Plant Extracts and Natural Compounds for the Treatment of Urinary Tract Infections in Women: Mechanisms, Efficacy, and Therapeutic Potential.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most prevalent bacterial infections in women, with high recurrence rates and growing concerns over antimicrobial resistance. The need for alternative or adjunctive therapies has spurred interest in plant-based treatments, which offer antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immune-modulatory benefits. This review summarizes the mechanisms of action, clinical efficacy, and therapeutic potential of various medicinal plants and natural compounds for preventing and treating UTIs in women.

Immune Evasion in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Roles of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts, Immune Checkpoints, and Mutations in the Tumor Microenvironment.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a highly aggressive malignancy characterized by complex interactions within the tumor microenvironment (TME) that facilitate immune evasion and tumor progression. The TME consists of diverse cellular components, including cancer-associated fibroblasts, immune and endothelial cells, and extracellular matrix elements, that collectively modulate tumor growth, metastasis, and resistance to therapy. Immune evasion in HNSCC is orchestrated through multiple mechanisms, including the suppression of cytotoxic T lymphocytes, recruitment of immunosuppressive cells, such as regulatory T and myeloid-derived suppressor cells, and upregulation of immune checkpoint molecules (e.

Therapeutic Targeting of Apoptosis, Autophagic Cell Death, Necroptosis, Pyroptosis, and Ferroptosis Pathways in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Molecular Mechanisms and Potential Strategies.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a prevalent and aggressive malignancy with poor prognosis, largely due to its high metastatic potential and resistance to conventional therapies. Recent advances in cancer biology have underscored the significance of regulated cell death pathways, including apoptosis, autophagic cell death (ACD), necroptosis, pyroptosis, and ferroptosis, in modulating tumor progression and therapeutic responses. This review provides the current insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying these cell death pathways and explores their therapeutic relevance in OSCC.

Early Molecular Diagnosis and Comprehensive Treatment of Oral Cancer.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), a major subtype of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), is a significant global health burden owing to its late-stage diagnosis and poor prognosis. Recent advancements in molecular biology, genomics, and imaging have transformed the landscape of OSCC diagnosis and treatment. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of early molecular diagnostic strategies, including biomarker discovery using next-generation sequencing, liquid biopsy, and salivary exosomal microRNAs.

Herbal Medicine in Breast Cancer Therapy: Mechanisms, Evidence, and Future Perspectives.

Breast cancer remains a leading global cause of cancer-related mortality among women, requiring the development of safer and more effective therapeutic strategies. Herbal medicines have gained increasing attention as complementary approaches due to their multi-targeted actions, more limited toxicities, and the potential ability to overcome resistance associated with conventional treatments. This review highlights the antitumor properties and underlying mechanisms of several well-studied herbal compounds, including curcumin, resveratrol, epigallocatechin gallate, withaferin A, thymoquinone, baicalin, berberine, , and .

The Role of Methyl Canthin-6-one-2-carboxylate in Targeting the NLRP3 Inflammasome in Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by persistent synovial inflammation, joint destruction, and systemic complications. The nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeat family, pyrin domain-containing-3 (NLRP3) inflammasome plays a pivotal role in RA pathogenesis by driving the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and exacerbating oxidative stress. Recent studies identified methyl canthin-6-one-2-carboxylate (Cant) as a potential therapeutic agent that modulates the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway.

EpCAM Signaling in Oral Cancer Stem Cells: Implications for Metastasis, Tumorigenicity, and Therapeutic Strategies.

Oral cancer, a subtype of head and neck cancer, poses significant global health challenges owing to its late diagnosis and high metastatic potential. The epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), a transmembrane glycoprotein, has emerged as a critical player in cancer biology, particularly in oral cancer stem cells (CSCs). This review highlights the multifaceted roles of EPCAM in regulating oral cancer metastasis, tumorigenicity, and resistance to therapy.

