Eleven years after the start of a new millennium characterized by amazing scientific development, the cure for cancer remains a major challenge for humanity. In this regard, scientific efforts have focused on the search for new therapeutic targets that involve specific recognition and stop the spread of cancer cells, as well as the development of new therapeutic options that show greater specificity and better therapeutic efficacy. This review includes recent published literature about new anticancer drug design using scaffolds of β-lactams, sulfonamides, quinoline, quinoxaline and natural products, and focuses on the structure-activity relationships of scaffolds that have been reported to potently inhibit cell growth of human tumor cell lines. It describes not only those synthetic or natural compounds aimed at specific molecular targets of cancer cells in vitro, but also compounds currently in clinical trials.
The Monterrey Metropolitan Area (MMA) is the third largest city in México. Few studies have been carried out regarding its air pollution. The aim of this study was to analyze the temporal behavior of PM 10 (particulate matter Յ10 m in aerodynamic diameter). Data reported by the "Sistema Integral de Monitoreo Ambiental" (Integrated Environmental Monitoring System) network from 2006 to 2008 were used. PM 10 levels were compared among the stations by year, season, and day of week. A bootstrap technique was used to obtain subsamples to which Student's t test and ANOVA were applied. PM 10 levels were high and exceeded the annual limit of 50 g/m 3 set up by the Mexican standard Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-025-SSA1-1993. These levels could have serious health effects. The southwest zone of MMA had the highest levels of PM 10 during the period studied. Winter was the most polluted season, and summer was the least polluted season. Thursday and Friday were the most polluted days, and Sunday was the least polluted day. The hours with the highest levels of PM 10 were 8:00 to 10:00 a.m., whereas nighttime hours were the cleanest.
Bacterial infections represent one of the main threats to global public health. One of the major causative agents associated with high morbidity and mortality infections in hospitals worldwide is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Therefore, there is a need to develop new antibacterial agents to treat these infections, and natural products are a rich source of them. In previous studies, we reported that lignan 3′-demethoxy-6-Odemethylisoguaiacin, isolated and characterized from Larrea tridentate, showed the best activity towards methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the potential molecular mechanism of the antibacterial activity of 3′-demethoxy-6-Odemethylisoguaiacin against methicillin-resistant S. aureus using microarray technology. Results of microarray genome expression were validated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The genetic profile expression results showed that lignan 3′-demethoxy-6-O-demethylisoguaiacin had activity on cell membrane affecting proteins of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transport system causing bacteria death. This molecular mechanism is not
OPEN ACCESSMolecules 2015, 20 12451 present in any antibacterial commercial drug and could be a new target for the development of novel antibacterial agents.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.