Browsing by Subject "Molecular targets"

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    Intracellular signaling modifications involved in the anti-inflammatory effect of 4-alkoxy-6,9-dichloro[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalines on macrophages
    (Elsevier, 2017-01-03) Tristán-Manzano, María; Guirado, Antonio; Gálvez, Jesús; García-Peñarrubia, Pilar; Martínez-Esparza Alvargonzález, María Concepción; Ruiz Alcaraz, Antonio José; Bioquímica y Biología Molecular B e Inmunología
    Inflammation is part of a complex biological response directed by the immune system to fight pathogens and maintain homeostasis. Dysregulation of the inflammatory process leads to development of chronic inflammatory or autoimmune diseases. Several cell types, such as macrophages, and cytokines such as interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) are involved in the regulation of inflammation. The important role played by these cytokines asmediators of the inflammatory process and the side effects of current therapies have promoted the search of new therapeutic alternatives. Quinoxalines are important compounds allowing a wide range of chemical modifications in order to provide an extensive repertoire of biological activities. We have previously shown that a series of 4-alkoxy-6,9-dichloro[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalines exhibit potent anti-inflammatory activity, inhibiting the production of TNF-α and IL-6. Our aim here was to study the mechanism thereby this series of compounds act upon different intracellular signaling pathways to uncover their potential molecular targets. By using immunoblotting assays, we found that these compounds inhibit ERK 1/2 and JNK/c-Jun cascades, and reduce c-Fos expression, while activate the anti-inflammatory PI3K/Akt route. These results provide further information on their effect upon the intracellular signal transduction mechanisms leading to inhibition of TNF-α and IL-6 secretion. Our results may be of great interest for the pharmaceutical industry, and could be used as a starting point for the development of new and more potent anti-inflammatory drugs derived from the quinoxaline core.
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    Monocarboxylate transporters as targets and mediators in cancer therapy response
    (F. Hernández y Juan F. Madrid. Universidad de Murcia: Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología, 2014) Baltazar, Fátima; Pinheiro, C.; Morais-Santos, F.; Azevedo-Silva, J.; Queirós, O.; Preto, A.; Casal, M.
    Monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) belong to a family of transporters, encoded by the SLC16 gene family, which is presently composed by 14 members, but only MCT1 to 4 have been biochemically characterized. They have important functions in healthy tissues, being involved in the transmembrane transport of lactic acid and other monocarboxylic acids in human cells. One of the recently recognized hallmarks of cancer is altered metabolism, with high rates of glucose consumption and consequent lactate production. To maintain this metabolic phenotype, cancer cells upregulate a series of plasma membrane proteins, including MCTs. MCT1 and MCT4, in particular, play a dual role in the maintenance of the metabolic phenotype of tumour cells. On one hand, they facilitate the efflux of lactate and, on the other hand, they contribute to the preservation of the intracellular pH, by co-transporting a proton. Thus, MCTs are attractive targets in cancer therapy, especially in cancers with a hyper-glycolytic and acid-resistant phenotype. Also recent evidence demonstrates that MCTs are involved in cancer cell uptake of chemotherapeutic agents, including 3-bromopyruvate. In this way, MCTs can act as “Trojan horses”, as their elevated expression in cancer cells can mediate the entry of this chemotherapeutic agent into the cells and selectively kill cancer cells. As a result, MCTs will be mediators of chemotherapeutic response, and their expression can be used as a molecular marker to predict response to chemotherapy.
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    Quinoxalines Potential to Target Pathologies
    (Bentham Science Publishers, 2015) Tristán-Manzano, María; Guirado, Antonio; Gálvez, Jesús; García-Peñarrubia, Pilar; Martínez-Esparza Alvargonzález, María Concepción; Ruiz Alcaraz, Antonio José; Bioquímica y Biología Molecular B e Inmunología
    The study of quinoxalines has increased immeasurably during the last two decades, due firstly to their relatively simple chemical synthesis, which has generated a vast variety of compounds with diverse structural modifications, and secondly, to the wide therapeutic potential and biological activities exhibited by this family of compounds. Quinoxalines constitute a rising biomedical class of low-molecular weight heterocyclic compounds with potential functions as antitumour, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antiparasitic and antidiabetic agents, as well as being of interest for the potential treatment of glaucoma, insomnia, cardiovascular and neurological diseases, among others. However, a deeper knowledge of the molecular targets of quinoxalines that fulfil a key role in certain pathologies is required for the development of new and more specific drugs through a rational design strategy to avoid undesirable side effects. In the present review, we summarize the most important molecular targets of the quinoxaline derivatives discovered to date, thus providing a first reference index for researchers to identify the potential targets of their quinoxalines derived collections, which could facilitate the development of new quinoxaline- based therapies.