The terms 'antioxidant', 'oxidative stress' and 'oxidative damage' are widely used but rarely defined. This brief review attempts to define them and to examine the ways in which oxidative stress and oxidative damage can affect cell behaviour both in vivo and in cell culture, using cancer as an example.

Biochemistry of oxidative stress

Bioactive compounds from natural sources, due to their widely-recognized benefits, have been exploited as cosmeceutical ingredients. Among them, phenolic acids emerge with a very interesting potential. In this context, this review analyzes hydroxycinnamic acids and their derivatives as multifunctional ingredients for topical application, as well as the limitations associated with their use in cosmetic formulations. Hydroxycinnamic acids and their derivatives display antioxidant, anti-collagenase, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and anti-tyrosinase activities, as well as ultraviolet (UV) protective effects, suggesting that they can be exploited as anti-aging and anti-inflammatory agents, preservatives and hyperpigmentation-correcting ingredients. Due to their poor stability, easy degradation and oxidation, microencapsulation techniques have been employed for topical application, preventing them from degradation and enabling a sustained release. Based on the above findings, hydroxycinnamic acids present high cosmetic potential, but studies addressing the validation of their benefits in cosmetic formulations are still scarce. Furthermore, studies dealing with skin permeation are scarcely available and need to be conducted in order to predict the topical bioavailability of these compounds after application.

https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/22/2/281/pdf

Hydroxycinnamic Acids and Their Derivatives: Cosmeceutical Significance, Challenges and Future Perspectives, a Review.

The mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) irreversibly decarboxylates pyruvate to acetyl coenzyme A, thereby linking glycolysis to the tricarboxylic acid cycle and defining a critical step in cellular bioenergetics. Inhibition of PDC activity by pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK)-mediated phosphorylation has been associated with the pathobiology of many disorders of metabolic integration, including cancer. Consequently, the PDC/PDK axis has long been a therapeutic target. The most common underlying mechanism accounting for PDC inhibition in these conditions is post-transcriptional upregulation of one or more PDK isoforms, leading to phosphorylation of the E1α subunit of PDC. Such perturbations of the PDC/PDK axis induce a "glycolytic shift," whereby affected cells favor adenosine triphosphate production by glycolysis over mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and cellular proliferation over cellular quiescence. Dichloroacetate is the prototypic xenobiotic inhibitor of PDK, thereby maintaining PDC in its unphosphorylated, catalytically active form. However, recent interest in the therapeutic targeting of the PDC/PDK axis for the treatment of cancer has yielded a new generation of small molecule PDK inhibitors. Ongoing investigations of the central role of PDC in cellular energy metabolism and its regulation by pharmacological effectors of PDKs promise to open multiple exciting vistas into the biochemical understanding and treatment of cancer and other diseases.

/pdf/therapeutic-targeting-of-the-pyruvate-dehydrogenase-complex-4fj9ehr4e2.pdf

Therapeutic Targeting of the Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex/Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Kinase (PDC/PDK) Axis in Cancer.

A critical review on the health promoting effects of mushrooms nutraceuticals

Background Mushroom polysaccharides (MPs) act as a functional food and perform diverse biological activities. Significance of MPs in various health promoting products have been extensively reported by scientific community mainly on structural features, biological activities, potential uses and advances in their extraction, cultivation and biomolecular techniques which need to be reviewed for their better understanding and utilization. Scope and Approach From the perspective of how MPs were utilized in various nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals and cosmeceuticals (NPC) products as health promoting agent, this review aims to comprehensively discuss MPs phyto-pharmacology, structural features, advances and trends of utilization. Moreover, this review also highlights the challenges and future consideration for its holistic utilization in different NPC formulations. Key findings and conclusions MPs were found to be effective against various disease conditions mainly through modulating cell surface receptors. Overall from the last ten years, the research on MPs has been increased tremendously and countries like China ranked first. Among various biological activities, MPs are a better choice for antioxidant followed by immunomodulatory, anticancer and anti-inflammatory activity and its use been increased as functional food. Various advanced techniques for MPs extraction, biomolecular characterization and artificial synthesis for NPC formulations are currently in use, however, the study on its complex structure, better culture and extraction conditions need further research. Moreover, a holistic approach needs to be adopted for mushroom utilization for the production of MPs as functional food. This review presents a comprehensive discussion on MPs research as functional compounds utilized in food and medicine and could be beneficial for various NPC formulations.

Trends of utilizing mushroom polysaccharides (MPs) as potent nutraceutical components in food and medicine: A comprehensive review

Antioxidant and anti-aging activities of polysaccharides from Calocybe indica var. APK2.

An antibody panel for immunohistochemical analysis of the retina in Davidson's-fixed, paraffin-embedded eyes of rats.

Pharmaceutical therapies for non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) include plasma glucose lowering by enhancing glucose utilization. The mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex is important in controlling the balance between glucose and fatty acid substrate oxidation. Administration of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase inhibitors (PDHKIs) to rats effectively lowers plasma glucose but results in myocardial steatosis that in some instances is associated primarily with atrial and to a lesser degree with ventricular pathology. Induction of myocardial steatosis is not dose-dependent, varies from minimal to moderate severity, and is either of multifocal or diffuse distribution. Ventricular histopathology was restricted to few myocardial degenerative fibers, while that in the atrium/atria was of either acute or chronic appearance with the former showing myocardial degeneration/necrosis, acute myocarditis, edema, endothelial activation (rounding up), endocarditis, and thrombosis associated with moderate myocardial steatosis and the latter with myocardial loss, replacement fibrosis, and no apparent or minimal association with steatosis. The evidence from these evaluations indicate that excessive intramyocardial accumulation of lipid may be either primarily adverse or represents an indicator of other adversely affected cellular processes.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0192623314530195

Elizabeth Johnson

Papers

Antioxidant and anti-aging activities of polysaccharides from Calocybe indica var. APK2.

An antibody panel for immunohistochemical analysis of the retina in Davidson's-fixed, paraffin-embedded eyes of rats.

Myocardial Steatosis and Necrosis in Atria and Ventricles of Rats Given Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Kinase Inhibitors