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Lorrai R, Cavaterra D, Giammaria S, Sbardella D, Tundo GR, Boccaccini A. Eye Diseases: When the Solution Comes from Plant Alkaloids. Planta Med 2024. [PMID: 38452806 DOI: 10.1055/a-2283-2350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Plants are an incredible source of metabolites showing a wide range of biological activities. Among these, there are the alkaloids, which have been exploited for medical purposes since ancient times. Nowadays, many plant-derived alkaloids are the main components of drugs used as therapy for different human diseases. This review deals with providing an overview of the alkaloids used to treat eye diseases, describing the historical outline, the plants from which they are extracted, and the clinical and molecular data supporting their therapeutic activity. Among the different alkaloids that have found application in medicine so far, atropine and pilocarpine are the most characterized ones. Conversely, caffeine and berberine have been proposed for the treatment of different eye disorders, but further studies are still necessary to fully understand their clinical value. Lastly, the alkaloid used for managing hypertension, reserpine, has been recently identified as a potential drug for ameliorating retinal disorders. Other important aspects discussed in this review are different solutions for alkaloid production. Given that the industrial production of many of the plant-derived alkaloids still relies on extraction from plants, and the chemical synthesis can be highly expensive and poorly efficient, alternative methods need to be found. Biotechnologies offer a multitude of possibilities to overcome these issues, spanning from genetic engineering to synthetic biology for microorganisms and bioreactors for plant cell cultures. However, further efforts are needed to completely satisfy the pharmaceutical demand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Lorrai
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie "Charles Darwin", Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Dario Cavaterra
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche, Università di Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Grazia Raffaella Tundo
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
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Boccaccini A, Cavaterra D, Carnevale C, Tanga L, Marini S, Bocedi A, Lacal PM, Manni G, Graziani G, Sbardella D, Tundo GR. Novel frontiers in neuroprotective therapies in glaucoma: Molecular and clinical aspects. Mol Aspects Med 2023; 94:101225. [PMID: 38000334 DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2023.101225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023]
Abstract
In the last years, neuroprotective therapies have attracted the researcher interests as modern and challenging approach for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, aimed at protecting the nervous system from injuries. Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive excavation of the optic nerve head, retinal axonal injury and corresponding vision loss that affects millions of people on a global scale. The molecular basis of the pathology is largely uncharacterized yet, and the therapeutic approaches available do not change the natural course of the disease. Therefore, in accordance with the therapeutic regimens proposed for other neurodegenerative diseases, a modern strategy to treat glaucoma includes prescription of drugs with neuroprotective activities. With respect to this, several preclinical and clinical investigations on a plethora of different drugs are currently ongoing. In this review, first, the conceptualization of the rationale for the adoption of neuroprotective strategies for retina is summarized. Second, the molecular aspects highlighting glaucoma as a neurodegenerative disease are reported. In conclusion, the molecular and pharmacological properties of most promising direct neuroprotective drugs used to delay glaucoma progression are examined, including: neurotrophic factors, NMDA receptor antagonists, the α2-adrenergic agonist, brimonidine, calcium channel blockers, antioxidant agents, nicotinamide and statins.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dario Cavaterra
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche, Università di Tor Vergata, Via Della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Stefano Marini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier n. 1, 00133, Roma, Italy
| | - Alessio Bocedi
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche, Università di Tor Vergata, Via Della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Pedro M Lacal
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, IDI-IRCCS, Via Monti di Creta 104, 00167, Rome, Italy
| | - Gianluca Manni
- IRCCS - Fondazione Bietti, Rome, Italy; Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier n. 1, 00133, Roma, Italy
| | - Grazia Graziani
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier, 1, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Grazia Raffaella Tundo
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier n. 1, 00133, Roma, Italy.
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Gambardella G, Notari S, Cavaterra D, Iavarone F, Castagnola M, Bocedi A, Ricci G. The Anfinsen Dogma: Intriguing Details Sixty-Five Years Later. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23147759. [PMID: 35887107 PMCID: PMC9318638 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23147759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The pioneering experiments of Anfinsen on the oxidative folding of RNase have been revisited discovering some details, which update the statement of his dogma and shed new light on the leading role of the correct disulfide in the attainment of the native structure. CD analysis, mass spectrometry, fluorescence spectroscopy and enzyme activity indicate that native disulfides drive the formation of the secondary and tertiary structures that cannot be entirely formed in their absence. This opposes a common opinion that these structures are first formed and then stabilized by the native disulfides. Our results also indicate that a spontaneous re-oxidation of a reduced RNase cannot produce a complete recovery of activity, as described by many textbooks; this can be obtained only in the presence of a reshuffling solution such as GSH/GSSG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgia Gambardella
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy; (G.G.); (S.N.); (D.C.); (A.B.)
| | - Sara Notari
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy; (G.G.); (S.N.); (D.C.); (A.B.)
| | - Dario Cavaterra
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy; (G.G.); (S.N.); (D.C.); (A.B.)
| | - Federica Iavarone
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biotecnologiche di Base, Cliniche Intensivologiche e Perioperatorie, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy;
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Massimo Castagnola
- Laboratorio di Proteomica, Centro Europeo di Ricerca sul Cervello, IRCCS Santa Lucia, 00179 Rome, Italy;
| | - Alessio Bocedi
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy; (G.G.); (S.N.); (D.C.); (A.B.)
| | - Giorgio Ricci
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy; (G.G.); (S.N.); (D.C.); (A.B.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-0672594353
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