Biomedical subjects

B Luu

Publications and source records attributed to B Luu.

61 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Studies of the oxysterol inhibition of tumor cell growth.

The oxysterols 3 beta-hydroxy-5 alpha-cholest-8-en-11-one, 3 beta-hydroxy-5 alpha-cholest-8-en-7-one, 3 beta-hydroxy-5 alpha-cholest-8(14)-en-7-one, 3 beta-hydroxy-4,4'-dimethylcholest-5-ene-7 one, 4,4'-dimethylcholest-5-ene-3 beta, 7 alpha-diol, 4,4'-dimethylcholest-5-ene-3 beta, 7 beta-diol, lanost-8-ene-3 beta, 25-diol, 25-hydroxylanost-8-en-3-one, 9 alpha, 11 alpha-epoxy-5 alpha-cholest-7-en-3 beta-ol, 3 beta-hydroxycholest-5 alpha-en-22-one, and 3 beta-hydroxycholest-5-en-22-one oxime were evaluated with respect to their ability to inhibit cell growth. All of the sterols were found to possess cytotoxicity when incubated with hepatoma (HTC) and lymphoma (RDM-4) cells in culture at 10-30 microM concentrations.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Inhibition of high voltage-activated Ca2+ currents from cultured sensory neurones by a novel insect peptide.

PMP-D2, a novel 35 amino acid peptide isolated from the brain of the locust Locusta migratoria, is localised specifically in neurosecretory cells and nerve tracts of the Pars intercerebralis. When PMP-D2 is applied onto rat sensory neurones it blocks high voltage-activated inward Ca2+ currents at concentrations ranging from 0.1 mu M to 10 mu M. The inhibitory effect of PMP-D2 is more marked on the sustained inward Ca2+ current measured at the end of 100 ms voltage step commands than on the maximum inward Ca2+ current. These results suggests that PMP-D2 may differentially inhibit the two components of the high voltage-activated inward Ca2+ currents of rat sensory neurones.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Antitumor activity of oxysterols. Effect of two water-soluble monophosphoric acid diesters of 7 beta-hydroxycholesterol on mastocytoma P815 in vivo.

Oxysterols, a family of naturally occurring products, have been shown to possess several biological activities. In particular, they are more toxic towards tumor cells than towards normal cells. In addition, they markedly modify immune cell responses. To carry out in vivo studies, we have synthesized phosphodiesters of 7 beta-hydroxycholesterol (JB69 and XA29). These water-soluble prodrugs have a similar toxicity to their parent compound under in vitro conditions. When administered intraperitoneally to mice bearing the P815 mastocytoma, they induced significant increases in life span. The results depend on the administration protocol. Under appropriate conditions, 20 to 40% of treated mice recover completely. This, together with their immunological effect, suggests that these oxysterols should be considered to be agents for immunochemotherapeutic investigations. By their ability to inhibit HMG CoA reductase, they may prevent the biosynthesis of prenyl groups whose coupling to oncogenes is responsible for the biological activity expression of the latter. Several indications are compatible with an effect on the cell membrane. Our recent studies have shown Protein Kinase C to be a target of oxysterols. On the basis of results obtained by our group and by others, we believe that oxysterols may form a new class of antitumor agents.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Metabolism of new anticancer oxysterol derivatives in rats.

New water soluble derivatives of oxysterols--the phosphodiesters of oxysterols and of nucleosides--have been synthesized. In vitro, these compounds share the biological properties of their parent oxysterols. Furthermore, they display anticancer activity when injected i.p. in mice bearing experimental tumors. The pharmacokinetic study described here proved that the water-soluble derivatives of oxysterols act as prodrugs releasing free oxysterol in the blood, the liver and the kidney after i.p. or i.v. injection in rats. The hydro-solubility of such compounds as well as their slow metabolism into the active principle could account for their biological activity and make them suitable as new therapeutic agents.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of oxysterol derivatives on the time course development of hepatocarcinoma in transgenic mice.

Among their biological properties, several oxysterols display a stronger toxicity towards tumor cells than towards normal cells. Water-soluble phosphodiesters of 7 beta-hydroxycholesterol (JB69 and XA29), that were proved to retain a specific antitumoral activity in vitro, have been recently developed, allowing in vivo studies. They have been assayed on transgenic mice expressing the Large T antigen of SV40 in their liver and developing systematically hepatocarcinoma within 8 months. We show that JB69 and XA29 administered intraperitoneally into transgenic mice, before the onset of adenoma, may prevent or delay the tumor development. Consequently, oxysterol derivatives might constitute new efficient prodrugs against naturally occurring tumors.

Adenoma↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Regioselective formation of the three disulfide bonds of a 35-residue insect peptide.

PMP-D2, a 35-residue peptide containing three disulfide bonds, was synthesized on solid-phase using 9-fluorenylmethoxy-carbonyl (Fmoc) as alpha-NH2 protection and simultaneous air oxidation of the six cysteines for formation of its disulfide bonds. The overall yield was 13%. As very little research has been done on the regioselective formation of three disulfide bonds, we decided to investigate different strategies using either trityl (Trt), acetamidomethyl (Acm) and methoxybenzyl (Mob), or methoxytrityl (Mmt), trityl and acetamidomethyl, as cysteine-protecting groups and Fmoc as alpha-NH2 protection. In the first strategy, the first disulfide bond was formed by air oxidation and the second was formed by iodine oxidation of the Cys(Acm). Then, the Cys (Mob) was deprotected using TFMSA/TFA treatment for formation of the third disulfide bond. This last step was poorly reproducible on a large scale. The overall yield was 2.5%. In the second strategy, the first disulfide was formed on the resin after removal of the methoxytrityl group, and the two remaining disulfide bonds were formed classically in solution. The overall yield was 2%. From the overall yields using these strategies, it appears clear that simultaneous oxidation of the six cysteines is particularly appropriate for the synthesis of PMP-D2.

Acetamides↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cytotoxic properties of a phosphoglycoconjugated derivative of 7 beta-hydroxycholesterol upon normal and tumor cells in culture.

The cytotoxic activity of a new hydrosoluble axysterol derivative, a phosphoric acid diester of 7 beta-hydroxycholesterol (7 beta-OHC, one of the most toxic oxysterol) and of galactose has been evaluated using cultured tumor cells of various origins, and compared with 7 beta-OHC. As its parent compound, XG-142 exhibits a significant cytotoxic activity against all the cell lines tested, but the IC50's were higher than those obtained with 7 beta-OHC. Moreover, the cytotoxicity was slower to appear than after a 7 beta-OHC treatment. Cell phase distribution was analysed, and revealed some differences between the two compounds. Both oxysterols induced apoptosis at micromolar concentrations, as evidenced by several methods including agarose gel electrophoresis of fragmented DNA and flow cytometry of propidium iodide labeled cells. Apoptosis was also obtained when 7 beta-OHC and XG-142 were combined at concentrations unable to induce this type of cell death when used separately. Upon normal murine spleen cells, XG-142 was found to be less toxic than 7 beta-OHC, and the capacity to respond to Con A stimulation was preserved. Therefore, XG-142 can be considered as a promising soluble analogue of 7 beta-OHC, and its application as anticancer agent should be considered.

Animals↗