Omega-3 fatty acids, membrane remodeling and cancer prevention
Publication date: Available online 12 April 2018 Source:Molecular Aspects of Medicine Author(s): Natividad R. Fuentes, Eunjoo Kim, Yang-Yi Fan, Robert S. Chapkin Proteins are often credited as the macromolecule responsible for performing critical cellular functions, however lipids have recently garnered more attention as our understanding of their role in cell function and human health becomes more apparent. Although cellular membranes are the lipid environment in which many proteins function, it is now apparent that protein and lipid assemblies can be organized to form distinct micro- or nanodomains that facilitate ...
Source: Molecular Aspects of Medicine - April 12, 2018 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
More than a syllable in fib-ROS-is: The role of ROS on the fibrotic extracellular matrix and on cellular contacts
Publication date: Available online 6 April 2018 Source:Molecular Aspects of Medicine Author(s): Julius Grosche, Juliane Meißner, Johannes A. Eble Fibrosis is characterized by excess deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM). However, the ECM changes during fibrosis not only quantitatively but also qualitatively. Thus, the composition is altered as the expression of various ECM proteins changes. Moreover, also posttranslational modifications, secretion, deposition and crosslinkage as well as the proteolytic degradation of ECM components run differently during fibrosis. As several of these processes involve redox reacti...
Source: Molecular Aspects of Medicine - April 6, 2018 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
Biological activities of non-enzymatic oxygenated metabolites of polyunsaturated fatty acids (NEO-PUFAs) derived from EPA and DHA: New anti-arrhythmic compounds?
Publication date: Available online 27 March 2018 Source:Molecular Aspects of Medicine Author(s): Jean-Marie Galano, Jérôme Roy, Thierry Durand, Jetty Chung-Yung Lee, Jean-Yves Le Guennec, Camille Oger, Marie Demion ω3 Polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω3 PUFAs) have several biological properties including anti-arrhythmic effects. However, there are some evidences that it is not solely ω3 PUFAs per se that are biologically active but the non-enzymatic oxygenated metabolites of polyunsaturated fatty acids (NEO-PUFAs) like isoprostanes and neuroprostanes. Recent question arises how these molecules take part in physio...
Source: Molecular Aspects of Medicine - March 28, 2018 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
N-Docosahexaenoylethanolamine: A neurotrophic and neuroprotective metabolite of docosahexaenoic acid
Publication date: Available online 27 March 2018 Source:Molecular Aspects of Medicine Author(s): Hee-Yong Kim, Arthur A. Spector N-Docosahexaenoylethanolamine (synaptamide) is an endocannabinoid-like metabolite endogenously synthesized from docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3), the major omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid present in the brain. Although its biosynthetic mechanism has yet to be established, there is a closely linked relationship between the levels of synaptamide and its precursor DHA in the brain. Synaptamide at nanomolar concentrations promotes neurogenesis, neurite outgrowth and synaptogenesis in develo...
Source: Molecular Aspects of Medicine - March 27, 2018 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
ROS signaling and ER stress in cardiovascular disease
Publication date: Available online 22 March 2018 Source:Molecular Aspects of Medicine Author(s): Cristhiaan D. Ochoa, Ru Feng Wu, Lance S. Terada The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) produces the vast majority of all proteins secreted into the extracellular space, including hormones and cytokines, as well as cell surface receptors and other proteins which interact with the environment. Accordingly, this organelle controls essentially all vital links to a cell's external milieu, responding to systemic metabolic, inflammatory, endocrine, and mechanical stimuli. The central role the ER plays in meeting protein synthetic and qu...
Source: Molecular Aspects of Medicine - March 22, 2018 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
Omega-3 fatty acids and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: Evidence of efficacy and mechanism of action
Publication date: Available online 22 March 2018 Source:Molecular Aspects of Medicine Author(s): Eleonora Scorletti, Christopher D. Byrne For many years it has been known that high doses of long chain omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial in the treatment of hypertriglyceridaemia. Over the last three decades, there has also been a wealth of in vitro and in vivo data that has accumulated to suggest that long chain omega-3 fatty acid treatment might be beneficial to decrease liver triacylglycerol. Several biological mechanisms have been identified that support this hypothesis; notably, it has been shown that long chain omeg...
Source: Molecular Aspects of Medicine - March 22, 2018 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
Redox control in cancer development and progression
Publication date: Available online 5 March 2018 Source:Molecular Aspects of Medicine Author(s): Valeska Helfinger, Katrin Schröder Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide after cardiovascular diseases. This has been the case for the last few decades despite there being an increase in the number of cancer treatments. One reason for the apparent lack of drug effectiveness might be, at least in part, due to unspecificity for tumors; which often leads to substantial side effects. One way to improve the treatment of cancer is to increase the specificity of the treatment in accordance with the concept of individualiz...
