5 articles
Dental caries is one of the most widespread diseases in the human population, and the causes of increased susceptibility to dental caries remain of continuing interest to researchers. Active immunological components of oral fluid significantly influence the evolution of dental caries. The aim of this research is to study the relationship between zinc levels, the antimicrobial peptide LL-37, and transforming growth factor beta-1 in oral fluid, and the incidence of dental caries in children.
In this observational cohort study, 398 children aged between 3 and 15 years were clinically examined. The research group included 132 children with dental caries, and the control group consisted of 266 caries-free children. The Plaque Index (PI) and caries experience indices were evaluated. Caries risk was assessed using the Cariogram software. The levels of zinc, the antimicrobial peptide LL-37, and transforming growth factor beta-1 in oral fluid were determined using standard EliTeh kits, in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations. The study was conducted in compliance with ethical standards and with written informed consent obtained from the children's parents. Data were processed automatically using the open-source software RStudio, version 2024.09.1+394.
In children from the research group, a significant decrease in the levels of zinc, the antimicrobial peptide LL-37, and transforming growth factor beta-1 was detected in oral fluid, showing an inverse relationship with caries morbidity indicators.
Significantly decreased levels of zinc, the antimicrobial peptide LL-37 and transforming growth factor beta-1 in oral fluid of caries-susceptible children may indicate an increased risk of caries. Low levels of zinc, the antimicrobial peptide LL-37, and transforming growth factor beta-1 in oral fluid may also serve as indicators of rapid progression of dental caries – a fact that should be taken into account when planning individualized preventive measures.
Thiosemicarbazones represent a class of organic compounds with well-documented pharmacological properties, including antitumor, antimicrobial, and antiviral activities. Contemporary research highlights their role in modulating cellular redox equilibrium through antioxidant pathway regulation. The growing interest in copper-based coordination complexes with thiosemicarbazones is driven by the unique redox flexibility and high biocompatibility of copper ions, properties that underlie their potential in therapeutic and diagnostic applications. This investigation assessed the capacity of specific local bioactive thiosemicarbazones to impact the antioxidant system using in vitro methodologies.
Peripheral blood samples from ten healthy volunteers were used to evaluate in vitro the influence of 10 copper-based coordination complexes with thiosemicarbazones at concentrations of 10.0 μM/L and 1.0 μM/L on antioxidant markers ‒ total antioxidant activity (via ABTS assay), total antioxidant capacity, antioxidant substance mass, and antioxidants total activity.
Data indicated that targeted copper-based coordination complexes with thiosemicarbazones affect general antioxidant markers. The study demonstrates that thiosemicarbazones exhibit concentration- and structure-dependent redox modulation, disclosing distinct mechanisms of action across three structural classes – benzothiazole, phenyl, and allyl thiosemicarbazone derivatives. Structural optimization (e.g., benzothiazole with methoxy groups) yields compounds like MG-22 that maintain redox equilibrium, while pro-oxidant variants (CMA-18) offer therapeutic potential through selective oxidative cytotoxicity.
Copper-based coordination complexes with thiosemicarbazones represent a promising class of redox modulators with tunable biological effects. Their bidirectional activity, manifested by stimulation or inhibition of antioxidant mechanisms, confirms the potential of these derivatives as selective therapeutic agents. When these results are integrated in the context of personalized medicine, thiosemicarbazones become valuable candidates in the development of therapeutic strategies aimed at maintaining cellular homeostasis, especially in pathologies characterized by increased oxidative stress, such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
Age-related macular degeneration is a multifactorial, polyetiological condition, affecting individuals over the age of 50, primarily characterized by progressive and irreversible loss of central vision. In the pursuit of a deeper understanding of its etiopathogenesis, risk factors, associated biomarkers, and diagnostic metabolites, the omics approach plays an essential role. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate selected omics biomarkers along with hematological and clinical data and to establish their correlations with macular degeneration,
A pilot retrospective study was conducted, analyzing medical records of 80 patients admitted to the Ophthalmology Department of the Timofei Moșneaga Republican Clinical Hospital. Laboratory parameters were assessed and statistically analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Statistical methods included binomial tests, Wilcoxon Signed-Rank tests, and One-sample tests. The data obtained were compared with the results of a comprehensive analysis of the latest scientific literature on age-related macular degeneration.
