Susceptibility of herpes simplex virus type 1 to monoterpenes thymol, carvacrol, p-cymene and essential oils of Sinapis arvensis L., Lallemantia royleana Benth. and Pulicaria vulgaris Gaertn

In recent years, with increased the prevalence of viral infections and having no specific for  their treatment  and also the continuous appearance of resistant viral strains, the finding of novel antiviral agents is necessary. In this study, monoterpenes of thymol, carvacrol, p-cymene and essential oils from Sinapis arvensis L., Lallemantia royleana Benth. and Pulicaria vulgaris Gaertn. were screened for their inhibitory effect against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) in vitro on Vero cell line CCL-81-ATCC using a plaque reduction assay. The antiviral activity of three monoterpenes (thymol, carvacrol and p-cymene) and three essential oils were evaluated by cytotoxicity assay, direct plaque test. In addition, the modes of antiviral action of these compounds were investigated during the viral infection cycle. Results showed that the inhibitory concentrations (IC50) were determined at 0.002%, 0.037%, >0.1%, 0.035%, 0.018% and 0.001% for thymol, carvacrol, p-cymene, S. arvensis oil, L. royleana oil and P. vulgaris oil, respectively. A manifestly dose-dependent virucidal activity against HSV-1 could be exhibited for compounds tested. In order to determine the mode of the inhibitory effect, compounds were added at different stages during the viral infection cycle. At maximum noncytotoxic concentrations of the compounds, plaque formation was significantly reduced by more than 80% when HSV-1 was preincubated with p-cymene. However, no inhibitory effect could be observed when the compounds were added to the cells prior to infection with HSV-1 or after the adsorption period.

CONCLUSION

These results indicate that compounds affected HSV-1 mostly before adsorption and might interact with the viral envelope. Thymol exhibited a high selectivity index and seems to be a promising candidate for topical therapeutic application as antiviral agent for treatment of herpetic infections.

Plants of the Melaleuca Genus as Antimicrobial Agents: From Farm to Pharmacy

Plants belonging to Melaleuca genus (Myrtaceae family) are native to Oceania, where they have been used for ages by Aborigine people in Australian traditional medicine, mainly because of their broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. Although, M. linariifolia, M. dissitiflora, and other species of Melaleuca can also be used, the tea tree oil, an essential oil obtained from M. alternifolia shows the longest history of medicinal uses. Tea tree oil contains for the 80-90% several monoterpenes (terpinen-4-ol, α-terpinene, 1,8-cineol, p-cymene, α-terpineol, α-pinene, terpinolene, limonene, and sabinene). Sesquiterpenes and aromatic compounds further compose this oil. The essential oil of Melaleuca spp. has been reported to possess effective antibacterial and antifungal properties in vitro. In particular, data show that 1,8-cineol, terpinen-4-ol and methyl eugenol play the key role in mediating this oil's antimicrobial activity. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Transferrin-conjugated magnetic dextran-spermine nanoparticles for targeted drug transport across blood-brain barrier

Application of many vital hydrophilic medicines have been restricted by blood-brain barrier (BBB) for treatment of brain diseases. In this study, a targeted drug delivery system based on dextran-spermine biopolymer was developed for drug transport across BBB. Drug loaded magnetic dextran-spermine nanoparticles (DS-NPs) were prepared via ionic gelation followed by transferrin (Tf) conjugation as targeting moiety. The characteristics of Tf conjugated nanoparticles (TDS-NPs) were analyzed by different methods and their cytotoxicity effects on U87MG cells were tested. The superparamagnetic characteristic of TDS-NPs was verified by vibration simple magnetometer. Capecitabine loaded TDS-NPs exhibited pH-sensitive release behavior with enhanced cytotoxicity against U87MG cells, compared to DS-NPs and free capecitabine. Prussian-blue staining and TEM-imaging showed the significant cellular uptake of TDS-NPs. Furthermore, a remarkable increase of Fe concentrations in brain was observed following their biodistribution and histological studies in vivo, after 1 and 7 days of post-injection. Enhanced drug transport across BBB and pH-triggered cellular uptake of TDS-NPs indicated that these theranostic nanocarriers are promising candidate for the brain malignance treatment. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 2851-2864, 2017.

