Melanoma is the most aggressive and chemoresistant form of skin cancer. Mutated, constitutively active B-RAF is believed to play a crucial role, although the selective B-RAF inhibition has shown poor clinical success, since phenomena of resistance usually occur, likely arising from additional genetic aberrations, such as loss of function of p53 and PTEN, overexpression of cyclin D1, hyperactiva...

BACKGROUND Malignant melanoma is a less common but highly dangerous form of skin cancer; it starts in the melanocytes cells found in the outer layer of the skin. Jararhagin toxin, a metalloproteinase isolated from Bothrops jararaca snake venom acts upon several biological processes, as inflammation, pain, platelet aggregation, proliferation and apoptosis, though not yet approved for use, may on...

Ruellia tuberosa L. has been previously shown to possess antioxidant and antiproliferative activities on cancer cells but its underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. This study aimed elucidate the mode of action this inhibitory effect MCF-7 using ethyl acetate extract obtained after liquid-liquid partition methanol crude extract. Antiproliferative R. leaf (RTEAL) was evaluated MTT assay. Its...

The effects of a variety of antiproliferative agents on voltage-dependent K+ channel function in cortical oligodendrocyte progenitor (O-2A) cells were studied. Previously, we had shown that glutamate receptor activation reversibly inhibited O-2A cell proliferation stimulated by mitogenic factors and prevented lineage progression by attenuating outward K+ currents in O-2A cells. We now show that...

BACKGROUND Glucocorticoids (GCs) not only regulate metabolic and inflammatory mechanisms, but also are known to suppress tumor growth. Despite previous detection of glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) in juvenile angiofibromas, their distribution and function have not further been studied. METHODS Juvenile angiofibroma tissue (n = 30), nasal mucosa specimens (n = 10), subepithelial stroma of nasal...

BACKGROUND In the present study, phytochemical screening, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative capacities of 3 extracts from leaves of Lebanese Crataegus azarolus L. were evaluated. MATERIAL AND METHODS Fresh leaves were dissolved in 3 different solvents: distilled water, ethanol, and methanol. The chemical composition was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography...

Silibinin, a naturally occurring flavonoid antioxidant found in the milk thistle, has recently been shown to have potent antiproliferative effects against various malignant cell lines, but the underlying mechanism of action remains to be elucidated. We investigated the effect of silibinin on androgen-independent prostate cancer PC-3 cells. At pharmacologically achievable silibinin concentration...

In the present study, we have investigated the bee venom (BV) and melittin (a major component of BV)-mediated antiproliferative effect and defined its mechanisms of action in cultured rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cell(s) (VSMC). BV and melittin ( approximately 0.4-0.8 microg/ml) effectively inhibited 5% fetal bovine serum-induced and 50 ng/ml platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB)-ind...