Roberto Menendez

• PhD
• Senior Researcher at Cuban Neuroscience Center

The complexity of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathophysiology represents a significant challenge in the development of effective therapeutic agents for its treatment. CNEURO-201 (CN, also Amylovis-201) is a novel pharmaceutical agent with dual activity as an anti-amyloid-β (Aβ) agent and σ1 receptor agonist. CN exhibits great efficacy at very low dose...

Alzheimer's disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease, and its treatment is lacking. In this work, we tested Amylovis-201, a naphthalene-derived compound, as a possible therapeutic candidate for the treatment of AD. For this purpose, we performed three experiments. In the first and third experiment, animals received a bilateral administr...

Background: BioCen-128 is a new active pharmaceutical ingredient composed of a specific bovine thymic fraction of a polypeptide nature. Positive results of similar thymus extracts have been shown to be effective in delaying the processes associated with aging, immunosenescence and Alzheimer's disease (AD), where the inflammation plays an important...

The number of people with dementia worldwide is estimated at 50 million by 2018 and continues to rise mainly due to increasing aging and population growth. Clinical impact of current interventions remains modest and all efforts aimed at the identification of new therapeutic approaches are therefore critical. Previously, we showed that JM-20, a dihy...

Resumen Context: Momordica charantia (Cucurbitaceae) is extensively distributed in tropical areas, and it is traditionally used as antidiabetic. Nevertheless, few studies supporting the metabolic effects of its foliage extracts have been reported elsewhere. Aims: To evaluate the effects of M. charantia foliage extract (MCh) on blood glucose and lip...

Resumen Context: Momordica charantia (Cucurbitaceae) is extensively distributed in tropical areas, and it is traditionally used as antidiabetic. Nevertheless, few studies supporting the metabolic effects of its foliage extracts have been reported elsewhere. Aims: To evaluate the effects of M. charantia foliage extract (MCh) on blood glucose and lip...

Context: Momordica charantia (Cucurbitaceae) is extensively distributed in tropical areas, and it is traditionally used as antidiabetic. Nevertheless, few studies supporting the metabolic effects of its foliage extracts have been reported elsewhere. Aims: To evaluate the effects of M. charantia foliage extract (MCh) on blood glucose and lipids lev...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that worsens with aging. Today, there is a worldwide effort to find new drugs that could delay the onset, slow the progression, or improve symptoms of AD. Oral administration of aluminum to rodents recapitulates some pathological alterations observed in AD, being considered a convenient tool f...

The aggregation of β-amyloid peptides is associated to neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. Consequently, the inhibition of both oligomerization and fibrillation of β-amyloid peptides is considered a plausible therapeutic approach for AD. Herein, the synthesis of new naphthalene derivatives and their evaluation as anti-β-amyloido...

This invention is directed to metal oxide nanoparticles of the general formula (I) wherein : wherein • R 1; is an organic coating to the metal oxide core, of polymeric type, catechol derivatives and trialkoxyalkylaminosilane; • R 2 : -NHCO-alkylenyl-C(0)NH-alkylenyl-R 3; • R 3 : -COO-, -CO-, -NH, -0-, -S-, -NH-alkylenyl-NH-, -NR 4-CSS-; • R 4 : -H,...

Thalassia testudinum a sea grass, is highly abundant along the Cuban coasts and has been characterized. The extract obtained from Thalassia testudinum has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, photoprotective, antinociceptive, hepatoprotective and neuroprotective properties. Nevertheless, there are very few reports of its safety evaluation. The aims of t...

p> Clusia minor L. is traditionally used to treat many disorders that including pain and inflammation such as sores and warts. Four extracts from the leaves of plant were prepared: hexane (CMH-A), ethyl acetate (CMH-B), methanol (CMH-C) and ethanol (CMH-E) and the pharmacological (antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties) and toxicity effects w...

Objective: JM-20, a novel hybrid synthetic molecule, has been reported to have antioxidant, mitoprotective, anti-excitotoxic, anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the neuroprotective effect of JM-20 against memory impairment in preclinical AD-like models has not been analyzed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential...

Resumen Context: The search of new substances with analgesic properties has grown in the last years. Brazil and Cuba have a big biodiversity allowing the study of several plants with potential pharmacological activities. Aims: To evaluate the chemical composition and potential antinociceptive effect of the ethanolic extract from Clusia minor L. lea...

