#caspases

(Caspases' concept art beloooow)

Life or Death

When it comes to our health, death is just as important as life. Apoptosis – a type of cell death – is vital to keep everything balanced. Too much cell death can lead to neurodegenerative conditions, whereas not removing abnormal cells can result in cancer. The process of apoptosis culminates with enzymes called caspases dismantling the cell. Once caspases swing into action, there is no going back for that cell – or so we thought. Researchers activated apoptosis in cells for a limited time and then tracked whether they would survive. Despite the build-up of ‘executioner’ caspases in the cell (green), cells were able to come back from the brink of death. In the centre of the frame, a cell divides to become two – something that a cell sentenced to death wouldn’t be able to do. This could be another way that a cancer could return even after treatment.

Written by Sophie Arthur

Video from work by Maddalena Nano and colleagues

Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

Video copyright held by original authors

Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS), January 2023

Induction of apoptosis by Ruta chalepensis L. essential oil in human breast cancer cells (MCF-7). https://jppres.com/jppres/pdf/vol10/jppres21.1180_10.1.73.pdf #Pharmacy #Pharmacology #Pharmacognosy #NaturalProducts #TraditionalMedicine

Image: Flickr Article published in the Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmacognosy Research 10(1): 73-83, 2022. Arwa R. Althaher1,2*, Sawsan A. Oran2, Yasser K. Bustanji3,4 1Department of Pharmacy, Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan, Amman, 11733, Jordan. 2Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Jordan, Amman, 11942, Jordan. 3Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Sharjah,…

Decades-old mystery about the death of cells uncovered by scientists. Thoughts health innovators? http://bit.ly/1AQK5F0

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers have for the first time revealed how dying cells are hidden from the immune ‘police’ that patrol the body.  The research answers a decades-old mystery about the death of cells, which in some situations can alert the immune system to potential danger, but in other circumstances occurs ‘silently’, unnoticed by immune cells.  The study is published in the…