RETRACTED: Medicinal plants used in the treatment of tuberculosis - Ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological approaches

Tuberculosis is a highly infectious disease declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization, with approximately one third of the world's population being latently infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis treatment consists in an intensive phase and a continuation phase. Unfortunately, the appearance of multi drug-resistant tuberculosis, mainly due to low adherence to prescribed therapies or inefficient healthcare structures, requires at least 20months of treatment with second-line, more toxic and less efficient drugs, i.e., capreomycin, kanamycin, amikacin and fluoroquinolones. Therefore, there exists an urgent need for discovery and development of new drugs to reduce the global burden of this disease, including the multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis. To this end, many plant species, as well as marine organisms and fungi have been and continue to be used in various traditional healing systems around the world to treat tuberculosis, thus representing a nearly unlimited source of active ingredients. Besides their antimycobacterial activity, natural products can be useful in adjuvant therapy to improve the efficacy of conventional antimycobacterial therapies, to decrease their adverse effects and to reverse mycobacterial multi-drug resistance due to the genetic plasticity and environmental adaptability of Mycobacterium. However, even if some natural products have still been investigated in preclinical and clinical studies, the validation of their efficacy and safety as antituberculosis agents is far from being reached, and, therefore, according to an evidence-based approach, more high-level randomized clinical trials are urgently needed.

Rational Design and Synthesis of 1-(Arylideneamino)-4-aryl-1H-imidazole-2-amine Derivatives as Antiplatelet Agents

Based on previous studies indicating the pharmacophoric role of a hydrazone group and azole rings for antiplatelet aggregation activity, a few series of compounds with both hydrazone and an azole (imidazole) ring in their structures were synthesized, and their platelet aggregation inhibitory effects were evaluated. Two of these 1-(arylideneamino)-4-aryl-1H-imidazole-2-amine derivatives, compounds 4 a [(E)-1-(benzylideneamino)-4-phenyl-1H-imidazol-2-amine] and 4 p [(E)-4-phenyl-1-((thiophen-2-ylmethylene)amino)-1H-imidazol-2-amine], exhibited IC₅₀ values similar to that of acetylsalicylic acid against collagen as a platelet aggregation inducer. Structural comparison of the synthesized compounds revealed that those with a para-substituted phenyl ring on the imidazole were among the most active compounds against platelet aggregation induced by arachidonic acid (AA), and the presence of a thiophene ring in these compounds maximized their antiplatelet activity.

In-Vitro Assessment of Magnetic Dextran-Spermine Nanoparticles for Capecitabine Delivery to Cancerous Cells

Cationic polymeric nanoparticles have great potential for developing drug delivery systems with limited side effects for tumor medication. The goal of this research is investigation of cationic dextran-spermine polymer (DS) efficacy for improvement of hydrophilic drug delivery to negatively charged cancerous cells. Capecitabine (as a hydrophilic antineoplastic drug) was loaded into the magnetic dextran-spermine nanoparticles (DS-NPs) via ionic gelation. Design of experiments was applied to specify how the significant factors affect size, surface charge and capecitabine entrapment efficiency of the DS-NPs. Physicochemical properties, in-vitro release profile and cellular studies of the optimized DS-NPs were evaluated. The experimental results indicated that DS-NPs with favorable properties can be achieved at an optimized condition of 2 mg/mL DS and 0.75 mg/mL tri-polyphosphate (TPP) concentrations, TPP addition rate of 35 mL/min, pH 3 of DS solution and super paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION)/DS mass ratio of 0.5. The entrapment efficiency of capecitabine was 26.1% at optimum condition and drug release at neutral pH after 24 h and acidic pH within 3 h was 56 and 98%, respectively. The cytotoxicity assessment exhibited that capecitabine loaded DS-NPs was more toxic than corresponding free drug as control. Significant cellular uptake of capecitabine loaded DS-NPs by U87MG glioblastoma cells were proved by Prussian blue staining and TEM, qualitatively. DS-NPs are suitable candidates for delivery of the hydrophilic drugs in cancer treatment and due to positive charge of the dextran-spermine, the uptake of the hydrophilic drugs by the cancerous cells was improved.

