The combined effects of telmisartan and ramipril on hypertension and cardiovascular injury

Mechanism of Green Tea Peptides in Lowering Blood Pressure and Alleviating Renal Injury Induced by Hypertension Through the Ang II/TGF-β1/SMAD Signaling Pathway

Background/Objectives: The kidney plays a crucial role in regulating normal blood pressure and is one of the major organs affected by hypertension. The present study aimed to investigate the hypotensive and renoprotective effects of four specific green tea peptides extracted from green tea dregs on spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and to investigate the underlying mechanisms. Methods: Four specific green tea peptides (40 mg/kg) were gavaged to SHRs for 4 weeks, and blood pressure, renal function, renal pathological changes, renal tissue fibrosis indexes, and inflammation indexes were examined in SHRs to analyze the role of the four green tea peptides in alleviating hypertension and its renal injury. Results: The results showed that the four TPs significantly reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure (20-24% and 18-28%) in SHR compared to the model group. Meanwhile, gene levels and protein expression of renal fibrosis-related targets such as phospho-Smad2/3 (p-Smad2/3) (26-47%), Sma- and Mad-related proteins 2/3 (Smad2/3) (19-38%), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) (36-63%), and alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) (58-86%) were also significantly reduced. In addition, the reduced expression levels of medullary differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) (14-36%), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) (58-73%), and nuclear factor-κB p65 (NF-kB p65) (35-78%) in kidneys also confirmed that TPs attenuated renal inflammation in SHR. Therefore, green tea peptides could attenuate the fibrosis and inflammatory responses occurring in hypertensive kidneys by inhibiting the Ang II/TGF-β1/SMAD signaling pathway and MyD88/NF-κB p65/iNOS signaling pathway. Conclusions: The results showed that green tea peptides may be effective candidates for lowering blood pressure and attenuating kidney injury.

New benzimidazole derivatives containing hydrazone group as anticancer agents: Inhibition of carbonic anhydrase IX and molecular docking studies

In this study, we propose identifying potential novel compounds targeting carbonic anhydrase (CA) IX and anticancer activity. To study the impact of these synthesized compounds on CA IX and anticancer activity, we have developed and synthesized novel benzimidazole-hydrazone derivatives (3a-3j). The target compounds' 1H NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance), 13C NMR, and high resolution mass spectrometry spectra were used to confirm their chemical structures. L929 (healthy mouse fibroblast cell line) used as control healthy cell line and MCF-7 (breast cancer), C6 (rat glioblastoma), HT-29 (colon cancer), cells were used in cell culture studies. As a result of cell culture studies, it was determined that the newly synthesized compounds 3d and 3j had cytotoxic effects on colon cancer. Again, it was determined that the compound 3d had a more toxic effect than cisplatin on both breast cancer and glioma cells. According to the CA IX activity results, compounds 3d and 3j were found to have the highest activity. Compounds 3d and 3j are essential for having anti-cancer properties and inhibiting the carbonic anhydrase IX enzyme. Molecular docking of these compounds was carried out in the active site of CA IX. Flow cytometry and immunofluorescence microscope analyses also confirmed that these compounds had cytotoxic effects on cancer cells.

Synthesis of new class of non-sulfonamide bis-benzimidazoles as antitumor agents by inhibiting carbonic anhydrase-IX enzyme

In several types of cancers, the expression of carbonic anhydrase-IX (CA-IX) enzyme is elevated than its normal level which ultimately plays a key role in the tumor growth of epithelial cells in breast and lung cancer by acidifying tumor microenvironment, therefore, inhibition of this target is important in antitumor therapy. We have synthesized bis-benzimidazole derivatives (1-25) by using 3,3'-diaminobenzidine and various aromatic aldehydes and characterized by various spectroscopic methods (UV/Visible, 1HNMR, 13CNMR, and mass spectrometry). Their inhibitory potential for human CA-IX (hCA-IX) was evaluated in-vitro, where several synthesized derivatives showed potent inhibition of hCA-IX (IC50 values in range of 5.23 ± 1.05 to 40.10 ± 1.78 μM) and compounds 3-5, 7-8, 13-16, 21 and 23 showed superior activity than the standard drug "acetazolamide" (IC50 = 18.24 ± 1.43 μM). Furthermore, all these compounds showed no toxicity on human fibroblast cell lines (BJ cell lines). Moreover, molecular docking was carried out to predict their binding modes in the active site of CA-IX and revealed a significant role of imidazole ring of synthesized entities in their effective binding with the specific residues of CA-IX. The obtained results paved the way for further in vivo and other pharmacological studies for the optimization of these molecules as possible anti-cancer agents.

Investigation of the impact of rosuvastatin and telmisartan in doxorubicin-induced acute cardiotoxicity

Cardiac injury is the main dose-limiting factor for doxorubicin (Dox) use as an anticancer agent. The cardiotoxicity of Dox is linked to a number of complex mechanisms, including oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage, intracellular calcium dysregulation, and apoptosis/necrosis. This study investigates several aspects of Dox-induced cardiotoxicity. We investigated the effects of pre-treatment with rosuvastatin and telmisartan, which were used in different doses alone or combination, on the acute cardiotoxicity induced by Dox. The results of this study showed that Dox induced significant pathological changes in the cardiomyocytes. Adverse effects were observed on several biomarkers related to cardiac damage like cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), oxidative stress like malondialdehyde (MDA), an inflammatory process like interleukin-17 (IL-17) with important histopathological changes. We illusterate the cardio-protective contribution of the two pharmacological agents against the acute cardiotoxic effects of Dox. This is manifested by the significant improvement in the biomarker levels and the associated histological damage. This study points out the beneficial use of both rosuvastatin and telmisartan alone or in combination as a clinical option for decreasing the acute toxicity of Dox on cardiomyocytes.