Activation of caspase-3 in gastric adenocarcinoma AGS cells by Xylopia aethiopica (Dunal) A. Rich. fruit and characterization of its phenolic fingerprint by HPLC-DAD-ESI(Ion Trap)-MSn and UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS2

Jatonik polyherbal mixture induced rat liver MMPT pore opening in normal Wistar rat: In vitro and in vivo studies

Objective

To assess acute toxicity, the in vitro and in vivo effects of methanol and ethyl acetate extracts (JME and JEE) of Jatonik polyherbal mixture on some mitochondria-related parameters and their effect on the activity of some liver enzymes.

Methods

Acute toxicity of JME and JEE was determined using Lorke's method. In vitro and in vivo opening of the mitochondrial membrane permeability transition pore (MMPT pore) was spectrophotometrically assayed. Production of malondialdehyde (MDA) as an index of lipid peroxidation and the activity of mitochondrial ATPase was evaluated in vitro and in vivo and the effect of JME and JEE on the activity of liver enzymes such as alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate and alanine aminotransferase (AST and ALT) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) was also investigated.

Results

JME had an LD50 of 3 808 mg/kg b.w whereas JEE had an LD50 greater than 5 000 mg/kg b.w. of rats. After the rats have been fed with both extracts, a photomicrograph of a piece of liver tissue showed no apparent symptoms of toxicity. From the in vitro and in vivo studies, both extracts prompted intact mitochondria to open their MMPT pores. When compared to the control, lipid peroxide product release and ATPase activity were significantly increased (P < 0.05) in vitro and in vivo. The activities of AST, ALT, and GGT were all reduced at 50 mg/kg when treated with JME, but the activity of AST was considerably enhanced when treated with JEE (P < 0.05). The results revealed that both JME and JEE of the Jatonik polyherbal mixture had low toxicity, profound MMPTpore induction, and enhanced ATPase activity, but an increased MDA production.

Conclusion

Jatonik extracts may be a promising target for drug development in diseases where there is dysregulation of apoptosis, however, further studies are needed to better clarify the molecular mechanism involved in these phenomena.

Anticancer effect of aromatic isoniazid derivatives in human gastric adenocarcinoma cells

Current treatments for stomach cancer are often effective in curing cancer. However, these treatments can also have significant side effects, and they may not be effective in all cases. Hence synthetic compounds exhibit promise as potential agents for cancer treatment. In a previous study, we identified (E)-N'- (2,3,4-trihydroxybenzylidene) isonicotinohydrazide (ITHB4) as a novel antimycobacterial derivative of isoniazid with cytotoxic effects on the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. This led us to investigate the potential anti-cancer properties of ITHB4 against adenocarcinoma gastric (AGS) cell line. The cytotoxic effect of ITHB4 has been determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and further confirmed for anticancer properties by means of apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS), nuclear fragmentation, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), caspases, cytokines and morphological including phenotypic changes of cells assay. The ITHB4 demonstrated a lower IC50 in inhibiting growth of AGS cells at 24 h compared to 48 and 72 h. ITHB4 has also shown no toxicity human immune cells. Treatment of ITHB4 against AGS for 24 h eventually lead to formation of early apoptotic AGS cells, reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, nuclear condensation, and nuclear fragmentation lastly increased in ROS levels together with the release of LDH, and secretion of caspases. The altered cytokine profile in ITHB4 treated AGS hints at the possibility that ITHB4 may possess anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory properties. Our results in this study demonstrate that ITHB4 has almost similar chemotherapeutic properties against gastric adenocarcinoma cells compared to breast cancer cell. This is suggesting that the anticancer capabilities of this compound should be in vivo and clinically assessed.

Ethnomedicinal Uses, Phytochemistry, and Anticancer Potentials of African Medicinal Fruits: A Comprehensive Review

Africa is home to diverse medicinal plants that have been used for generations for the treatment of several different cancers and, presently, they are gaining interest from researchers as promising approaches to cancer treatment. This review aims to provide a comprehensive review of dietary and medicinal African fruits including their traditional uses, botanical description, ethnobotanical uses, bioactive phytochemical compositions, and anticancer properties investigated to date in vitro, in vivo, and in clinical studies. Data on recent updates concerning the traditional uses and anticancer properties of these fruits were collected from a myriad of available publications in electronic databases, such as Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, SpringerLink, and Google Scholar. The results suggest that approximately 12 native or commercially grown African fruits belonging to different plant species, including Tribulus terrestris, Xanthium strumarium, Withania somnifera, Xylopia aethiopica, Abelmoschus esculentus, Carissa macrocarpa, Carpobrotus edulis, Syzygium cumini, Kigelia Africana, Annona muricata, Persea americana, and Punica granatum, have been reported for their potential as treatment options for the management of cancer. We further found that approximately eight different fruits from native plant species from Africa, namely, Sclerocarya birrea, Dovyalis caffra, Parinari curatellifolia, Mimusops caffra, Carpobrotus edulis, Vangueria infausta, Harpephyllum caffrum, and Carissa macrocarpa, have been widely used for the traditional treatment of different ailments but somehow failed to gain the interest of researchers for their use in anticancer research. In this review, we show the potential use of various fruits as anticancer agents, such as Tribulus terrestris, Xanthium strumarium, Withania somnifera, Xylopia aethiopica, Abelmoschus esculentus, Carissa macrocarpa, Carpobrotus edulis, Syzygium cumini, Kigelia Africana, Annona muricata, Persea americana, and Punica granatum; unfortunately, not enough reported research data have been published to gain thorough mechanistic insights and clinical applications. Additionally, we discuss the possibility of the utilization of potential phytochemicals from fruits like Persea americana and Punica granatum in anticancer research, as well as future directions.

