BACKGROUND The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the anticancer activity of Noscapine (Nos) and Gemcitabine (Gem) combination (NGC) against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to elucidate the underlying mechanism of action. METHODS Isobolographic method was used to calculate combination index values from cytotoxicity data. In vitro antiangiogenic and apoptotic activity of Nos, Gem...

In this work, a convenient method for determination of relative UV response factors (RRFs) of morphine, codeine, thebaine, oripavine, noscapine and papaverine by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with a diode array detector (DAD) was presented. Pholcodine was selected as the reference compound for calculating the relative response factors of the alkaloids. The separation of...

BACKGROUND Heroin abuse is a significant public health issue and is on the rise because of the unintended consequences of strengthening controls for nonmedical use of prescription pain killers. Included in this trend is an increase in opiate exposed newborns that are particularly vulnerable to a number of negative health outcomes. METHODS After presenting a fully validated liquid chromatograp...

We have shown previously that EM011, a synthetic compound, binds tubulin with a higher affinity than the founding compound, noscapine, without changing total microtubule polymer mass. Now we show that EM011 is potently effective against vinblastine-resistant human lymphoblastoid line CEM/VLB100 and its parental vinblastine-sensitive line CEM. The cytotoxicity is mediated by cell cycle arrest at...

Monolithic silica columns have proven to be an excellent tool in the development of high-throughput applications, without any loss in chromatographic performance compared to traditional packing materials. Combined with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, an opportunity is given to develop rapid, selective and specific methods. We present a fast LC-ESI-MS/MS method, with post column split, ...

The cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) enzyme plays an important role in the metabolism of many commonly used drugs. Relatively little is known about CYP2C19 inhibitors, including compounds of natural origin, which could inhibit CYP2C19, potentially causing clinically relevant metabolism-based drug interactions. We evaluated a series (N = 49) of structurally related plant isoquinoline alkaloids for...

The cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) enzyme plays an important role in the metabolism of many commonly used drugs. Relatively little is known about CYP2C19 inhibitors, including compounds of natural origin, which could inhibit CYP2C19, potentially causing clinically relevant metabolism-based drug interactions. We evaluated a series (N = 49) of structurally related plant isoquinoline alkaloids for...

Drug abuse with alcohol consumption have been on the rise in Split-Dalmatian County for a while now. This article reports two separate cases with three deaths due to fatal combinations of heroin and alcohol. The first case of poisoning is related to a young couple, a 30-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman, who were found dead in a car, surrounded by cans of a variety alcoholic drinks. Two need...