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TRADITIONAL
MEDICINE AND ACUPUNCTURE
8
th
International Conference on
J u l y 2 3 - 2 4 , 2 0 1 8 | R o m e , I t a l y
Journal of General Internal Medicine
|
ISSN: 2591-7951
|
Volume 2
Traditional 2018
Note:
Page 35
allied
academies
Paolo Lombardi, Arch Gen Intern Med 2018, Volume 2 | DOI: 10.4066/2591-7951-C1-001
BERBERINE: AN EPIPHANY AGAINST
CANCER?
A
lkaloids are used in traditional medicine for the treatment ofmany diseases.
These compounds are synthesized in plants as secondary metabolites and
have multiple effects on cellular metabolism. Among plant derivatives with
biological properties, the quinoline quaternary alkaloid berberine, a mainstay
of the Traditional Chinese Medicine, possesses a broad range of therapeutic
uses against several diseases. In recent years, clinical interest in berberine
has strikingly increased. Moreover, the compound has been reported to inhibit
cell proliferation and to be cytotoxic towards cancer cells by possibly implying
targeting (post)-transcriptional control processes atmessengermRNA level. As
a result, the appreciation by berberine of the difference of mRNA translational
control between normal and cancer cells makes it a possible therapeutic
opportunity against cancer. Based on this evidence, novel derivatives have
been synthesized to improve berberine efficiency and selectivity. The results
so far obtained on human cancer cell lines support the idea that they could
be promising agents for cancer treatment. The main properties of berberine
and new derivatives will be illustrated. Two promising berberine-derived
drug candidates found to function as selecting suppressors of oncoprotein
synthesis in mesothelioma and breast cancer, respectively, will be presented.
Biography
Paolo Lombardi is graduated from Milan Univer-
sity (Italy), PhD from Southampton University
(UK). He has more than 35 years of experience
in the pharmaceutical industrial setting and back-
grounds in organic synthetic chemistry, process
research chemistry, and therapeutic chemistry.
He held growing positions in Farmitalia Carlo Erba
R&D where he achieved the goal of discovering ex-
emestane, launched in the global market under the
name Aromasin™ for breast cancer therapy, and
the clinical follow-on candidate Minamestane, as
well as providing the relative manufacturing chem-
ical technologies. As Vice-President for Chemistry
in Menarini Ricerche, he fostered the discovery of
sabarubicin, a third-generation anti-tumor anthra-
cycline presently in advanced clinical studies. He
acted as a Consultant for the pharma company IBI
G Lorenzini and the French start up biotech Chrysa-
lon, before setting up his own science business. He
is the inventor of more than 70 patents in Medicinal
and Process Chemistry, author and co-author of
more than 150 research papers, reviews, abstracts,
invited lectures and seminars.
p.lombardi@naxospharma.euPaolo Lombardi
Naxospharma Srl, Italy