Development of an Analytical Method for Dibutyl Phthalate Determination Using Surrogate Analyte Approach

Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) is a phthalic acid ester and is widely used in polymeric products to make them more flexible. DBP is found in almost every plastic material and is believed to be persistent in the environment. Various analytical methods have been used to measure DBP in different matrices. Considering the ubiquitous nature of DBP, the most important challenge in DBP analyses is the contamination of even analytical grade organic solvents with this compound and lack of availability of a true blank matrix to construct the calibration line. Standard addition method or using artificial matrices reduce the precision and accuracy of the results. In this study a surrogate analyte approach that is based on using deuterium labeled analyte (DBP-d4) to construct the calibration line was applied to determine DBP in hexane samples.

RP-HPLC Method Development and Validation for Determination of Eptifibatide Acetate in Bulk Drug Substance and Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms

A new, rapid, economical and isocratic reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method was developed for the determination of eptifibatide acetate, a small synthetic antiplatelet peptide, in bulk drug substance and pharmaceutical dosage forms. The developed method was validated as per of ICH guidelines. The chromatographic separation was achieved isocratically on C18 column (150 x 4.60 mm i.d., 5 µM particle size) at ambient temperature using acetonitrile (ACN), water and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) as mobile phase at flow rate of 1 mL/min and UV detection at 275 nm. Eptifibatide acetate exhibited linearity over the concentration range of 0.15-2 mg/mL (r2=0.997) with limit of detection of 0.15 mg/mL The accuracy of the method was 96.4-103.8%. The intra-day and inter-day precision were between 0.052% and 0.598%, respectively. The present successfully validated method with excellent selectivity, linearity, sensitivity, precision and accuracy was applicable for the assay of eptifibatide acetate in bulk drug substance and pharmaceutical dosage forms.

Photocatalytic removal of doxycycline from aqueous solution using ZnO nano-particles: a comparison between UV-C and visible light

Zinc oxide nano-particles were synthesized, characterized and used for photocatalytic degradation of doxycycline using UV-C and visible light. Effects of several operational factors including initial pH of antibiotic solution, initial antibiotic concentration and ZnO nano-particles loading amount were investigated. Comparing photocatalytic degradation and mineralization of doxycycline under UV-C and visible light showed successful application of the method under both light sources. However, reaction rate was higher under UV-C irradiation, which degraded doxycycline almost completely in 5 hours, and 68% mineralization was achieved. Synthesized ZnO nano-particles were successfully applied for photocatalytic degradation of doxycycline in a pharmaceutical wastewater sample. The process was fitted to the pseudo first order kinetic model with rate constants in the range of 6-22(×10^-3) mg L^-1 min^-1 with respect to initial concentration of doxycycline under UV-C irradiation. The Langmuir-Hinshelwood model was also employed for describing the photocatalytic reaction with surface reaction kinetic constant k_c and equilibrium adsorption constant K_LH values calculated as 0.12 mg L^-1 min^-1 and 2.2 L mg^-1, respectively. Degradation of doxycycline was followed by UV-visible spectroscopy and a validated stability indicating high-performance liquid chromatography method that was developed using stressed samples of doxycycline and could selectively determine doxycycline in the presence of its degradation products. Mass spectrometry was used for determining final degradation products.

Optimization of RGD-modified Nano-liposomes Encapsulating Eptifibatide

BACKGROUND

Eptifibatide (Integrilin) is an intravenous (IV) peptide drug that selectively inhibits ligand binding to the platelet GP IIb/IIIa receptor. It is an efficient peptide drug, however has a short half-life. Therefore, antithrombotic agents like eptifibatide are required to become improved with a protected and targeted delivery system such as using nano-liposomes to the site of thrombus.

OBJECTIVES

The goal in the present report was to optimize encapsulation efficiency of the eptifibatide into Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)-modified nano-liposomes (RMNL). As well, it was intended to evaluate the effect of sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) on drug release.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The effect of five independent variables including number of freeze/thawing cycles, concentration of eptifibatide, 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DSPC), cholesterol, and dipalmitoyl-GRGDSPA peptide on drug entrapment efficiency (DEE) was investigated using response surface methodology (RSM). The effect of different concentrations of SLS on encapsulation and drug release from RMNL was also investigated. The size and morphology of RMNL were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

RESULTS

The maximum DEE (38%) was obtained with 7 freeze/thawing cycles, 3.65 mmoL eptifibatide, 7 mM DSPC, 3 mM cholesterol, and 1 mM dipalmitoyl- GRGDSPA peptide. SLS has significantly increased the drug release from RMNL, although its effect on encapsulation efficiency was not significant.

