Begell House Inc.
Critical Reviews™ in Eukaryotic Gene Expression
CRE
1045-4403
27
2
2017
Phytoestrogens and Related Food Components in the Prevention of Cancer
99-112
10.1615/CritRevEukaryotGeneExpr.2017019473
Muhammad Imran
Qadir
Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan
Bushra Nawaz
Cheema
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
phytoestrogen
lignan
cancer-fighting food
Great progress has been made in the fight against disease in many different fields of medicine, especially in the field of natural medicine. Phytoestrogens and related compounds play a major role in the prevention and treatment of cancer. Chemoprevention, a narrative approach for controlling cancer, involves the use of specific natural products or synthetic chemical agents to overturn, repress, or prevent pre-malignancy before the development of invasive cancer. Several natural products confer protective effects against a wide range of cancers; examples include grains, nuts, cereals, spices, fruits, vegetables, beverages, medicinal plants, herbs, and their various phytochemical constituents including phenolics, flavonoids, carotenoids, and nitrogen-containing and organosulfur compounds. Phytoestrogens and related compounds act by different mechanisms that ultimately provide benefit with minimum or no side effects and protect and treat different types of cancer, including liver, lung, colon, breast, prostate, esophagus, oral, intestinal, and many other carcinomas.
Ethnopharmacological Investigations of Phytochemical Constituents Isolated from the Genus Cuscuta
113-150
10.1615/CritRevEukaryotGeneExpr.2017019193
Muhammad
Ibrahim
Department of Applied Chemistry, Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan
Kanwal
Rehman
Department of Pharmacy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
Iqbal
Hussain
Department of Environmental Life Sciences, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579 Japan; Department of Botany, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
Tahir
Farooq
Department of Applied Chemistry, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
Bisharat
Ali
Department of Applied Chemistry, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
Irum
Majeed
Department of Applied Chemistry, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
Muhammad Sajid Hamid
Akash
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
genus Cuscuta
phytochemical constituents
ethnopharmacological properties
dodder plants
The genus Cuscuta, of the family Cuscutaceae, is present in plants and has been traditionally used medicinally against many diseases and conditions, notably depression, mental illness, headache, spleen disease, jaundice, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. Large numbers of phytochemical constituents such as alkaloids, flavonoids, lignins, oxygen heterocyclic compounds, steroids, fatty acids, phenolic acids, resin glycosides, and polysaccharides have been isolated from different species of Cuscuta. Ethnopharmacological studies conducted on such constituents
have also been shown Cuscuta to possess anticancer, antiviral, antispasmodic, antihypertensive, anticonvulsant, antibacterial, antioxidant, diuretic, and hair-growth activity. Many tribes and traditional communities have long used the different forms of Cuscuta for treatment and prevention of many diseases. In this article, we comprehensively summarize relevant data regarding the phytochemical, ethnopharmacological, and traditional therapeutic uses of Cuscuta. In addition, we review the parts of the plants that are used as traditional therapeutic agents, their regions of existence, and their possible modes of action. To conclude, we provide evidence and new insights for further discovery and development of natural drugs from Cuscuta. We show that further studies are needed to investigate the mechanism of action and safety profile of phytochemical constituents isolated from Cuscuta.
Mini-Review on Cachexia-Related miRNA
151-161
10.1615/CritRevEukaryotGeneExpr.2017019085
Fábio
Sousa Nunes
Department of Physiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Porto, Portugal
Daniel
Moreira-Gonçalves
Department of Physiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Porto, Portugal
Tiago
Henriques-Coelho
Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Porto, Portugal
microRNA
cachexia
muscle atrophy
skeletal muscle
Cachexia, or muscle wasting, is a complex metabolic syndrome associated with an underlying illness and characterized by loss of muscle mass. It is a rather prevalent condition, with impacts on patient survival, response to treatment, and quality of life. Treatment options are sparse because of cachexia's multifactorial pathogenesis. Recently, attention has focused on microRNAs (miRNAs) as potential therapeutic targets of several diseases. miRNAs are small, 18- to 25-base-long constructs that regulate gene expression on a post-transcriptional level, selectively activating or repressing elements of specific signaling pathways. In this review, we investigated whether miRNAs play any role in cachexia's biochemical pathways and if miRNA targeting has any significant impact on preclinical models of cachexia.
