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Natural and Synthetic Molecules for Tissue Protection

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A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2020) | Viewed by 20454

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Seyed Khosrow Tayebati

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Guest Editor

School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, 62032 Camerino, Italy
Interests: obesity; hypertension; neuroinflammation; neurodegeneration; neuroprotection; natural and synthetic antioxidants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Tissue protection represents a challenge both in health and in disease. In Western countries, China, Russia, and other emerging countries (e.g., India), new lifestyles, the use of high technological facilities, environmental pollution, electromagnetic waves, and radioactivity lead to a great range of tissue and organ damage. The populations living in these contexts are aware of this high risk for their health and try to face it with appropriate lifestyle and protective molecules.

These protective substances include different families of products trying through a variety of approaches to restore the pre-insult state of tissues. These molecules include antioxidants, immune-reinforcing agents, vitamins, and many other products with a tissue-specific protective activity (e.g., neuronal, endothelial, and cardiovascular).

Natural compounds, their derivatives, and purely synthetic ones belong to a variegated class of tissue protectants. The appropriate choice of these molecules is crucial in tissue and organ preservation. For this reason, several preclinical and clinical studies are available in the literature, which evaluate both protective mechanisms and protectant molecules. Deep comprehension of the insult that causes tissue damage could be essential to choosing the suitable disease-modifying compound for recovering health status.

The analysis of different tissue-protective strategies, based on the knowledge of the damage mechanisms, has led to the development of several protective compounds. Nervous tissue is among the most sensitive because any kind of insult is irreversible. Therefore, its protection is crucial to ensure correct function. Many laboratories worldwide are working on new agents to reduce the damage to the nervous system, protecting neuronal microenvironment. Other molecules have been used to protect the renal, cardiovascular, and gastro-enteric system.

This Special Issue will publish research articles or reviews covering all kinds of natural and synthetic compounds with protective activity in different tissues. Manuscripts that highlight different molecules with a possible preventive activity against damage in healthy tissue are also welcome.

Dr. Seyed Khosrow Tayebati
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

inflammation
tissue protection
natural and synthetic protectants
antioxidants
phospholipids
anti-inflammatory compounds

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 2317 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tart Cherry Juice and Seeds Affect Pro-Inflammatory Markers in Visceral Adipose Tissue of High-Fat Diet Obese Rats

by Michele Moruzzi, Nora Klöting, Matthias Blüher, Ilenia Martinelli, Seyed Khosrow Tayebati, Maria Gabriella Gabrielli, Proshanta Roy, Maria Vittoria Micioni Di Bonaventura, Carlo Cifani, Giulio Lupidi, Francesco Amenta and Daniele Tomassoni

Molecules 2021, 26(5), 1403; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26051403 - 05 Mar 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2870

Abstract

Background: Tart cherries (Prunus cerasus L.) are a rich source of anthocyanins. They are phytochemical flavonoids found in red and blue fruits, and vegetables that can reduce hyperlipidemia. Visceral Adipose Tissue (VAT) has emerged as a major player in driving obesity-related inflammatory response. Methods: This study has investigated the potential positive effects of tart cherries on rats with Diet-Induced Obesity (DIO). In particular, the inflammatory status in retroperitoneal (RPW) and perigonadal (PGW) adipose tissue were studied. Rats were fed ad libitum for 17 weeks with a hypercaloric diet with the supplementation of tart cherries seeds powder (DS) and seeds powder plus tart cherries juice containing 1mg of anthocyanins (DJS). In RPW and PGW, expression of CRP, IL-1 β, TNF-α, CCL2 and CD36, were measured by qRT-PCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry techniques. Results: No differences in the weight of RPW and PGW animals were found between DS and DJS groups compared to DIO rats. However, an increase of inflammatory markers was observed in DIO group in comparison with control lean rats. A modulation of these markers was evident upon tart cherry supplementation. Conclusion: Study results suggest that tart cherry enriched-diet did not modify the accumulation of visceral fat, but it decreased inflammatory markers in both tissues. Therefore, this supplementation could be useful, in combination with healthy lifestyles, to modify adipose tissue cell metabolism limiting-obesity related organ damage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural and Synthetic Molecules for Tissue Protection)

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16 pages, 2263 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Anti-Inflammatory Activity and ROS Regulation Effect of Sinapaldehyde in LPS-Stimulated RAW 264.7 Macrophages

by Seung-Hwa Baek, Tamina Park, Myung-Gyun Kang and Daeui Park

Molecules 2020, 25(18), 4089; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25184089 - 07 Sep 2020

Cited by 38 | Viewed by 7887

Abstract

We evaluated the anti-inflammatory effects of SNAH in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages by performing nitric oxide (NO) assays, cytokine enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, Western blotting, and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis. SNAH inhibited the production of NO (nitric oxide), reactive oxygen species (ROS), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interleukin (IL)-6. Additionally, 100 μM SNAH significantly inhibited total NO and ROS inhibitory activity by 93% (p < 0.001) and 34% (p < 0.05), respectively. Protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) stimulated by LPS were also decreased by SNAH. Moreover, SNAH significantly (p < 0.001) downregulated the TNF-α, IL-6, and iNOS mRNA expression upon LPS stimulation. In addition, 3–100 µM SNAH was not cytotoxic. Docking simulations and enzyme inhibitory assays with COX-2 revealed binding scores of −6.4 kcal/mol (IC₅₀ = 47.8 μM) with SNAH compared to −11.1 kcal/mol (IC₅₀ = 0.45 μM) with celecoxib, a known selective COX-2 inhibitor. Our results demonstrate that SNAH exerts anti-inflammatory effects via suppression of ROS and NO by COX-2 inhibition. Thus, SNAH may be useful as a pharmacological agent for treating inflammation-related diseases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural and Synthetic Molecules for Tissue Protection)