CONCLUSIONS

The optimization of the formulations for valuable and expensive peptide drugs is essential to have the maximum encapsulation efficiency and the minimum experiments.

Potential of mZD7349-conjugated PLGA nanoparticles for selective targeting of vascular cell-adhesion molecule-1 in inflamed endothelium

Early diagnosis and restoring normal function of dysfunctional endothelium is an attractive strategy for prevention of inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis. Inhibition of cell adhesion in the process of atherosclerosis plaque formation, mediated by peptide antagonists of very late antigen-4 (VLA-4) has already been developed and evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. In this study, for the first time, modified ZD7349 (mZD7349) peptide, as an antagonist for VLA-4, was used for targeting fluorescein isothiocyanate-loaded poly (DL-lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles (FITC-PLGA NPs). Rate of binding and internalization of mZD7349-NPs to activated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were compared with that of untargeted. Effects of temperature reduction and clathrin-mediated endocytosis inhibitor (0.45M sucrose) were also studied on the binding and internalization of mZD7349-NPs and NPs. Results showed that binding of the conjugated NPs could be significantly blocked by pre-incubating cells with the free peptide, suggesting that the binding of NPs is mediated by attaching the surface peptide to VCAM-1 on HUVECs. Also, conjugated FITC-loaded NPs were shown to be rapidly endocytosized to a greater extent than the unconjugated ones. The binding and internalization of mZD7349-NPs and NPs were slowed down at low temperature and in the presence of sucrose with greater reductions for mZD7349-NPs. To conclude, the peptide-NPs targeting the VCAM-1 is suggested as a theranostic carrier for lesions upregulating VCAM-1.

Shirazi F. FTIR Biospectroscopy Investigation on Cisplatin Cytotoxicity in Three Pairs of Sensitive and Resistant Cell Line

Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) has extensively been used for biological applications. Cisplatin is one the most useful antineoplastic chemotherapy drugs for a variety of different human cancers. One of the clinical problems in its application, which would consequently affect the therapeutic outcome of its application, is the occurrence of resistance to this agent. In this project three different pairs of sensitive and resistant cell lines of human ovarian A2780 and its resistant pair of A2780-CP, human ovarian OV2008 and its resistant pair of C13, and finally human lung carcinoma of HTB56 and its resistant pair of HTB56-CP were grown in the laboratory under the standard procedure. Saline was exposed to control cells, whereas 1, 5 and 10 µg/mL of cisplatin was exposed to experimental cells, for 1 h. Cells were then collected and lyophilized from which spectra were taken. According to our results, we could not trigger a well-recognized cells biomolecular band at 1015 cm(-1), being modified after exposure to cisplatin in all cell lines. On the other hand, there was a clear dose-dependent increase in protein β-sheet structure related peaks shift in resistant cell lines after exposure to cisplatin. This would probably indicate an easier protein interaction site for cisplatin in the resistant cell lines, which would probably inhibit cisplatin from binding to DNA, as the cytotoxic target. As a conclusion, FTIR biospectroscopy has proven its potency to identify the interactions, as well as the false engagement cellular sites for cisplatin in sensitive and resistant cell lines.

Validation of an Analytical Method for Determination of Benzo[a]pyrene Bread using QuEChERS Method by GC-MS

A fast and simple modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, rugged and safe) extraction method based on spiked calibration curves and direct sample introduction was developed for determination of Benzo [a] pyrene (BaP) in bread by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry single quadrupole selected ion monitoring (GC/MS-SQ-SIM). Sample preparation includes: extraction of BaP into acetone followed by cleanup with dispersive solid phase extraction. The use of spiked samples for constructing the calibration curve substantially reduced adverse matrix-related effects. The average recovery of BaP at 6 concentration levels was in range of 95-120%. The method was proved to be reproducible with relative standard deviation less than 14.5% for all of the concentration levels. The limit of detection and limit of quantification were 0.3 ng/g and 0.5 ng/g, respectively. Correlation coefficient of 0.997 was obtained for spiked calibration standards over the concentration range of 0.5-20 ng/g. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a QuEChERS method is used for the analysis of BaP in breads. The developed method was used for determination of BaP in 29 traditional (Sangak) and industrial (Senan) bread samples collected from Tehran in 2014. These results showed that two Sangak samples were contaminated with BaP. Therefore, a comprehensive survey for monitoring of BaP in Sangak bread samples seems to be needed. This is the first report concerning contamination of bread samples with BaP in Iran.

