The coculture of cells expressing the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein complex (Env) with cells expressing CD4 results into cell fusion, deregulated mitosis, and subsequent cell death. Here, we show that NF-kappaB, p53, and AP1 are activated in Env-elicited apoptosis. The nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) super repressor had an antimitotic and antiapoptotic effect and prevented the Env-elicited phos...

Upper urinary tract obstruction is a common cause of renal dysfunction in children and adults. While there is clinical evidence of an increased male incidence and mortality rate with acute renal failure, the effect of gender and testosterone on obstructive renal injury has not previously been evaluated. We hypothesized that testosterone exacerbates proinflammatory TNF-alpha production and proap...

Endogenous and exogenous signals derived by the gut microbiota such as lipopolysaccharides (LPS) orchestrate inflammatory responses contributing to development of the endothelial dysfunction associated with atherosclerosis in obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), bone marrow derived stem cells, promote recovery of damaged endothelium playing a pivotal r...

The antitumorigenic activity of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors, is well established, but responsible molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. NSAIDs stimulate apoptosis by COX dependent and independent mechanisms in colorectal cells in culture. Identification of genes regulated by COX inhibitors could lead to a better understanding of their ...

Our previous studies indicated that oridonin, a diterpenoid isolated from Rabdosia rubescens, induced human melanoma A375-S2 cell apoptosis. In this study, we investigated whether the proapoptotic effect of oridonin on A375-S2 cells would depend on an interference with function of the insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) receptor, a plasma membrane receptor critical for the survival or antiapop...

Cytochrome c release and the mitochondrial permeability transition (PT), including loss of the transmembrane potential (Deltapsi), play an important role in apoptosis. Using isolated mitochondria, we found that recombinant Bax and Bak, proapoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family, induced mitochondrial Deltapsi loss, swelling, and cytochrome c release. All of these changes were dependent on Ca2+ an...

Neovastat (AE-941), a naturally occurring multifunctional antiangiogenic agent, has been shown to inhibit key components of the angiogenic process, including matrix metalloproteinases and vascular endothelial growth factor-mediated signaling events. In this study, we report the presence of a proapoptotic activity within this compound. Neovastat treatment of bovine aortic endothelial cells cause...

MCL-1 (myeloid cell leukemia-1), a member of the BCL-2 family, has three splicing variants, antiapoptotic MCL-1L, proapoptotic MCL-1S, and MCL-1ES. We previously reported cloning MCL-1ES and characterizing it as an apoptotic molecule. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanism by which MCL-1ES promotes cell death. MCL-1ES was distinct from other proapoptotic BCL-2 members that induce apoptos...

umbelliprenin is a prenylated compound, which belongs to the class of sesquiterpene coumarins. it is extracted from dried roots of ferula szwitsiana collected from the mountains of golestan forest (golestan province, north of iran). induction of apoptosis in jurkat t-cll cells has been previously shown. in this study, effect of umbelliprenin on proapoptotic caspases (caspase-8 and -9) and antia...

In this study, the therapeutic effect of Mel-incubated Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) on CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis was investigated. Mice with were intraperitoneally injected 8% CCl4 twice a week for 4 weeks. Starting from 5, mice in ADSC group and + Mel 1 mL PBS cell suspension containing × 106 ADSCs or pretreated 50 nM 2 consecutive Results: model group, severe histopathol...