The knockout mouse model, B6.129P2-Apoetm1Unc is homozygotic for the Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) deletion; thus, it is capable of developing hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis but ApoE is also a lipid-transport protein abundantly expressed in most neurons in the central nervous system, so these animals could also be models of neurodegenerative diseases...

Context: The recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) stimulates the erythropoiesis process. Because this glycoprotein has a short half-life, it needs to be administrated two to three times a week. One of the technics to solve this issue is the PEGgilation. Aims: To evaluate the pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics of two new branched PEGyl...

The effects of an extract from the marine plant Thalassia testudinum on rat liver cytochrome P450s were investigated. Male Wistar rats were administered for 10 days with 20, 200 or 400 mg/kg oral doses of the extract. The activities of CYP1A1/A2, CYP2B1/B2, CYP2E1 and CYP3A were evaluated. CYP1A1 activity and protein content increased after 200 mg/...

Objective: Scopolamine (SCO) administration to rats induces molecular features of AD and other dementias, including impaired cognition, increased oxidative stress, and imbalanced cholinergic transmission. Although mitochondrial dysfunction is involved in different types of dementias, its role in cognitive impairment induced by SCO has not been wel...

Context: The extract from the marine plant Thalassia testudinum BM-21, standardized to thalassiolin B content (5.8 ± 0.3%), possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects on acrylamide-induced neurotoxicity in mice and global ischemia in Mongolian gerbils. Aims: To determine whether or not BM-21 possesses neuroprotective effec...

Context: Ovarian hormone deficiency observed in menopausal women increases the production of reactive oxygen species, which could be im-plicated in central sensitization subjacent in chronic functional pain syn-dromes. Aims: To examine the hyperalgesic state induced by ovariectomy in adult rats and its relation to some oxidative stress outcomes. Me...

The aqueous ethanolic extract of the marine plant Thalassia testudinum, named BM-21, has powerful antioxidant and antilipoperoxidative activities. The extract also has anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive and neuroprotective effect against acrylamide-induced neurotoxicity. Excessive generation of free radicals and decreased levels of the antioxidant...

Context: Duroia macrophylla (Rubiaceae) is endemic from the Amazon Rainforest. Aims: To perform phytochemical profile of Duroia macrophylla extracts and to evaluate them as antioxidant, insecticidal and cytotoxic. Methods: Dichloromethane and methanol extracts of leaves and branches (collected three times) were subjected to phytochemical screening...

Context: BM-21 is a hydro-ethanolic extract obtained from the leaves of Thalassia testudinum marine plant, which is rich in polyphenols, and it has demonstrated antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cytoprotective and neuroprotective properties. Aims: To investigate the genotoxicity potential of BM-21. Methods: Salmonella typhimurium Hist. - strains were...

The Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmacognosy Research (JPPRes) is an international, specialized and peer-reviewed open access journal, which publishes studies in the pharmaceutical and herbal fields concerned with the physical, botanical, chemical, biological, toxicological properties and clinical applications of molecular entities, active pharmaceutica...

Context: Acrylamide (ACR) neurotoxicity is associated with the enhancement of lipid peroxidation and the reduction of the antioxidative capacity distal axon and nerve terminal regions. The aqueous ethanolic extract of the marine plant Thalassia testudinum, named BM-21, have shown antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Aims: To de...

We disclose here the effects over several P450 isoforms of one extract from Thalassia testudinum marine plant with cytoprotective and neuroprotective properties. Male Wistar rats were administered orally with 20, 200 and 400 mg/kg of the extract for 10 days. The activities of 7‐ethoxy, 7‐methoxy, 7‐penthoxy and 7‐benzoxyl resorufin‐O‐deethylases, 4...

The aim of the present work was to investigate the anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects of methanolic extract from D. obtusata using classic models in mice (croton oil-induced ear edema and acetic acid-induced writhing) and a phospholipase A2 activity test. Qualitative analysis of the chemical composition of seaweed was also determined by...

Introduction: medicinal plants are those which contain one or more active principles that have a curative effect upon some illnesses which affect men and animals, whenever it is adequately administered. When one plant contains more than one active principle, it can be used to treat different ailments or body disorders. Objective: to analyze the ben...

BM-21 is an extract obtained from Thalassia testudinum marine plant with pharmacological properties. The effects of BM-21 and thalassiolin B (TB), its main component, on enzyme and transport proteins involved in drug metabolism and excretion in human cultured hepatocytes were evaluated. Cells were exposed for 48h to sub-cytotoxic concentrations of...

