Diosgenin enhances liposome-enabled nucleic acid delivery and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing by modulating endocytic pathways.

The CRISPR/Cas9 system holds great promise in treating genetic diseases, owing to its safe and precise genome editing. However, the major challenges to implementing the technology in clinics lie in transiently limiting the expression of genome editing factors and achieving therapeutically relevant frequencies with fidelity. Recent findings revealed that non-viral vectors could be a potential alternative delivery system to overcome these limitations.

Pancreatic Secretory Trypsin Inhibitor (SPINK1) Gene Mutation in Patients with Acute Alcohol Pancreatitis (AAP) Compared to Healthy Controls and Heavy Alcohol Users without Pancreatitis.

Only 3-5% of heavy alcohol users develop acute alcohol pancreatitis (AAP). This suggests that additional triggers are required to initiate the inflammatory process. Genetic susceptibility contributes to the development of AAP, and SPINK1 mutation is a documented risk factor.

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 and GLP-1 interplay in STC-1 and GLUTag cell lines.

Glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is an incretin hormone, secreted from L-cells of distal ileum and colon in response to nutrient ingestion in human. GLP-1 plays a major role in gut motility, appetite regulation, and insulin secretion. Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4), a serine peptidase, cleaves N-terminal dipeptides of GLP-1, rendering it inactive and responsible for its short half-life.