... On the other hand, caffeine is a popular social drink and induces a
sleep-less state. Both BDZs and caffeine exert their effects through the GABA
receptor complex in an opposite manner (Boulenger et al., 1984; Haefely, 1984;
Weir and Hruska, 1983; Roca et al., 1988). Apart from the central nervous
system, BDZs can also bind with peripheral benzodiazepine receptor (PBR)
inside various cells at several locations, mainly in the mitochondria
(O'Beirne et al., 1990 ). PBR protein expression is shown to be directly
involved in regulating cell survival and proliferation by influencing
signaling mechanisms involved in cell cycle control and apoptosis in different
tumor cells including human breast cancer cells (Li et al., 2007) and
colorectal cancer cells (Maaser et al., 2004 ). ...