Omics approach analysis, particularly proteomic and metabolomic analyses, has contributed significantly to the identification of metabolic pathways involved in age-related macular degeneration pathogenesis, facilitating the investigation of novel biomarkers for early diagnosis and potential therapeutic targets. In our pilot study, we evaluated clinical and biochemical data, including age, sex, laboratory values, and comorbidities, and compared them with currently published research data. Statistically significant biomarkers identified included glucose, triglycerides, prothrombin, fibrinogen, platelet count, and leukocyte count. Partially significant (dual) biomarkers included total cholesterol, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and lymphocyte count. No statistical significance was observed for HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and international normalized ratio.
Omics approach represents a promising avenue for monitoring, diagnosing, and potentially treating age-related macular degeneration. By identifying key biomarkers, this approach supports early detection and opens the path for advanced therapeutic strategies such as gene therapy, cell-based treatments, complement pathway inhibitors, and nanotechnology-based interventions.
Oxidative stress can be defined as the imbalance of the redox state of a certain system including living one (organelle, cell, organ/tissue), which excessively produces reactive oxygen and/or reactive nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) that exceed the capacity of the antioxidant defense system, which have the ability to slow down or even prevent the oxidative damage of macromolecules. Oxidative stress is a pathogenic mechanism of a large variety of diseases, including pulmonary one.
81 preterm born children included in the study were divided into the main group – preterm children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), and the control group – preterm children without BPD. The comparison groups were prospectively evaluated clinical, instrumental and laboratory (TPA, prooxidant-antioxidant balance, nitric oxide metabolistes and MDA). Data were statistically analyzed using Microsoft Excel, MedCalc and SPSS and Contingency Table Analysis as a way to evaluate the performance of a diagnostic test.
In preterm children with BPD were found to be decreased by 29% (p < 0.001) the prooxidant-antioxidant balance (PAB) and the nitric oxide metabolistes (NO) level by 12% (p < 0.001) compared to children in the control group. The assessment of tissue oxidative damage markers revealed a significant 62% (p < 0.001) increase in malonic dialdehyde (MDA) content and a 4.86-fold (p < 0.001) increase in total prooxidant activity (TPA) in children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia compared to children in the control group. Our study confirms that TPA, PAB, MDA and NO values are reliable markers of hypoxic tissue damage at children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia and can be recommended for assessing the intensity of oxidative stress.
Pulmonary bronchodysplasia is characterized by the imbalance of prooxidant-antioxidant processes with the exacerbation of prooxidant ones that trigger the oxidative/nitrosative stress and the deterioration of vital chemical compounds.
Identification, study and testing of new remedies for treatment approaches of diseases, resulting from imbalance between oxidants and antioxidants in favor of oxidants, with potentially destructive potential and pathogenesis in liver disorders is of particular interest due to the increase in incidence and severity of these pathologies.
The action of novel local copper coordination compounds, thiosemicarbazide derivatives - CMD-4, CMJ-33 and CMT-67, was evaluated in experiments on white rats after subcutaneous administration in two different doses (0.1 and 1.0 µM / kg) 3 times a week for 30 days. The main indices of oxidative stress were evaluated: the level of malonic dialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide derivatives (NO), S-nitrosothiols, advanced glycation end products (AGEs), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP) and ischemia-modified proteins (IMP), and antioxidant system: - superoxidismutase (SOD) and catalase activity (CAT), the level of histidine (His) and total antioxidant activity (TAA) in liver tissue of white rats.
The administration of CC resulted in the reduction of oxidative stress indices - MDA, AGEs and S-nitrosothiols, which denotes the antioxidant effect of the studied compounds. The level of NO and AOPP derivatives does not change substantially. When administering CMD-4 (1 µM / kg), SOD activity and catalase function decreased markedly. Changes in the content of His and TAA have been shown to be inconclusive, maintaining within the limits of the values recorded in the control group.
The elucidation of the modifications of the free radicals processes in liver tissues, which are the basis of the CC action, broadens the theoretical knowledge about the biological properties of a number of chemical compounds; as well provide new possibilities to explore perspective objects in order to obtain new efficient drug preparations.