The aqueous ethanol extract of Thalassia testudinum leaves (BM-21) is now being developed in Cuba as an herbal medicine due to its promising pharmacological properties. Although some interesting biological activities of BM-21 have already been reported, its chemical composition remains mostly unknown. Thus, we now describe the qualitative and quant...

Beverages, especially wines are well-known to contain a variety of health-beneficial bioactive substances, mainly of phenolic nature which frequently exhibit antioxidant activity. Significant information is available about the separation and identification of polyphenols from some beverages by chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques, but consi...

The apolar fraction F1 of Thalassia testudinum was chemically characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, which led to the identification of 43 metabolites, all of them reported for the first time in the genus Thalassia. More than 80% of the F1 composition was constituted by aromatic metabolites including the major components 1,1-bis(p-t...

Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) have a significant role in the sensation of pain and constitute an important target for the search of new antinociceptive drugs. In this work we studied the antinociceptive properties of the BM-21 extract, obtained from the sea grass Thalassia testudinum, in chemical and thermal models of nociception in mice. The a...

Sticholysins I and II (St I/II) are cytolysins purified from the sea anemone Stichodactyla helianthus. In this study, we show their pharmacological action on guinea-pig and snail models in native and pH-denatured conditions in order to correlate the pharmacological findings with the pore-forming activity of both isoforms. In guinea-pig erythrocytes...

Different medicinal plants are widely used in Cuba and Mexico to treat several disorders. This paper reports in vitro inhibitory effects on the P450 system of herbal products commonly used by people in Cuba and Mexico in traditional medicine for decades. Experiments were conducted in human liver microsomes. The catalytic activities of CYP1A1/2, 2D6...

The protective effects of five Cuban natural products (Mangifera indica L. (MSBE), Erythroxylum minutifolium, Erythroxylum confusum, Thalassia testudinum and Dictyota pinnatifida extracts and mangiferin) on the oxidative damage induced by model toxicants in rat hepatocyte cultures were studied. Cells were pre-incubated with the natural products (5-...

Daily topical application of the aqueous ethanolic extract of the marine sea grass, Thalassia testudinum, on mice skin exposed to UVB radiation resulted in a dose-dependent recovery of the skin macroscopic alterations over a 6-day period. Maximal effect (90%) occurred at a dose of 240 microg/cm(2), with no additional effects at higher doses. Bioass...

To investigate whether oral treatment with D-004, a lipid extract of the Cuban royal palm fruit, produces antioxidant effects in the prostate tissue of normal and testosterone (T)-treated rats. In our first experiment, normal rats were distributed into five groups: one group treated with the vehicle and four groups treated with D-004 (100, 200, 400...

Background: Aging is associated with increased lipid peroxidation (LP). D-003, a mixture of long-chain aliphatic primary acids purified from sugar cane wax, has been found to inhibit LP in experimental models and in healthy subjects. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the effects of D-003 on LP markers and the lipid profile of older...

D-003 is a mixture of high molecular weight sugarcane wax aliphatic primary acids with cholesterol-lowering, anti-platelet and antioxidant effects. This study investigated the long-term oral toxicity and carcinogenicity of D-003 in Sprague Dawley rats of both sexes, randomly distributed into four groups: a control group, treated only with the vehic...

D-003 is a mixture of very high molecular weight aliphatic acids purified from sugarcane wax withlipid-lowering and antiplatelet effects experimentally and clinically proven. Toxicological studies have assessed the oral toxicity of D-003, administered as single or repeated doses, in rats and dogs. This study investigated the oral toxicity of D-003...

D-003 (5 and 25 mg/kg) has shown to prevent paracetamol-induced hepatic damage, reducing the necrotic areas and inflammatory infiltrates in this tissue. Considering that increased oxidative stress is a main mechanism of paracetamol-induced liver damage and the antioxidant effects of D-003, this study was undertaken to investigate whether oral treat...

D-004 is a lipid extract of the fruits of the Cuban royal palm (Roystonea regia) containing a mixture of saturated fatty acids. D-004 inhibits prostate hyperplasia (PH) induced with testosterone, in rodents. Since fatty acids inhibit lipid peroxidation (LP), this study investigated whether D-004 prevents in vitro LP. D-004 (0.9-1000 microg/mL) mark...

The Silences of the Archives, the Reknown of the Story. The Martin Guerre affair has been told many times since Jean de Coras and Guillaume Lesueur published their stories in 1561. It is in many ways a perfect intrigue with uncanny resemblance, persuasive deception and a surprizing end when the two Martin stood face to face, memory to memory, befor...

