Antioxidant, cytotoxic and apoptotic potentials of seeds of Momordica subangulata subsp. renigera inhibit the growth of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma in mice

Silver Nanoparticle Incorporated Human Amniotic Membrane Gel Accelerates Second-Degree Burn Wound Healing in Wister Rat

Burn has terrible consequences for the affected patients, making them vulnerable to wound infections and septicemia, which results in physical and mental disability and death, necessitating superior treatment options. Human amniotic membrane (HAM) has been utilized in burn wounds for decades for its low immunogenicity, angiogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties and for promoting epithelialization. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), on the other hand, have antimicrobial properties and promote fibroblast migration. This study aimed to determine the burn wound healing potential of HAM + AgNPs. The gel was prepared using HAM (1% and 2%), AgNPs, carbopol 934, acrylic acid, glycerine, and triethanolamine, and different physical properties (pH, water absorption, swelling variation, spreadability, etc.) of the gel were determined; nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, antibacterial activity, brine shrimp lethality test, and histopathological observation were conducted. In vivo studies with Wistar rats demonstrated better healing capabilities than individual components of the gel. Wound contraction percentage after 20 days was 96.1 ± 0.27% which was highly significant (p < 0.0001), and the epithelialization period was 23.67 ± 2.05 days (p < 0.01) for HAM + AgNPs which was preferable to the positive control, AgNPs, HAM, and negative control; also, the histopathologic observation using hematoxylin and eosin, and Masson's trichrome staining were showed the better healing progress for HAM + AgNPs. Both HAM and AgNPs had antibacterial activities against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. These results indicated that the formulated HAM + AgNPs gel had remarkable effectiveness in burn wound healing compared to others. Further studies will be conducted to determine the molecular mechanism behind wound healing.

Antioxidant and Anticancer Efficacies of Anethum graveolens against Human Breast Carcinoma Cells through Oxidative Stress and Caspase Dependency

Anethum graveolens, belonging to the family Apiaceae, has been extensively used for medicinal and therapeutic purposes since long. Plants encompass rich number of effective constituents with less toxicity. Thus, nowadays, the attempts are being made to search plant constituents that can prevent and reverse the chronic diseases, such as cancer. In this study, an in vitro antioxidant and anticancer efficacies of Anethum graveolens (AG-ME) were studied on human breast (MCF-7), lung (A-549), and cervical (HeLa) carcinoma cell lines. The antioxidant efficacies of AG-ME were evaluated by total antioxidant, DPPH radical scavenging, H2O2 scavenging, and ferrous reducing antioxidant assays. Further, the anticancer potential of AG-ME was also determined against different cancer cell lines. The AG-ME exhibited strong antioxidant activities as observed by antioxidant assays. AG-ME also showed a dose-dependent anticancer/cytotoxic potential against MCF-7, A-549, and HeLa cell lines. The AG-ME-induced reduction in GSH and increase in SOD activities indicates the role of oxidative stress in AG-ME-induced MCF-7 cell death. The results also exhibited that AG-ME triggered ROS production and significantly reduced MMP level. Moreover, a dose-dependent increase in caspase-3 and caspase-9 activities suggests that the AG-ME-induced MCF-7 cell death is caspase-dependent. Together, the present study provides reasoning and reassurance for the uses of A. graveleons for medical purposes as an antioxidant and anticancer agent. Additional investigations are required to examine biological and anticancer activities under an in vivo system to discover a possible beneficial use of AG-ME against diseases.