Heteronemin suppresses EGF‑induced proliferation through the PI3K/PD‑L1 signaling pathways in cholangiocarcinoma.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) binds with its surface receptor to stimulate gene expression and cancer cell proliferation. EGF stimulates cancer cell growth via phosphoinositide 3‑kinase (PI3K) and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD‑L1) pathways. As an integrin αvβ3 antagonist, heteronemin exhibits potent cytotoxic effects against cancer cells.

Diagnostics and Therapy for Malignant Tumors.

Malignant tumors remain one of the most significant global health challenges and contribute to high mortality rates across various cancer types. The complex nature of these tumors requires multifaceted diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. This review explores current advancements in diagnostic methods, including molecular imaging, biomarkers, and liquid biopsies.

Progesterone modulates cell growth via integrin αvβ3-dependent pathway in progesterone receptor-negative MDA-MB-231 cells.

Progesterone (P) plays a pivotal role in regulating the cancer progression of various types, including breast cancer, primarily through its interaction with the P receptor (PR). In PR-negative breast cancer cells, P appears to function in mediating cancer progression, such as cell growth. However, the mechanisms underlying the roles of P in PR-negative breast cancer cells remain incompletely understood.

Endocytosis-dependent lysosomal degradation of Src induced by protease-activated receptor 1.

Src plays a critical role in regulating cellular responses induced by protease-activated receptor 1 (PAR1). Here, we found that PAR1 activation induces lysosomal degradation of Src. Src is associated and trafficked together with activated PAR1 to early endosomes and then sorted to lysosomes for degradation.

Protease-activated receptor 2 induces migration and promotes Slug-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition in lung adenocarcinoma cells.

Protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2), a G protein-coupled receptor for trypsin, contributes to growth, anti-apoptosis, and migration in lung cancer. Given that PAR2 activation in airway epithelial cells compromises the airway epithelium barrier by disruption of E-cadherin adhesion, PAR2 may be involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in lung adenocarcinoma cells. Although PAR2 is known to promote the migration of lung cancer cells, the detailed mechanism of this event is still not clear.

Enhanced Mutant Screening in One-step PCR-based Multiple Site-directed Plasmid Mutagenesis by Introduction of Silent Restriction Sites for Structural and Functional Study of Proteins.

Site-directed mutagenesis (SDM) has been widely used for studying the structure and function of proteins. A one-step polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based multiple site-directed plasmid mutagenesis method with extended non-overlapping sequence at the 3' end of the primer increases the PCR amplification efficiency and the capacity of multi-site mutagenesis. Here, we introduced silent restriction sites in the primers used in this PCR-based SDM method by utilizing SDM-Assist software to generate mutants of neutrophil-activating protein (HP-NAP), whose gene has low GC content.

One-step Negative Chromatographic Purification of Helicobacter pylori Neutrophil-activating Protein Overexpressed in Escherichia coli in Batch Mode.

Helicobacter pylori neutrophil-activating protein (HP-NAP) is a major virulence factor of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). It plays a critical role in H.

Helicobacter pylori neutrophil-activating protein induces release of histamine and interleukin-6 through G protein-mediated MAPKs and PI3K/Akt pathways in HMC-1 cells.

Helicobacter pylori neutrophil-activating protein (HP-NAP) activates several innate leukocytes including neutrophils, monocytes, and mast cells. It has been reported that HP-NAP induces degranulation and interleukin-6 (IL-6) secretion of rat peritoneal mast cells. However, the molecular mechanism is not very clear.

Glucose biosensors based on a gold nanodendrite modified screen-printed electrode.

In this study, an enzymatic glucose biosensor based on a three-dimensional gold nanodendrite (GND) modified screen-printed electrode was developed. The GNDs were electrochemically synthesized on the working electrode component of a commercially available screen-printed electrode using a solution acquired by dissolving bulk gold in aqua regia as the precursor. The 3D GND electrode greatly enhanced the effective sensing area of the biosensor, which improved the sensitivity of glucose detection.