D-004, a lipid extract of the fruit of the Cuban royal palm (Roystonea regia), has been found to reduce prostatic hyperplasia (PH) induced with testosterone (T), but not PH induced with dihydrotestosterone (DHT), in rodents, suggesting the inhibition of prostate 5α-reductase activity. The aims of this study were to assess whether D-004 inhibits pro...

D-004 is a lipid extract of the ground fruits of the Cuban royal palm (Roystonea regia) containing oleic, lauric and palmitic acids as the main components. Oral treatment with D-004 inhibited prostate hypertrophy (PH) induced with testosterone in rodents. Previous works have demonstrated that the infiltration of prostate by inflammatory cells may b...

The Cuban marine flora and fauna is characterized by its richness in species that represents an extraordinary natural source of unexplored biomolecular diversity. Many of those biomolecules could represent important tools for industrial applications. For this reason, in our Centre the main aim was focused on the isolation, purification and characte...

Policosanol is a mixture of very-long-chain aliphatic alcohols purified from sugar cane wax with cholesterol-lowering effects, whose main component is octacosanol. Scarce data about the metabolism of octacosanol and the other fatty alcohols composing policosanol have been published. Human fibroblasts were cultured in presence of (3)H-octacosanol du...

D-004 is a lipid extract obtained from Cuban royal palm (Rosytonea regia) fruits, consisting of a mixture of fatty acids and esters. D-004 has shown protective effects on prostate hyperplasia induced by testosterone in rodents. We report the results of two studies investigating the acute and subchronic oral toxicity of D004 in rats. Oral acute toxi...

The present study shows the results of nine clinical studies investigating the efficacy, safety and tolerability of policosanol in a total of 1479 older patients from both sexes suffering type II hypercholesterolemia. The studies were prospective, randomized, double blinded, with parallel groups receiving policosanol versus placebo or statins admin...

Background: D-003 is a mixture of long-chain aliphatic primary acids purified from sugar cane wax with cholesterol-lowering and preventive effects on lipoprotein lipid peroxidation (LP) proven in experimental and clinical studies. Objectives: To investigate if D-003 favourably modifies LP markers on older individuals. Methods: This double-blinded,...

D003 is a mixture of higher aliphatic primary alcohols purified from sugar cane wax in which octacosanoic acid is its main component, followed by triacontanoic, dotriacontanoic and tetracosanoic acid. Bearing in mind not only this fact, but also considering the very close structural relationships among the components of the mixture, we follow 3H-oc...

Biphosphonates, which are antiresorptive agents used to treat osteoporosis, inhibit the mevalonate pathway, preventing protein prenylation and inhibiting osteoclast activity. Statins decrease cholesterol biosynthesis by blocking the mevalonate pathway and have been reported to have beneficial effects on bone. D-003 is a mixture of high molecular we...

An improved and simplified high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method at UV detection 265 nm is presented for the determination of d4T in rat plasma. The mobile phase consists of methanol-distilled water-acetic acid in the 23:77:0.2 (v/v) ratio. Quantification is achieved by the peak-area ratio method with reference to the internal stand...

D-003 is a mixture of high molecular weight aliphatic primary acids purified from sugar cane wax (Saccharum officinarum, L) with cholesterol-lowering and antiplatelet effects. Previous studies, including a 6-month study conducted in rats, have shown no D-003-related toxicity. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of D-003 oral...

D-003 is a mixture of very long chain saturated fatty acids (VLCSFA) purified from sugar cane wax with cholesterol-lowering effects proven in animal models and healthy volunteers. D-003 inhibits cholesterol biosynthesis through the regulation of HMG-CoA reductase activity. Rabbits fed diets enriched with casein develop endogenous hypercholesterolem...

Background: D-003 is a mixture of long-chain aliphatic primary acids purified from sugarcane wax with hypocholesterolaemic effects proven in rabbits and healthy volunteers; it lowers serum total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and increases high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C). D-003 also prevents lipoprotei...

D-003 is a mixture of high molecular weight aliphatic primary acids purified from sugarcane wax (Saccharum officinarum) having cholesterol-lowering and antiplatelet effects. This study was undertaken to investigate the toxicity induced by long-term oral administration of D-003 for 6 months to Sprague Dawley rats of both sexes. Rats were randomly di...