The use of African medicinal plants in cancer management

Cancer is the third leading cause of premature death in sub-Saharan Africa. Cervical cancer has the highest number of incidences in sub-Saharan Africa due to high HIV prevalence (70% of global cases) in African countries which is linked to increasing the risk of developing cervical cancer, and the continuous high risk of being infected with Human papillomavirus In 2020, the risk of dying from cancer amongst women was higher in Eastern Africa (11%) than it was in Northern America (7.4%). Plants continue to provide unlimited pharmacological bioactive compounds that are used to manage various illnesses, including cancer. By reviewing the literature, we provide an inventory of African plants with reported anticancer activity and evidence supporting their use in cancer management. In this review, we report 23 plants that have been used for cancer management in Africa, where the anticancer extracts are usually prepared from barks, fruits, leaves, roots, and stems of these plants. Extensive information is reported about the bioactive compounds present in these plants as well as their potential activities against various forms of cancer. However, information on the anticancer properties of other African medicinal plants is insufficient. Therefore, there is a need to isolate and evaluate the anticancer potential of bioactive compounds from other African medicinal plants. Further studies on these plants will allow the elucidation of their anticancer mechanisms of action and allow the identification of phytochemicals that are responsible for their anticancer properties. Overall, this review provides consolidated and extensive information not only on diverse medicinal plants of Africa but on the different types of cancer that these plants are used to manage and the diverse mechanisms and pathways that are involved during cancer alleviation.

Allophylus africanus Stem Bark Extract Modulates the Mitochondrial Apoptotic Pathway in Human Stomach Cancer Cells

The present work aimed to detail the mechanisms elicited by Allophylus africanus P. Beauv. stem bark extract in human stomach cancer cells and to identify the bioactives underlying the cytotoxicity. MTT reduction and LDH leakage assays allowed characterizing the cytotoxic effects in AGS cells, which were further detailed by morphological analysis using phalloidin and Hoechst 33258. Proapoptotic mechanisms were elucidated through a mitochondrial membrane potential assay and by assessing the impact upon the activity of caspase-9 and -3. The extract displayed selective cytotoxicity against AGS cells. The absence of plasma membrane permeabilization, along with apoptotic body formation, suggested that pro-apoptotic effects triggered cell death. Intrinsic apoptosis pathway activation was verified, as mitochondrial membrane potential decrease and activation of caspase-9 and -3 were observed. HPLC-DAD profiling enabled the identification of two apigenin-di-C-glycosides, vicenin-2 (1) and apigenin-6-C-hexoside-8-C-pentoside (3), as well as three mono-C-glycosides-O-glycosylated derivatives, apigenin-7-O-hexoside-8-C-hexoside (2), apigenin-8-C-(2-rhamnosyl)hexoside (4) and apigenin-6-C-(2-rhamnosyl)hexoside (5). Isovitexin-2″-O-rhamnoside (5) is the main constituent, accounting for nearly 40% of the total quantifiable flavonoid content. Our results allowed us to establish the relationship between the presence of vicenin-2 and other apigenin derivatives with the contribution to the cytotoxic effects on the presented AGS cells. Our findings attest the anticancer potential of A. africanus stem bark against gastric adenocarcinoma, calling for studies to develop herbal-based products and/or the use of apigenin derivatives in chemotherapeutic drug development.

Eugenol β-Amino/β-Alkoxy Alcohols with Selective Anticancer Activity

Eugenol, 4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol, is the main constituent of clove essential oil and has demonstrated relevant biological activity, namely anticancer activity. Aiming to increase this activity, we synthesized a series of eugenol β-amino alcohol and β-alkoxy alcohol derivatives, which were then tested against two human cancer cell lines, namely gastric adenocarcinoma cells (AGS) and lung adenocarcinoma cells (A549). An initial screening was performed to identify the most cytotoxic compounds. The results demonstrated that three β-amino alcohol derivatives had anticancer activity that justified subsequent studies, having been shown to trigger apoptosis. Importantly, the most potent molecules displayed no appreciable toxicity towards human noncancer cells. Structure-activity relationships show that changes in eugenol structure led to enhanced cytotoxic activity and can contribute to the future design of more potent and selective drugs.

Metabolite Profiling Based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS and the Biological Evaluation of Medicinal Plants of Chinese Dichocarpum (Ranunculaceae)

The genus Dichocarpum is endemic to East Asia, and many species have been used to treat various diseases. However, phytochemical researches of this genus have been limited to date. In the present study, a metabolomic approach based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS was used to explore the phytochemical profiles of 10 Chinese Dichocarpum species, and cannabinoid receptor (CB1/CB2) agonistic activities evaluation of these plants was performed. A total of 128 features were putatively annotated, belonging to alkaloids, flavonoids, triterpenes saponins, phenolic acids, and others. Semi-quantitative statistics demonstrated that alkaloids and flavonoids were widely distributed, with the former the most abundant, whereas triterpenes saponins were mainly distributed in D. fargesii and D. wuchuanense. The phylogenetic results obtained from DNA sequencing assigned the 10 species to three groups. Further results of in silico annotation revealed three chemical families and helped determine the characteristic features of the three groups. In addition, the plant extracts of nine species from this genus showed agonistic activity on CB2 receptors. This comprehensive analysis revealed the chemotype distribution and pharmacophylogenetic relationship, to provide clues for the prospective resource utilization of the medicinal plants from the genus Dichocarpum.