Licochalcone A is a chalcone isolated from Glycyrrhiza uralensis. It showed anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory properties in mice with acute lung injuries and regulated lipid metabolism through the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in hepatocytes. However, the effects of licochalcone A on reducing weight gain and improving nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are unclear. Thus, the present study investigated whether licochalcone A ameliorated weight loss and lipid metabolism in the liver of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. Male C57BL/6 mice were fed an HFD to induce obesity and NAFLD, and then were injected intraperitoneally with licochalcone A. In another experiment, a fatty liver cell model was established by incubating HepG2 hepatocytes with oleic acid and treating the cells with licochalcone A to evaluate lipid metabolism. Our results demonstrated that HFD-induced obese mice treated with licochalcone A had decreased body weight as well as inguinal and epididymal adipose tissue weights compared with HFD-treated mice. Licochalcone A also ameliorated hepatocyte steatosis and decreased liver tissue weight and lipid droplet accumulation in liver tissue. We also found that licochalcone A significantly regulated serum triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, and free fatty acids, and decreased the fasting blood glucose value. Furthermore, in vivo and in vitro, licochalcone A significantly decreased expression of the transcription factor of lipogenesis and fatty acid synthase. Licochalcone A activated the sirt-1/AMPK pathway to reduce fatty acid chain synthesis and increased lipolysis and β-oxidation in hepatocytes. Licochalcone A can potentially ameliorate obesity and NAFLD in mice via activation of the sirt1/AMPK pathway.

https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/8/5/447/pdf

Protective Effects of Licochalcone A Ameliorates Obesity and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Via Promotion of the Sirt-1/AMPK Pathway in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet.

Anti-cancer peptides (ACPs) are a series of short peptides composed of 10-60 amino acids that can inhibit tumour cell proliferation or migration, or suppress the formation of tumour blood vessels, and are less likely to cause drug resistance. The aforementioned merits make ACPs the most promising anti-cancer candidate. However, ACPs may be degraded by proteases, or result in cytotoxicity in many cases. To overcome these drawbacks, a plethora of research has focused on reconstruction or modification of ACPs to improve their anti-cancer activity, while reducing their cytotoxicity. The modification of ACPs mainly includes main chain reconstruction and side chain modification. After summarizing the classification and mechanism of action of ACPs, this paper focuses on recent development and progress about their reconstruction and modification. The information collected here may provide some ideas for further research on ACPs, in particular their modification.

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsob.200004

Anti-cancer peptides: classification, mechanism of action, reconstruction and modification

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1149/2.0282003JES/pdf

Review—Recent Progress in the Graphene-Based Electrochemical Sensors and Biosensors

As competitive HMG-CoA reductase (HMGCR) inhibitors, statins not only reduce cholesterol and improve cardiovascular risk, but also exhibit pleiotropic effects that are independent of their lipid-lowering effects. Among them, the anti-cancer properties of statins have attracted much attention and indicated the potential of statins as repurposed drugs for the treatment of cancer. A large number of clinical and epidemiological studies have described the anticancer properties of statins, but the evidence for anticancer effectiveness of statins is inconsistent. It may be that certain molecular subtypes of cancer are more vulnerable to statin therapy than others. Whether statins have clinical anticancer effects is still an active area of research. Statins appear to enhance the efficacy and address the shortcomings associated with conventional cancer treatments, suggesting that statins should be considered in the context of combined therapies for cancer. Here, we present a comprehensive review of the potential of statins in anti-cancer treatments. We discuss the current understanding of the mechanisms underlying the anti-cancer properties of statins and their effects on different malignancies. We also provide recommendations for the design of future well-designed clinical trials of the anti-cancer efficacy of statins.

/pdf/statins-a-repurposed-drug-to-fight-cancer-jca6ssq5mz.pdf

Statins: a repurposed drug to fight cancer

Cholesterol and beyond - The role of the mevalonate pathway in cancer biology.

Cholesterol biosensors: A review.

Folic acid biosensors: A review

Bilirubin, a breakdown product of hemoglobin, is a remarkable marker for diagnosis of hemolytic disorders. In a healthy human 200 to 300 mg of bilirubin is produced and excreted per day. Bilirubin concentration ranges from 0.3 to 1.9 mg/100 mL of blood. Low bilirubin concentration in the blood is coupled with high risk of coronary heart diseases and iron deficiency. Serum bilirubin level above than 2.5 mg/100 mL, leads to hyperbilirubinemia. Therefore, measurement of serum bilirubin level is of great significance. Present review highlights various methods for analysis of bilirubin, with special insistence on bio-sensing methods. Till now, a variety of nanomaterials have been exploited for improvement of different biosensors during the past few decades. The future research, therefore, could be spotlighted on the miniaturization of bilirubin biosensors by reconciling the properties of interface with nanoparticles through engineering morphology, particle size, effective surface area, functionality, adsorption capability and electron-communication properties.

Bhawna Batra

Papers

Cholesterol biosensors: A review.

Folic acid biosensors: A review

Bilirubin detection by different methods with special emphasis on biosensing: A review