Previous results have demonstrated that policosanol, a mixture of aliphatic primary alcohols isolated and purified from sugar cane wax, whose main component is octacosanol, inhibited lipid peroxidation in experimental models and human beings. D003 is a defined mixture of very long-chain saturated fatty acids, also isolated and purified from sugar c...

In this pilot, randomized, double-blind study, we compared the effects of policosanol and lovastatin on lipid profile and lipid peroxidation in patients with dyslipidemia and type 2 diabetes mellitus. After 4 weeks on a cholesterol-lowering diet, 36 patients were randomized to policosanol (10 mg/day) or lovastatin (20 mg/day) tablets o.i.d. for 8 w...

The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of D003, a mixture of very long chain saturated fatty acids isolated and purified from sugar cane wax, on cholesterol biosynthesis in cultured fibroblasts. Cholesterol biosynthesis is regulated through feedback regulation of at least two sequentially acting enzymes, 3-hydroxy-3-methyl coen...

It has been recently shown that oral administration of D002, a mixture of higher aliphatic primary alcohols isolated from beeswax, inhibits rat microsomal lipid peroxidation. This justified the present attempt to investigate whether D002 also exerts antioxidant effects in humans. The effects of D002 on lipid peroxidation were studied in a double-bl...

D-002 is a mixture of higher aliphatic alcohols isolated from beeswax that inhibits rat microsomal lipid peroxidation in vitro and in vivo. This study was undertaken to investigate whether D-002 also inhibits lipid peroxidation in older subjects. The free radical theory of aging suggests that progressive defects in the protection against free radic...

D-002 is a mixture of high-molecular-weight aliphatic alcohols, obtained from bees wax (Apis mellifera), with mild anti-inflammatory properties and effective anti-ulcer activities demonstrated in experimental models. This study investigated the oral toxicity of D-002 administered for 1 year to beagle dogs. Twenty-four beagle dogs (12 males and 12 f...

Cholesterol biosynthesis is strictly controlled by 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl Coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase. Transfer of cultured fibroblasts to a lipid-depleted medium (LDM) up-regulates the enzyme levels. This, in turn, is followed by an accelerated biosynthesis of cholesterol. Exposure of Vero fibroblasts to LDM and policosanol (0.5-50 microg/m...

Policosanol is a cholesterol-lowering drug purified from sugar cane. Previous toxicological studies have not demonstrated any policosanol-related toxicity, even with long-term oral administration at 500 mg/kg, a dose 1,724 times larger than the maximal therapeutic dose (20 mg/day) recommended to date. The present study was undertaken to investigate...

D-002 is a natural mixture of higher aliphatic primary alcohols isolated from beeswax that has antioxidant and antiulcer properties. Because the role of lipid peroxidation in gastric damage is well recognized, this work was designed to investigate the possible effect of D-002 on lipid peroxidation in gastric mucosa in two experimental models of gas...

Objective To compare the efficacy and tolerability of policosanol with that of fluvastatin in older hypercholesterolaemic women. Design and Setting Randomised, single-blind, parallel-group study performed at a single centre in Cuba. Patients and Participants 70 women aged 60 to 80 years with type II hypercholesterolaemia. Methods Patients were rand...

D-003 is a mixture of higher aliphatic primary acids purified from sugar cane wax (Saccharum officinarum) with cholesterol-lowering and antiplatelet effects experimentally proven. The present work reports the results of two studies investigating the acute and subchronic oral toxicity of D-003 in rats. Oral acute toxicity of D-003 (2000 mg/kg) was i...

This paper contains the reference data for the main physiological indicators of three species of laboratory animals: mice, rabbits and dogs. Data listed include the mean and the standard deviation of haematology, serum biochemistry and organ weight to body weight ratio. In addition, pathological studies including microscopical examination of organs...

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of policosanol on the susceptibility of LDL-C to in vitro lipid peroxidation in human healthy volunteers. The effect of policosanol (5 and 10 mg day(-1) on LDL-C oxidation was studied in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial conducted in 69 subjects. LDL-C samples isolated at baseli...

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of policosanol administered at its starting dosage (5 mg/d) on low-density lipoprotein (LDL) peroxidation in patients with type II hypercholesterolemia and high coronary risk.Background: Oxidation of LDL has been suggested as a step in the development of atherosclerosis. Policosanol is...

