Cytoprotectant

Extracellular adenosine acts through a class of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), defined across mammalian species as Ab A2a, A2B, and A3ARs (adenosine receptors). Adenosine has a cytoprotective role in the body, both in the periphery and in the central nervous system. Following binding of adenosine, or another naturally occurring agonist, the receptor... 

CNTF is expressed in glial cells within the central and peripheral nervous system. CNTF lacks a signal sequence and is not secreted by the classical secretory pathway, but is thought to convey its cytoprotective effects after release from adult glial cells by some mechanism induced by injury [3,5]. 

Dallegri, F., Ottonello, L., Ballestrero, F., Ferrando, F. and Patrone, F. (1990). Cytoprotection against neutrophil derived hypochlorous acid a potential mechanism for the therapeutic action of 5-aminosalisylic acid in ulcerative colitis. Gut 31, 184-186. 

Pitt, R.M., McKelvey, T.G., Saenger, J.S., Shah, A.K., Jones, H.P., Manci, E.A. and Powell, R.W. (1991). A tungsten-supplemented diet delivered by transplacental and breastfeeding routes lowers intestinal xanthine oxidase activity and affords cytoprotection in ischaemia-reperfusion injury to the small intestine. J. Paediatr. Suig. 26, 930-935. 

Robert, A., Eberle, D. and Kaplowitz, N. (1984). Role of glutathione in gastric mucosal cytoprotection. Am. J. Physiol. 247, G296-304. 

Saibil, F.G., Sherman, J.A., Heller, D.J., Liepert, T.T. and Janossy, T. (1990). Microcirculatory and cytoprotective effects of 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) in gastric and jejunal mucosae. Gastroenterology 98, A201. 

Morel et al. (1993) have reported that three flavanoids (catechin, quercetin and diosmetin) are cytoprotective on iron-loaded hepatocyte cultures. Their cytoprotective activity (catechin > quercetin > diosmetin) correlated with their iron-chelating ability (Morel et al., 1993). These compounds should also be good phenolic antioxidants so iron chelation may only be part of the story. 

ANSWER I think that is an interesting possibility, since cells presumably have some kind of cytoprotective mechanism. It is possible that in patients predisposed to Parkinson s disease there is some breakdown of the patients proteetive mechanisms in those neurons. That might be a reason why they develop the disease. Fortunately, all of us don t. 1 think we simply don t know. We should consider all possibilities. 

Dunlap, T. Chandrasena, R. E. P. Wang, Z. Sinha, V. Wang, Z. Thatcher, G. R. J. Quinone formation as a chemoprevention strategy for hybrid chugs balancing cytotoxity and cytoprotection. Chem. Res. Toxicol. 2007, 20, 1903-1912. 

Ursodiol may slow progression of liver disease. It improves bile flow and may displace toxic bile acids that accumulate in a cholestatic liver, stimulate bicarbonate secretion into the bile, offer a cytoprotective effect, and reduce elevated liver tests. Ursodiol is typically dosed at 15 to 20 mg/kg per day in two divided doses and may be rounded to the nearest tablet size.5,7... 

Li YF, Liu YQ, Ming Y, et al. The cytoprotective effect of inulin-type hexasaccharide extracted from Morinda officinalis on PC 12 cells against the lesion induced by corticosterone. Life Sci 2004 75 1531-1538. 

Mersch-Sundermann V, Knasmuller S, Wu X, Dorroudi F, Kassie F (2004) Use of a human-derived liver cell line for the detection of cytoprotective, antigenotoxic and cogenotoxic agents. Toxicology 198 329-340... 

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