Viewpoints:

Dispatches from the Frontlines of Research - edited by John W. Nelson

Ryan M. Fryer, Glenn A. Reinhart, and Timothy A. Esbenshade

Histamine in Cardiac Sympathetic Ganglia: A Novel Neurotransmitter?
Mol. Interv. 2006 6: 14-19. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Tobias Schmid and Matthew R. Young

Lights on for Low Oxygen: A Noninvasive Mouse Model Useful for Sensing Oxygen Deficiency
Mol. Interv. 2006 6: 20-22. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Robert J. Tomko, Jr., Pallavi Bansal, and John S. Lazo

Airing Out an Antioxidant Role for the Tumor Suppressor p53
Mol. Interv. 2006 6: 23-25. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

R E V I E W S:

Sue Piper Duckles, Diana N. Krause, Christopher Stirone, and Vincent Procaccio

Estrogen and Mitochondria: A New Paradigm for Vascular Protection?
Mol. Interv. 2006 6: 26-35. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

For about fifty years, scientists have investigated the ubiquitous role of free radicals in aging. In eukaryotes, the metabolic dynamics that generate these highly reactive, highly damaging intermediates emanate from the cell’s "power plants"—the mitochondria. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are inevitable by-products of electron-wielding mitochondria, but these organelles have evolved a number of genetic programs to limit ROS damage. Mitochondrial metabolic efficiency, as well as the reduction of ROS production per se, are optimized by a number of protein expression patterns, including the expression of proteins involved in oxidative phosphorylation (e.g., cytochrome c) and enzymes that mitigate ROS reactivity (e.g., superoxide dismutase). Remarkably, both arms of the mitochondrial mission—metabolic efficiency and ROS squelching—are activated in response to estrogen. This finding bears a number of intriguing implications for potential clinical development, especially because mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in age-related disorders and a number of disease states. Data that establish the presence of estrogen receptor in mitochondria of the cerebrovasculature, for example, may be relevant to hormone and drug therapies in neurodegenerative disease. Mounting evidence indicates that the effects of estrogen depend highly on cellular and molecular context, and avenues for the design of drugs that might mimic the non-reproductive (e.g., anti-aging) effects of estrogen (in both female and male contexts) warrant exploration.

Dipak K. Das and Nilanjana Maulik

Resveratrol in Cardioprotection: A Therapeutic Promise of Alternative Medicine
Mol. Interv. 2006 6: 36-47. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Almost 4500 years ago, Ayurveda, the ancient medicinal book of Hindus, lauded the health effects of darakchasava, the fermented juice of red grapes. Somewhat later, the Bible described red wine as a "gift of God," presumably used in the service of both body and soul. In 1940, resveratrol was first identified as the medicinal component of grapes. Resveratrol, a polyphenol phytoalexin, possesses diverse biochemical and physiological actions, including estrogenic, antiplatelet, and anti-inflammatory properties. Several recent studies determined the cardioprotective abilities of resveratrol. Both in experiments (acute) and in chronic models, resveratrol attenuates myocardial ischemic reperfusion injury, atherosclerosis, and reduces ventricular arrhythmias. It appears that resveratrol-mediated cardioprotection is achieved through the preconditioning effect (the best yet devised method of cardioprotection), rather than direct protection. Thus, resveratrol likely fulfills the definition of a pharmacological preconditioning compound. The long historical record concerning the health effects of wine production, along with current interest in resveratrol, has been an important element in the ascent of complementary and alternative medicine.

D E P A R T M E N T S:

Speaking of Pharmacology:

Joey Barnett

Directors of Pharmacology Graduate Programs: Pharm Phorum
Mol. Interv. 2006 6: 4-7. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Reflections:

Science in the cultural context

Stanley Scheindlin

When She Says Yes, But He Needs NO: Some Reflections on Nitric Oxide
Mol. Interv. 2006 6: 8-13. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Beyond the Bench:

Representations of pharmacology and science in the media

Christie Carrico

Medical Moments
Mol. Interv. 2006 6: 49-50. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Net Results:

Sites of interest on the World Wide Web

Sites of interest on the World Wide Web–edited by Rick Neubig and David Roman
Mol. Interv. 2006 6: 51. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Outliers:

Cartoon

Mol. Interv. 2006 6: 56. [Full Text] [PDF]  

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