oxidative processes

Oxidative stress is an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in the body, which can lead to cell and tissue damage. Oxidative stress can be responsible for the induction of several diseases, both chronic and degenerative, as well as speeding up body aging process and cause acute pathologies. Antioxidants are a class of compounds able to counteract oxidative stress and mitigate its effects on individuals’ health, gained enormous attention from the biomedical research community. Antioxidants have long been substantial and amenable therapeutic arsenals for multifarious diseases such as AD and cancer.

MCE Antioxidant Compound Library contains 1,941 compounds that act as antioxidants for high throughput screening (HTS) and high content screening (HCS). This library is a useful tool for discovery new antioxidants and oxidative stress research.

Mitochondria plays an important role in many vital processes in cells, including energy production, fatty-acid oxidation and the Tricarboxylic Acid (TCA) cycle, calcium signaling, permeability transition, apoptosis and heat production. At present, it is recognized that many diseases are associated with impaired mitochondrial function, such as increased accumulation of ROS and decreased OXPHOS and ATP production. Mitochondria are recognized as one of the most important targets for new drug design in cancer, cardiovascular, and neurological diseases, etc. Some small molecule drugs or biologics can act on mitochondria through various pathways, including ETC inhibition, OXPHOS uncoupling, mitochondrial Ca²⁺ modulation, and control of oxidative stress via decrease or increase of mitochondrial ROS accumulation.

MCE supplies a unique collection of 1,187 mitochondria-targeted compound that mainly targeting Mitochondrial Metabolism, ATP Synthase, Mitophagy, Reactive Oxygen Species, etc. MCE Mitochondria-Targeted Compound Library is a useful tool for mitochondria-targeted drug discovery and related research.

Fibrosis is a kind of repair response to long-term tissue damage, which is mainly manifested by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) and scar formation. Myofibroblasts are the main generating cells of extracellular matrix, and their activation process is related to various pathological mechanisms including Oxidative stress, chronic inflammation and cytokine secretion. Fibrosis can occur in many organs, such as kidneys, liver, heart, lungs, etc. Continuous fibrosis can lead to the destruction of the normal structure of tissues and organs, and if not controlled in time, may cause organ failure or even life-threatening.

MCE contains 1,922 compounds targeting ant-fibrosis targets such as TGF-β, PI3K, Wnt, MMP, etc. These compounds have clear or potential anti-fibrosis activity and can be used for mechanism research and drug screening of fibrosis diseases.

Oxygen homeostasis regulation is the most fundamental cellular process for adjusting physiological oxygen variations, and its irregularity leads to various human diseases, including cancer. Hypoxia is closely associated with cancer development, and hypoxia/oxygen-sensing signaling plays critical roles in the modulation of cancer progression.

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is a transcription factor that functions as a master regulator of oxygen homeostasis. A variety of HF-1 target genes have been identified thus far which encode proteins that play key roles in critical developmental and physiological processes including angiogenesis/vascular remodeling, erythropoiesis, glucose transport, glycolysis, iron transport, and cell proliferation/survival.

HIF-1 is a heterodimeric transcription factor consisting of a constitutively expressed β-subunit and an oxygen-regulated α-subunit. The unique feature of HIF-1 is the regulation of HIF-1α expression and activity based upon the cellular O₂ concentration. Under normoxic conditions, hydroxylation of HIF-1α on these different proline residues is essential for HIF proteolytic degradation by promoting interaction with the von Hippel-Lindau tumor-suppressor protein (pVHL) through hydrogen bonding to the hydroxyproline-binding pocket in the pVHL β-domain. As oxygen levels decrease, hydroxylation of HIF decreases; HIF-1α then no longer binds pVHL, and becomes stabilized, allowing more of the protein to translocate to the cell’s nucleus, where it acts as a transcription factor, upregulating (often within minutes) the production of proteins that stimulate blood perfusion in tissues and thus tissue oxygenation.

MCE offers a unique collection of 3,269 oxygen sensing related compounds targeting HIF/HIF Prolyl-Hydroxylase, MAPK/ERK, PI3K/AKT signaling pathways, etc. MCE Oxygen Sensing Compound Library is a useful tool to study hypoxia, oxidative stress and discover new anti-cancer drugs.