An ultrasensitive method for the determination of proteins is described that combines an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a thionicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide (thio-NAD) cycling method. A sandwich method using a primary and a secondary antibody for antigens is employed in an ELISA. An androsterone derivative, 3α-hydroxysteroid, is produced by the hydrolysis of 3α-hydroxysteroid ...

BACKGROUND : Accumulation of T cells and immature dendritic cells (DCs) is one of the characteristic features of nasal polyps. However, the question remains why these cells accumulate in nasal polyp tissue. Macrophage inflammatory protein-3α; (MIP-3α;/CCL20) is a chemokine involved in the migration of T cells and immature DCs into inflammatory tissue sites. Fibroblasts are a rich source of cyto...

3α,5α-Cyclocholestan-6β-yl alkyl and aryl ethers were proved to be efficient cholesteryl donors in the electrochemical synthesis of glycoconjugates. 3α,5α-Cyclocholestan-6β-ol (i-cholesterol) and its tert-butyldimethylsilyl ether can also be used for this purpose. The i-cholesterol derivatives show similar reactivities to those of previously studied 3α,5α-cyclocholestan-6β-thioethers.

Three new multiflorane-type triterpene esters, i.e. 7α-hydroxymultiflor-8-ene-3α,29-diol 3-acetate-29-benzoate (1), 7α-methoxymultiflor-8-ene-3α,29-diol 3,29-dibenzoate (2), and 7β-methoxymultiflor-8-ene-3α,29-diol 3,29-dibenzoate (3), were isolated from seeds of Cucurbita maxima, along with the known compound, multiflora-7,9(11)-diene-3α,29-diol 3,29-dibenzoate (4). Compound 1 exhibited melano...

O estudo de Trattinnickia burserifolia levou ao isolamento dos triterpenos conhecidos ursanos α-amirenona, α-amirina, 3-epi-α-amirina, 3α,16β-diidroxiurs-12-eno; oleananos β-amirenona, βamirina, 3-epi-β-amirina, 3α,16β-diidroxiolean-12-eno; tirucalanos ácidos 3α-hidroxitirucal-8,24dien-21-óico, 3α-hidroxitirucal-7,24-dien-21-óico, e 3-oxotirucal-8,24-dien-21-óico; damaranos dammarenediol-II e 3...

Hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs) are transcription factors, which are commonly expressed in mammals, including humans. The HIFs consist of hypoxia-regulated α and oxygen-insensitive β subunits, and are key regulators of gene expression during hypoxia in normal and solid tumor tissues. Three members of the HIF family, HIF-1α, HIF-2α, and HIF-3α, are currently known. HIF-3α differs from HIF-1α an...

Cytotoxic indole alkaloids from Melodinus suaveolens, which belongs to the toxic plant family Apocynaceae, demonstrated impressive antitumor activities in many tumor types, but less application in glioblastoma, which is the lethal brain tumor. In the present study, we reported the anti-glioblastoma activity of an indole alkaloid, 3α-acetonyltabersonine, which was isolated from Melodinus suaveol...

Exposure to environmental endocrine disruptors may interfere with nervous system's activity. Fungicides such as tebuconazole, triadimefon, and vinclozolin have antifungal activities and are used to prevent fungal infections in agricultural plants. In the present study, we studied effects of tebuconazole, triadimefon, and vinclozolin on rat's neurosteroidogenic 5α-reductase 1 (5α-Red1), 3α-hydro...

BACKGROUND Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) plays an important role in human cancer. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinicopathological significance of expression of GSK-3α/β and pGSK-3α/β(Tyr279/216) in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer and to investigate whether GSK-3 inhibition can influence cell viability and tumor growth of ovarian cancer. METHODS Immunohistochemistry w...

Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) is linked to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), senile plaques (SPs), and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), but the specific contributions of each of the GSK-3 α and β isoforms to mechanisms of AD have not been clarified. In this study, we sought to elucidate the role of each GSK-3α and GSK-3β using novel viral and genetic approaches. First, we develo...