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Betulin Is a Potent Anti-Tumor Agent that Is Enhanced by Cholesterol

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TLDR
BE induces apoptosis utilizing a similar mechanism as BetA and is prevented by cyclosporin A (CsA), which indicates that BE has potent anti-tumor activity especially in combination with cholesterol.
Abstract
Betulinic Acid (BetA) and its derivatives have been extensively studied in the past for their anti-tumor effects, but relatively little is known about its precursor Betulin (BE). We found that BE induces apoptosis utilizing a similar mechanism as BetA and is prevented by cyclosporin A (CsA). BE induces cell death more rapidly as compared to BetA, but to achieve similar amounts of cell death a considerably higher concentration of BE is needed. Interestingly, we observed that cholesterol sensitized cells to BE-induced apoptosis, while there was no effect of cholesterol when combined with BetA. Despite the significantly enhanced cytotoxicity, the mode of cell death was not changed as CsA completely abrogated cell death. These results indicate that BE has potent anti-tumor activity especially in combination with cholesterol.

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Precious-Metal Nanoparticles Anchored onto Functionalized Halloysite Nanotubes

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References
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Journal ArticleDOI

Proapoptotic BAX and BAK: A Requisite Gateway to Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Death

TL;DR: In this article, the authors found that doubly deficient cells are resistant to multiple apoptotic stimuli that act through disruption of mitochondrial function: staurosporine, ultraviolet radiation, growth factor deprivation, etoposide, and the endoplasmic reticulum stress stimuli thapsigargin and tunicamycin.
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Overview of cell death signaling pathways

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Studies on succinate-tetrazolium reductase systems. iii. points of coupling of four different tetrazolium salts.

TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the points of coupling between four tetrazolium salts and the respiratory chain (succinate to O2) in rat-liver tissue suspensions.
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Pharmacological properties of the ubiquitous natural product betulin.

TL;DR: A new mechanism of action has been confirmed for some of the most promising anti-HIV derivatives, which makes them potentially useful additives to the current anti- HIV therapy.
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Chemistry, biological activity, and chemotherapeutic potential of betulinic acid for the prevention and treatment of cancer and HIV infection

TL;DR: Because of its selective cytotoxicity against tumor cells and favorable therapeutic index, even at doses up to 500 mg/kg body weight, betulinic acid is a very promising new chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of HIV infection and cancer.
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