The Diverse Biological Activity of Recently Synthesized Nitro Compounds.

The search for new and efficient pharmaceuticals is a constant struggle for medicinal chemists. New substances are needed in order to treat different pathologies affecting the health of humans and animals, and these new compounds should be safe, effective and have the fewest side effects possible. Some functional groups are known for having biological activity; in this matter, the nitro group (NO2) is an efficient scaffold when synthesizing new bioactive molecules. Nitro compounds display a wide spectrum of activities that include antineoplastic, antibiotic, antihypertensive, antiparasitic, tranquilizers and even herbicides, among many others. Most nitro molecules exhibit antimicrobial activity, and several of the compounds mentioned in this review may be further studied as lead compounds for the treatment of H. pylori, P. aeruginosa, M. tuberculosis and S. mutans infections, among others. The NO2 moiety triggers redox reactions within cells causing toxicity and the posterior death of microorganisms, not only bacteria but also multicellular organisms such as parasites. The same effect may be present in humans as well, so the nitro groups can be considered both a pharmacophore and a toxicophore at the same time. The role of the nitro group itself also has a deep effect on the polarity and electronic properties of the resulting molecules, and hence favors interactions with some amino acids in proteins. For these reasons, it is fundamental to analyze the recently synthesized nitro molecules that show any potential activity in order to develop new pharmacological treatments that enhance human health.

The microRNA landscape of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is a keratinocyte-derived skin tumor. It is the second-most-common cancer affecting the Caucasian population and is responsible for >20% of all skin-cancer-related deaths. The estimated incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer in the USA is >1000000 cases per year, of which roughly 20-30% are squamous cell carcinoma. To better understand and treat this challenging cancer, current research focuses on development of novel strategies to improve the understanding of tumor biogenesis on an individual basis. microRNAs are becoming important biomarkers in the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of cSCC. This review describes the current knowledge on miRNA expression in cSCC and its role as a biomarker for personalized medicine.

Identificación de microRNAs en carcinoma cutáneo de células escamosas (CCE) / Identification of microRNAs in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC)

El carcinoma cutáneo de células escamosas (CCE) es el segundo cáncer de piel ms común en humanos, el cual puede llegar a ser invasivo y mostrar un curso agresivo. El CCE inicia en las células escamosas de la capa epidérmica. Así mismo, la epidermis se compone de tejido queratinizado que se regenera continuamente a partir de células basales y reemplaza a las células muertas. Estudios sobre el proceso de diferenciación celular, muestran que los microRNAs (miRNAs) están involucrados en el proceso de formación de la piel, y se ha reportado que alteraciones en la transcripción, procesamiento y expresión de los miRNAs afecta a la señalización celular, esencial en la proliferación, invasión, apoptosis y diferenciación células malignas. Los miRNAs son una familia de reguladores epigenéticos de pequeñas moléculas endógenas no codificantes de RNAs de aproximadamente 25 nucleótidos de longitud, y están involucrados en la patogénesis de cáncer en humanos como reguladores de factores de crecimiento transformantes y metástasis. Se hizo una revisión sistemática usando las principales bases de datos bibliográficas (PubMed/MEDLINE, Science) y revistas públicas en internet. Los criterios de inclusión y exclusión fueron predefinidos (carcinoma cutáneo, miRNAs, biogénesis) y también un conjunto de variables para analizar las características de los artículos seleccionados (expresión y el papel de los miRNAs en el CCE, que no han sido bien estudiadas).

The cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the second most common skin cancer in humans, which can become invasive and show an aggressive course. CSCC starts in the epidermal layer of squamous cells. Also, the epidermis is composed of keratinized tissue that continuously regenerate from basal cells and replace the dead cells. Studies about cell differentiation process, shows that microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the process of skin formation, and has been reported that alterations intranscription, processing and expression of miRNAs, affect the function of the cell signaling, essential the proliferation, invasion, apoptosis and differentiation of malignant cells. MiRNAs are an epigenetic regulators family of small noncoding endogenous molecules of RNAs, about 25 nucleotides in length, and are involved in the pathogenesis of human cancer in the regulation of transformant growth factors and metastasis. We performed a systematic review using major electronic bibliographic databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, Sciencie) and public journals on the internet. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were pre-defined (cutaneous carcinoma, miRNAs, and biogenesis) and also a set of variables to analyze the characteristics of the selected reports (the expression and role of miRNAs in the cSCC, what has not been well studied).

The caspase pathway as a possible therapeutic target in experimental pemphigus.

Apoptosis plays a role in pemphigus IgG-dependent acantholysis; theoretically, the blockade of the caspase pathway could prevent the blistering that is caused by pemphigus autoantibodies. Using this strategy, we attempted to block the pathogenic effect of pemphigus IgG in Balb/c mice by using the caspase inhibitor Ac-DEVD-CMK. This inhibitor was administrated before the injection of pemphigus IgG into neonatal mice. The main results of the present investigation are as follows: (1) pemphigus IgG induces intraepidermal blisters in Balb/c neonatal mice; (2) keratinocytes around the blister and acantholytic cells undergo apoptosis; (3) the caspases inhibitor Ac-DEVD-CMK prevents apoptosis; (4) the inhibition of the caspase pathway prevents blister formation. In conclusion, inhibition of the caspase pathway may be a promising therapeutic tool that can help in the treatment of pemphigus flare ups.