Simultaneous Chloramphenicol and Florfenicol Determination by A Validated DLLME-HPLC-UV Method in Pasteurized Milk

The antibiotic residues in milk are a well-known serious problem and pose several health hazards to consumers. We have described a simple, rapid, and inexpensive DLLME-HPLC/UV technique for the extraction of chloramphenicol and florfenicol residues in milk samples. Under the optimum conditions, linearity of the method was observed over the range 0.02-0.85 µg/L with correlation coefficients > 0.999. The proposed method has been found to have a good limit of detection (signal to noise ratio = 3) for chloramphenicol (12.5 µg/Kg) and florfenicol (12.2 µg/Kg), and precision with relative standard deviation values under 15% (RSD, n = 3). Good recoveries (69.1-79.4%) were obtained for the extraction of the target analytes in milk samples. This simple and economic method has been applied for analyses of 15 real milk samples. Among all samples only one of them was contaminated to florfenicol; 62.4 µg/Kg and contamination to chloramphenicol was not detected.

Triterpene Constituents of Euphorbia Erythradenia Bioss. and their Anti-HIV Activity

Phytochemical investigation of the aerial parts of Euphorbia erythradenia Bioss. (Euphorbiaceae), one of Iranian endemic Euphorbias, with particular attention to triterpene constituents, using methanol solvent extraction was carried out. Five known triterpenes, including four cycloartanes and oleanolic acid, were isolated for the first time and identified using NMR and Mass techniques. Anti HIV activity of the isolated triterpenes and ingenoid diterpenes was evaluated using single cycle replicable HIV-1 (SCR HIV-1) virions. Molecular features of the most active compound (IC50 = 0.008 μM, CC50 = 3.264 μM, TI = 380.64), which showed higher therapeutic index than nevirapine, was assessed using molecular docking. Docking studies demonstrated three hydrogen bonds between HIV-1 virion protease active site and this compound with a distance less than 3 A° which can be responsible for the observed anti HIV-1 activity.

Simultaneous Determination of 13 Priority Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Tehran's Tap Water and Water for Injection Samples Using Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Micro Extraction Method and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are classified as persistent and carcinogenic organic pollutants. PAHs contamination has been reported in water. Many of relevant regulatory bodies such as EU and EPA have regulated the limit levels for PAHs in drinking water. In this study, 13 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined in tap water samples of Tehran and water for injection. Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction procedure combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used for the extraction and determination of PAHs in the samples. Under the optimized conditions, the range of extraction recoveries and relative standard deviations (RSDs) of PAHs in water using internal standard (anthracene-d10) were in the range of 71-90% and 4-16%, respectively. Limit of detection for different PAHs were between 0.03 and 0.1 ngmL(-1). The concentration of PAHs in all tap water as well as water for injection samples were lower than the limit of quantification of PAHs. This is the first study addressing the occurrence of PAHs in water for injection samples in Iran using dispersive liquid-liquid micro extraction procedure combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Synthesis and Antibacterial Activity of Novel Hydroxy Semicarbazone Derivatives

A series of hydroxyl semicarbazone derivatives of substituted diaryl ketones and acetophenones were synthesized and their structures were confirmed by analytical and spectroscopic methods including elemental analysis, infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The derivatives were prepared by a condensation reaction between N-hydroxy semicarbazide and substituted diaryl ketones or acetophenones leading to the desired hydroxysemicarbazones with excellent purity. The synthesized hydrazones were then evaluated for their inhibitory activity against bacterial strains including S. aureus, E. Coli, P. aeruginosa, K. pneumonia and M. luteus. Among the tested derivatives, compounds 2, 6 and 7 exhibited the highest bioactivity. Analysis of the activity data suggests that hydrophilicity is an important factor for the bioactivity of compounds 2 and 6 and also their selectivity over the gram-negative bacteria.