these nutrients. The folate cycle, through transfer of a carbon unit between tetrahydrofolate and its derivatives in the cytoplasmic and mitochondrial c...

Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) is a common pathogen of myocarditis. We previously synthesized a siRNA targeting the CVB3 protease 2A (siRNA/2A) gene and achieved reduction of CVB3 replication by 92% in vitro. However, like other drugs under development, CVB3 siRNA faces a major challenge of targeted delivery. In this study, we investigated a novel approach to deliver CVB3 siRNAs to a specific cell po...

BACKGROUND Ovarian cancer's prognosis remains dire after primary therapy. Recurrence rate is disappointingly high as 60% of women with epithelial ovarian cancer considered in remission will develop recurrent disease within 5 years. Special attention to undetected peritoneal metastasis during surgery is necessary as they are the main predictive factors of recurrences. Folate Receptor α (FRα) sho...

Abstract Pterins, such as folate and biopterin, their derivatives hold significant importance given biological relevance, well the numerous pterin-based inhibitors developed for targeting various targets. For this reason, pterins can be viewed a privileged scaffold , discovery of new pterin analogs gives rise to vast array potential drug candidates. 7-carboxymethyl-pterin (7-CMP) represents use...

Activation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway is aberrant in autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). The mTOR inhibitors, such as rapamycin, ameliorate PKD in rodent models, but clinical trials have not shown benefit, possibly as a result of low tissue concentrations of rapamycin at clinically tolerable doses. To overcome this limitation, we synthesized ...

Ovarian cancer is the most common cause of gynecological cancer-related mortality, with the majority of women presenting with advanced disease; although chemotherapeutic advances have improved progression-free survival, conventional treatments offer limited results in terms of long-term responses and survival. Research has recently focused on targeted therapies, which represent a new, promising...