Policosanol is a mixture of higher aliphatic alcohols purified from sugar cane wax, with cholesterol-lowering effects demonstrable in experimental models and in patients with type II hypercholesterolemia. The protective effects of policosanol on atherosclerotic lesions experimentally induced by lipofundin in rabbits and rats and spontaneously devel...

The effect of D002, a defined mixture of higher primary alcohols purified from bee wax, on in vivo and in vitro lipid peroxidation was studied. The extent of lipid peroxidation was measured on the basis of the levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). When D002 (5-100 mg/kg body weight) was administered orally to rats for two weeks...

Policosanol is a mixture of higher aliphatic primary alcohols isolated from sugar cane wax, whose main component is octacosanol. An inhibitory effect of policosanol on platelet aggregation and cerebral ischemia in animal models has been reported. Thus, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of policosanol on cerebral ischemia...

Policosanol, a new cholesterol-lowering agent, is a mixture of higher aliphatic primary alcohols isolated from sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum L.) wax, which prevents the onset of espontaneously and experimentally induced atherosclerotic lesions in experimental models. Because the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) may play a role in the...

A reference database comprising body weight gain, exploratory activity, hot plate response, serum biochemistry, haematology, organ weight (%) and a complete anatomopathological study containing non-neoplastic and neoplastic lesions over 1200 Sprague-Dawley rats from 6 to 32 months is described. Comparisons between age and sex were analysed.

D-002 is a mixture of higher aliphatic primary alcohol isolated from bees wax (Apis mellifera) with effective antiulcer effects demonstrated in different experimental models. Oral toxicity of D-002 (5-5000 mg/kg) was evaluated in sub-acute (14 days), subchronic (90 days) and chronic (1 year) studies in Sprague-Dawley rats from both sexes. There was...

The effect of policosanol, a mixture of high-molecular-weight aliphatic alcohols isolated from sugarcane wax, on casein-induced hypercholesterolaemia in rabbits was studied. When policosanol was administered by the oral route once daily for 30 d (50 mg/kg) the increases in plasma total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol (LDC-C) were significantly redu...

Policosanol, a defined mixture of high molecular weight aliphatic alcohol isolated and purified from sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum, L) wax is a new cholesterol-lowering agent effective in experimental models, healthy volunteers, and patients with type II hypercholesterolemia. Also, policosanol prevents the onset of spontaneously- and experiment...

We have suggested previously, measuring 14C-acetate incorporation into free cholesterol, that oral administration of policosanol inhibits hepatic cholesterol biosynthesis in rats. Nevertheless, since acetate has limitations to study cholesterol synthesis in vivo, we now investigate rates of incorporation of labeled water into hepatic sterol after p...

Policosanol, administered orally, has shown a cholesterol-lowering effect in different experimental models. Because lipid-lowering therapy is administered chronically, it is necessary to know the effects of these drugs after long-term administration. 18 adult male Macaca arctoides monkeys were used to study the cholesterol-lowering effects and poss...

Specific groups of sea anemone and scorpion toxins compete on the same pharmacological site, on the voltage-gated sodium channel of mammal excitable membranes. However, these scorpion and sea anemone toxins are two distinct protein families. Here we purified and sequenced a new sea anemone toxin, Bg II, highly toxic to mammals and also a less toxic...

Policosanol is a mixture of aliphatic primary alcohols isolated and purified from sugar cane wax, that induces cholesterol-lowering effects in experimental models and human beings. When human lung fibroblasts were incubated with policosanol for 48 hours prior to the experiment, a dose dependent inhibition of 14C-acetate incorporation into total cho...

Policosanol is a natural mixture of higher aliphatic primary alcohols. Oral toxicity of policosanol was evaluated in a 12-month study in which doses from 0.5 to 500 mg/kg were given orally to Sprague Dawley (SD) rats (20/sex/group) daily. There was no treatment-related toxicity. Thus, effects on body weight gain, food consumption, clinical observat...

1. The effects of a high molecular weight toxin isolated from the sea anemone Condylactis gigantea (Condytoxina 2) on the cholinergic responses were studied in two different preparations: identified cells of a land snail and enzymatically dissociated mice sensory neurons. These neurons were studied using intracellular recording and concentration cl...

1.1. The nicotinic anticholinergic effects of Physalia-toxin P1, a purified polypeptide (MW 220 Kdalton) of Physalia physalis tentacles extracts, was tested on two identified neurons of the land snail Zachrysia quanensis and on frog (Rana pipiens) neuromuscular junction.2.2. P1 reversibly blocks in a dose-dependent manner the nicotinic cholinergic...