Role of Green Tea Flavonoids and Other Related Contents in Cancer Prevention
163-171
10.1615/CritRevEukaryotGeneExpr.2017019493
Muhammad Imran
Qadir
Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan
green tea
polyphenols
catechins
epigallocatechin gallate
cancer
Green tea is made from Camellia sinensis and leaves through the oxidation process. It mainly originates in China and has been used traditionally throughout Asia. In the West, black tea has been used mostly, but green tea has become the most popular beverage throughout the world. It is also used as a raw material in cosmetics, health foods, and as an added ingredient in various beverages. Different varieties of green tea are available. The main differences between the varieties are due to harvesting time, production procedures, and horticulture. Drinking green tea has many positive effects on the body. It helps to nourish our five vital organs, among which the most important is the heart. It also has many qualities to help improve our state of mind (thus possibly reducing the consumption of alcohol), it acts as a stimulant, cures blotchiness, fulfills thirst, eliminates indigestion, cures beriberi disease, prevents fatigue, and improves kidney and brain function.
ABCB1 Polymorphisms and Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Risk: A Meta-Analysis
173-181
10.1615/CritRevEukaryotGeneExpr.2017019077
Lu
Zhan
Department of Pediatrics, Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310002, China
Junlan
Lian
Department of Pediatrics, Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310002, China
Haili
Jin
Department of Pediatrics, Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310002, China
Sunyao
Wang
Department of Pediatrics, Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310002, China
Jiajun
Ding
Department of Pediatrics, Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310002, China
Zhengyang
Shao
Department of Pediatrics, Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310002, China
ALL
ABCB1
meta-analysis
polymorphism
The association between ATP-binding cassette subfamily B member 1 (ABCB1) C3435T and C1236T polymorphisms and the risk for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is inconclusive. We conducted a meta-analysis of all published studies to determine the association of ABCB1 C3435T and C1236T polymorphisms and pediatric ALL risk. A systematic retrieval of relevant publications from the PubMed and Web of Science databases was performed. Data were calculated and statistical analysis was performed using STATA version 12.0 software. Metaanalysis results showed no significant association between C3435T polymorphism and pediatric ALL risk (TT vs. CC: odds ratio [OR] = 1.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.95–1.52; CT vs. CC: OR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.82–1.23; the dominant model: OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 0.89–1.29; the recessive model: OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 0.84–1.62). Similarly, there was no association found for the C1236T polymorphism (TT vs. CC: OR = 1.18, 95% CI= 0.82–1.70; CT vs. CC: OR = 1.08, 95% CI = 0.80–1.45; the dominant model: OR = 1.10, 95% CI= 0.83–1.46; the recessive model: OR =
0.98, 95% CI = 0.61–1.58). Similar results were observed in the subgroup analyses on ethnicity and Hardy–Weinberg
equilibrium. The present meta-analysis found no evidence for ABCB1 C3435T and C1236T polymorphisms as risk
factors for pediatric ALL.
Role of lncRNAs as Novel Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets in Ovarian Cancer
183-195
10.1615/CritRevEukaryotGeneExpr.2017019244
Lu-lu
Fu
Reproductive Medical Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China
Chun-jin
Li
College of Animal Sciences, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Embryo Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, China
Ying
Xu
Reproductive Medical Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China
Ling-yun
Li
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
Xu
Zhou
College of Animal Sciences, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Embryo Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, China
Dan-dan
Li
Reproductive Medical Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China
Shu-xiong
Chen
College of
Animal Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
Feng-ge
Wang
College of
Animal Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
Xue-ying
Zhang
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
Lian-wen
Zheng
Reproductive Medical Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China
ovarian cancer
long non-coding RNA
prognosis
E2 signal pathway
polymorphism
methylation
chemoresistance
Ovarian cancer (OC) is the leading cause of death among all gynecological malignancies in the world and its underlying mechanism is still unclear. Compared with research on microRNAs, research on long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) is still in its infancy. Studies in recent years have demonstrated that lncRNAs exhibit multiple biological functions in various stages of OC development. In this review, we conclude that lncRNAs are closely involved
in the pathogenesis of OC. The expression of lncRNAs indicates the early diagnosis, prognosis, and response
to chemotherapy of OC. An attractive approach to treatment of OC is lncRNA small interfering RNA or acting as a
plasmid targeting the expression of toxic genes, which is a novel step toward a major breakthrough in the treatment
of human OC. E2-regulated lncRNA and its polymorphism, methylation, are also involved in OC. Further research
efforts are needed before fully identifying, characterizing, and elucidating the actual functions of lncRNAs in OC at
the molecular level and putting them into clinical practice.