Source: Molecular Aspects of Medicine - March 5, 2018 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
Recommending flavanols and procyanidins for cardiovascular health: Revisited
Publication date: Available online 23 February 2018 Source:Molecular Aspects of Medicine Author(s): Javier I. Ottaviani, Christian Heiss, Jeremy P.E. Spencer, Malte Kelm, Hagen Schroeter The last 8 years have seen significant developments in our understanding of dietary flavanols and procyanidins in the context of human health and nutrition. During the same time, recognition of the importance of nutrition in primary disease prevention and health maintenance has increased. In addition, the concept of dietary bioactives (food constituents that although not essential to human life and procreation, may nevertheless play...
Source: Molecular Aspects of Medicine - February 23, 2018 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
Subpopulations of extracellular vesicles and their therapeutic potential
Publication date: Available online 16 February 2018 Source:Molecular Aspects of Medicine Author(s): Cecilia Lässer, Su Chul Jang, Jan Lötvall Extracellular vesicles (EVs), such as exosomes and microvesicles, have over the last 10–15 years been recognized to convey key messages in the molecular communication between cells. Indeed, EVs have the capacity to shuttle proteins, lipids, and nucleotides such as RNA between cells, leading to an array of functional changes in the recipient cells. Importantly, the EV secretome changes significantly in diseased cells and under conditions of cellular stress. More recently, it ...
Source: Molecular Aspects of Medicine - February 16, 2018 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
PDGF-C and PDGF-D signaling in vascular diseases and animal models
Publication date: Available online 14 February 2018 Source:Molecular Aspects of Medicine Author(s): Erika Folestad, Anne Kunath, Dick Wågsäter Members of the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) family are well known to be involved in different pathological conditions. The cellular and molecular mechanisms induced by the PDGF signaling have been well studied. Nevertheless, there is much more to discover about their functions and some important questions to be answered. This review summarizes the known roles of two of the PDGFs, PDGF-C and PDGF-D, in vascular diseases. There are clear implications for these growth f...
Source: Molecular Aspects of Medicine - February 14, 2018 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
Plant bioactives and redox signaling: ( –)-Epicatechin as a paradigm
Publication date: Available online 10 February 2018 Source:Molecular Aspects of Medicine Author(s): Cesar G. Fraga, Patricia I. Oteiza, Monica Galleano Polyphenols are bioactives claimed to be responsible for some of the health benefits provided by fruit and vegetables. It is currently accepted that the bioactivities of polyphenols can be mostly ascribed to their interactions with proteins and lipids. Such interactions can affect cell oxidant production and cell signaling, and explain in part the ability of polyphenols to promote health. EC can modulate redox sensitive signaling by: i) defining the extent of oxidant l...
Source: Molecular Aspects of Medicine - February 11, 2018 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
Brain docosahexaenoic acid uptake and metabolism
Publication date: Available online 9 February 2018 Source:Molecular Aspects of Medicine Author(s): R.J.Scott Lacombe, Raphaël Chouinard-Watkins, Richard P. Bazinet Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is the most abundant n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid in the brain where it serves to regulate several important processes and, in addition, serves as a precursor to bioactive mediators. Given that the capacity of the brain to synthesize DHA locally is appreciably low, the uptake of DHA from circulating lipid pools is essential to maintaining homeostatic levels. Although, several plasma pools have been proposed to supply the brain ...
Source: Molecular Aspects of Medicine - February 9, 2018 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
Redox-signals and macrophage biology (for the upcoming issue of molecular aspects of medicine on signaling by reactive oxygen species)
Publication date: Available online 12 January 2018 Source:Molecular Aspects of Medicine Author(s): Andreas Weigert, Andreas von Knethen, Dominik Fuhrmann, Nathalie Dehne, Bernhard Brüne Macrophages are known for their versatile role in biology. They sense and clear structures that contain exogenous or endogenous pathogen-associated molecular patterns. This process is tightly linked to the production of a mixture of potentially harmful oxidants and cytokines. Their inherent destructive behavior is directed against foreign material or structures of ‘altered self’, which explains the role of macrophages during inn...
Source: Molecular Aspects of Medicine - February 8, 2018 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
Flavonoids and the gastrointestinal tract: Local and systemic effects
Publication date: Available online 12 January 2018 Source:Molecular Aspects of Medicine Author(s): P.I. Oteiza, C.G. Fraga, D.A. Mills, D.H. Taft The gastrointestinal (GI) tract plays a central role in the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of flavonoids, which ultimately define the health effects of these bioactives. These aspects are modulated by the interactions of flavonoids with other dietary components, environmental factors, the host, and the GI microbiota. Flavonoid can target molecules in the luminal content, the different GI tract cell types, and the microbiota. Importantly, flavonoid actio...
Source: Molecular Aspects of Medicine - February 8, 2018 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
Omega-3 fatty acids and adipose tissue biology
Publication date: Available online 17 January 2018 Source:Molecular Aspects of Medicine Author(s): Ondrej Kuda, Martin Rossmeisl, Jan Kopecky This review provides evidence for the importance of white and brown adipose tissue (i.e. WAT and BAT) function for the maintenance of healthy metabolic phenotype and its preservation in response to omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 PUFA), namely in the context of diseased states linked to aberrant accumulation of body fat, systemic low-grade inflammation, dyslipidemia and insulin resistance. More specifically, the review deals with (i) the concept of immunometabolism,...
Source: Molecular Aspects of Medicine - February 8, 2018 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