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13 pages, 3853 KiB

Open AccessArticle

β-Cyclodextrin Inhibits Monocytic Adhesion to Endothelial Cells through Nitric Oxide-Mediated Depletion of Cell Adhesion Molecules

by Sujeong Jang, Seongsoo Lee and Heonyong Park

Molecules 2020, 25(16), 3575; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25163575 - 06 Aug 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2634

Abstract

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are used as drug delivery agents. In this study, we examined whether CDs have an inflammatory effect on endothelial cells. First, we found that β-CD promoted cell proliferation in bovine aortic endothelial cells and elevated nitric oxide (NO) production through dephosphorylation of threonine-495 (T-495) in endothelial nitric oxide synthetase (eNOS). Dephosphorylation of T-495 is known to activate eNOS. Phosphorylation of T-495 was found to be catalyzed by protein kinase Cε (PKCε). We then found that β-CD inhibits binding of PKCε to diacylglycerol (DAG) via formation of a β-CD-DAG complex, indicating that β-CD inactivates PKCε. Furthermore, β-CD controls activation of PKCε by reducing the recruitment of PKCε into the plasma membrane. Finally, β-CD inhibits expression of intercellular and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 by increasing NO via control of PKCε/eNOS and suppression of THP-1 cell adhesion to endothelial cells. These findings imply that β-CD plays an important role in anti-inflammatory processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural and Synthetic Molecules for Tissue Protection)

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18 pages, 5252 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of the Combination of β-Hydroxy-β-Methyl Butyrate and R(+) Lipoic Acid in a Cellular Model of Sarcopenia

by Lorenzo Di Cesare Mannelli, Laura Micheli, Elena Lucarini, Carmen Parisio, Alessandra Toti, Barbara Tenci, Matteo Zanardelli, Jacopo Junio Valerio Branca, Alessandra Pacini and Carla Ghelardini

Molecules 2020, 25(9), 2117; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25092117 - 30 Apr 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3390

Abstract

Sarcopenia is a clinical problem associated with several pathological and non-pathological conditions. The aim of the present research is the evaluation of the pharmacological profile of the leucine metabolite β-hydroxy-β-methyl butyrate (HMB) associated with the natural R(+) stereoisomer of lipoic acid (R(+)LA) in a cellular model of muscle wasting. The C2C12 cell line is used as myoblasts or is differentiated in myotubes, sarcopenia is induced by dexamethasone (DEX). A Bonferroni significant difference procedure is used for a post hoc comparison. DEX toxicity (0.01–300 µM concentration range) is evaluated in myoblasts to measure cell viability and caspase 3 activation after 24 h and 48 h; cell incubation with 1 µM DEX for 48 h is chosen as optimal treatment for decreasing cell viability and increasing caspase 3 activity. R(+)LA or HMB significantly prevents DEX-induced cell mortality; the efficacy is improved when 100 µM R(+)LA is combined with 1 mM HMB. Regarding myoblasts, this combination significantly reduces DEX-evoked O₂⁻ production and protein oxidative damage. During the early phase of myotube formation, the mixture preserves the number of myogenin-positive cells, whereas it completely prevents the DEX-dependent damage in a later phase of myotube differentiation (7 days), as evaluated by cell diameter and percentage of multinucleated cells. R(+)LA in association with HMB is suggested for sarcopenia therapy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural and Synthetic Molecules for Tissue Protection)

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Review

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25 pages, 708 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Role of Hormones and Trophic Factors as Components of Preservation Solutions in Protection of Renal Function before Transplantation: A Review of the Literature

by Aneta Ostróżka-Cieślik and Barbara Dolińska

Molecules 2020, 25(9), 2185; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25092185 - 07 May 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3102

Abstract

Transplantation is currently a routine method for treating end-stage organ failure. In recent years, there has been some progress in the development of an optimal composition of organ preservation solutions, improving the vital functions of the organ and allowing to extend its storage period until implantation into the recipient. Optimizations are mostly based on commercial solutions, routinely used to store grafts intended for transplantation. The paper reviews hormones with a potential nephroprotective effect, which were used to modify the composition of renal perfusion and preservation solutions. Their effectiveness as ingredients of preservation solutions was analysed based on a literature review. Hormones and trophic factors are innovative preservation solution supplements. They have a pleiotropic effect and affect normal renal function. The expression of receptors for melatonin, prolactin, thyrotropin, corticotropin, prostaglandin E1 and trophic factors was confirmed in the kidneys, which suggests that they are a promising therapeutic target for renal IR (ischemia-reperfusion) injury. They can have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effects, limiting IR injury. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural and Synthetic Molecules for Tissue Protection)

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