Strong antioxidant activity of carane derivatives

Procaine-The Controversial Geroprotector Candidate: New Insights Regarding Its Molecular and Cellular Effects

Since its discovery in 1905 and its employment in everyday medical practice as a local anesthetic, to its highly controversial endorsement as an "anti-aging" molecule in the sixties and seventies, procaine is part of the history of medicine and gerontoprophylaxis. Procaine can be considered a "veteran" drug due to its long-time use in clinical practice, but is also a molecule which continues to incite interest, revealing new biological and pharmacological effects within novel experimental approaches. Therefore, this review is aimed at exploring and systematizing recent data on the biochemical, cellular, and molecular mechanisms involved in the antioxidant and potential geroprotective effects of procaine, focusing on the following aspects: (1) the research state-of-the-art, through an objective examination of scientific literature within the last 30 years, describing the positive, as well as the negative reports; (2) the experimental data supporting the beneficial effects of procaine in preventing or alleviating age-related pathology; and (3) the multifactorial pathways procaine impacts oxidative stress, inflammation, atherogenesis, cerebral age-related pathology, DNA damage, and methylation. According to reviewed data, procaine displayed antioxidant and cytoprotective actions in experimental models of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury, lipoprotein oxidation, endothelial-dependent vasorelaxation, inflammation, sepsis, intoxication, ionizing irradiation, cancer, and neurodegeneration. This analysis painted a complex pharmacological profile of procaine: a molecule that has not yet fully expressed its therapeutic potential in the treatment and prevention of aging-associated diseases. The numerous recent reports found demonstrate the rising interest in researching the multiple actions of procaine regulating key processes involved in cellular senescence. Its beneficial effects on cell/tissue functions and metabolism could designate procaine as a valuable candidate for the well-established Geroprotectors database.

Evaluación de la actividad antioxidante de esponjas marinas del Caribe colombiano

Los invertebrados marinos representan un componente importante de la biota oceánica y una fuente rica de compuestos nuevos y biológicamente activos, tales como antibacterianos, anticancerígenos, antiinflamatorios y antioxidantes, entre otros. En este trabajo se evaluó la actividad antioxidante de los extractos metanólicos de las esponjas marinas del Caribe colombiano: Amorphinopsis atlantica, Callyspongia vaginalis, Ircinia felix, Lissodendoryx carolinensis, Mycale microsigmatosa, Niphates erecta y Tedania ignis, frente al catión radical ABTS•+, usando como referencia Trolox. Los ensayos preliminares realizados (100 μg/ml) mostraron buena inhibición del radical (> 53%) con los extractos de A. atlantica (IC50 = 88,26 μg/ml), M. microsigmatosa (IC50 = 59,80 μg/ml) y I. felix (IC50 = 88,81 μg/ml) y baja inhibición del radical (< 33%) para los extractos de las otras esponjas. Al evaluar la actividad antioxidante de las fracciones acuosa y de diclorometano obtenidas a partir de cada extracto metanólico seleccionado, se encontró que la mayor inhibición del radical fue presentada por la fracción acuosa de A. atlantica (IC50 = 58,75 μg/ml), superando a la mostrada por el extracto metanólico de esta esponja, además, la menor inhibición fue la mostrada por la fracción orgánica de I. felix (IC50 = 120,49 μg/ml), valor mucho mayor comparado con el del respectivo extracto. Los resultados encontrados sugieren la producción por parte de esponjas marinas del Caribe colombiano de sustancias capaces de inhibir la reactividad química de radicales orgánicos como el ABTS•+.

Aloe vera extract activity on human corneal cells

CONTEXT

Ocular diseases are currently an important problem in modern societies. Patients suffer from various ophthalmologic ailments namely, conjunctivitis, dry eye, dacryocystitis or degenerative diseases. Therefore, there is a need to introduce new treatment methods, including medicinal plants usage. Aloe vera [Aloe barbadensis Miller (Liliaceae)] possesses wound-healing properties and shows immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory or antioxidant activities.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

NR uptake, MTT, DPPH• reduction, Griess reaction, ELISA and rhodamine-phalloidin staining were used to test toxicity, antiproliferative activity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) reduction, nitric oxide (NO) and cytokine level, and distribution of F-actin in cells, respectively.

AIM

The present study analyzes the effect of Aloe vera extracts obtained with different solvents on in vitro culture of human 10.014 pRSV-T corneal cells.

RESULTS

We found no toxicity of ethanol, ethyl acetate and heptane extracts of Aloe vera on human corneal cells. No ROS reducing activity by heptane extract and trace action by ethanol (only at high concentration 125 µg/ml) extract of Aloe vera was observed. Only ethyl acetate extract expressed distinct free radical scavenging effect. Plant extracts decreased NO production by human corneal cells as compared to untreated controls. The cytokine (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and IL-10) production decreased after the addition of Aloe vera extracts to the culture media.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Aloe vera contains multiple pharmacologically active substances which are capable of modulating cellular phenotypes and functions. Aloe vera ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts may be used in eye drops to treat inflammations and other ailments of external parts of the eye such as the cornea.

Evaluation of the irritating influence of carane derivatives and their antioxidant properties in a deoxyribose degradation test

Previous studies of the propranolol monoterpene derivative (-)-4-[2-hydroxy-3-(N-isopropylamino)-propoxyimino]-cis-carane hydrochloride (KP-23) and its diastereoisomers, KP-23R and KP-23S, demonstrated different effects on the cyclic AMP generating system as well as anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antihistaminic and antioxidant activity. The present study examined the influence of KP-23 and its diastereoisomers KP-23R and KP-23S on the skin-irritating activity and the mucous membrane-irritating activity as well as their influence on a late-type contact allergy in the in vivo tests. The hydroxyl radical scavenging potential of the three analogues was evaluated using their ability to inhibit Fe(II)/H2O2-induced oxidative degradation of 2-deoxyribose (2-DR) in the in vitro tests. The results obtained indicated that the hydroxyamine carane derivative did not evoke irritative changes and did not induce a late-type contact allergy in the guinea-pig. Diastereoisomers of KP-23 exhibit antioxidant properties in a dose-dependent manner and protected against OH-radicals generated from the Fenton reaction.