Interaction of quercetin and 5-fluorouracil: cellular and pharmacokinetic study

Alginate-derived carbon dots for "turn off-on" anti-neoplastic 5-fluorouracil sensing in biological samples

As a chemotherapy drug, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) has been used for colon cancer for decades. Excessive levels of 5-FU in the human body can lead to notable adverse effects, including severe diarrhea, infection, mouth sores, skin peeling, skin inflammation, and ulcers, which are important and relatively common digestive side effects. In addition, 5-FU is an analog of uracil and also has similarities to pyrimidines. Therefore, it is not easy to separate them. This research presented a sensor capable of detecting drugs in minimal amounts. An alginate-derived carbon dot (CD) was synthesized by unique optical properties that obey an on-off fluorescence mechanism for 5-FU sensing. Introducing copper (Cu(I)) to CDs results in fluorescence quenching through electron transfer. However, when 5-FU is added to the system as an oxidizing agent, a redox reaction occurs on the surface of the CDs, which leads to the restoration of fluorescence as Cu(I) is altered to Cu(II). Experimental results showed a strong linear correlation (R2 = 0.99) in the concentration range of 1.00-45.00 nM, with the following linear regression, and revealed the relative standard deviation (RSD%) and detection limit of 2.57%, and 1.00 nM, respectively. These results validated the excellent detection capability of the proposed method even at low concentrations of 5-FU and in the presence of other drugs and interfering substances. Also, the recovery of 5-FU (varies from 100.46% to 113.7%, with RSD equal to 1.89-3.63) in serum samples indicates the absence of matrix interference in the determination of 5-FU. In summary, this novel approach to developing a cost-effective and sensitive sensor holds great potential for future applications in healthcare and related fields.

Quercetin, Main Active Ingredient of Moutan Cortex, Alleviates Chronic Orofacial Pain via Block of Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel

BACKGROUND

Chronic orofacial pain (COP) therapy is challenging, as current medical treatments are extremely lacking. Moutan Cortex (MC) is a traditional Chinese medicine herb widely used for chronic inflammatory diseases. However, the mechanism behind MC in COP therapy has not been well-established. The purpose of this study was to identify the active ingredients of MC and their specific underlying mechanisms in COP treatment.

METHODS

In this study, the main active ingredients and compound-target network of MC in COP therapy were identified through network pharmacology and bioinformatics analysis. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats received oral mucosa lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection to induce COP. Pain behaviors were evaluated by orofacial mechanical nociceptive assessment after intraganglionar injection. In vitro inflammatory cytokines in LPS-pretreated human periodontal ligament stem cells (hPDLSCs) and rat primary cultural trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons were quantified by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Schrödinger software was used to verify the molecular docking of quercetin and critical targets. Whole-cell recording electrophysiology was used to evaluate the effect of quercetin on voltage-gated sodium (Na v ) channel in rat TG neurons.

RESULTS

The assembled compound-target network consisted of 4 compounds and 46 targets. As 1 of the active components of MC correlated with most related targets, quercetin alleviated mechanical allodynia in LPS-induced rat model of COP (mechanical allodynia threshold median [interquartile range (IQR) 0.5 hours after drug administration: vehicle 1.3 [0.6-2.0] g vs quercetin 7.0 [6.0-8.5] g, P = .002). Gene ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis revealed that immune response and membrane functions play essential roles in MC-COP therapy. Five of the related targets were identified as core targets by protein-protein interaction analysis. Quercetin exerted an analgesic effect, possibly through blocking Na v channel in TG sensory neurons (peak current density median [IQR]: LPS -850.2 [-983.6 to -660.7] mV vs LPS + quercetin -589.6 [-711.0 to -147.8] mV, P = .006) while downregulating the expression level of proinflammatory cytokines-FOS (normalized messenger RNA [mRNA] level mean ± standard error of mean [SEM]: LPS [2. 22 ± 0.33] vs LPS + quercetin [1. 33 ± 0.14], P = .034) and TNF-α (normalized mRNA level mean ± SEM: LPS [8. 93 ± 0.78] vs LPS + quercetin [3. 77 ± 0.49], P < .0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Identifying Na v as the molecular target of quercetin clarifies the analgesic mechanism of MC, and provides ideas for the development of novel selective and efficient chronic pain relievers.

The effect of melatonin on capecitabine-induced hepatic and renal toxicity in rats

BACKGROUND

Capecitabine (CAPE), an antimetabolite chemotherapy, can induce hepatic and renal toxicity. Melatonin (MEL), a neurohormone, possesses antioxidant, anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects. This study investigated the impact of MEL on capecitabine-induced hepatic and renal toxicity.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Twenty-five male Wistar rats were categorized into five groups for the study. The groups included a control group, MEL10 group (rats receiving daily intraperitoneal injections of 5 mg/kg MEL), CAPE 500 group (rats receiving weekly intraperitoneal injections of 500 mg/kg CAPE), CAPE + MEL five group, and CAPE + MEL 10 group. All groups were treated for a duration of 6 weeks. Various hematological, serological, biochemical, and histopathological assessments were conducted to evaluate the objective of the study.

RESULTS

The administration of CAPE led to significant liver and kidney toxicity, as evidenced by elevated levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO), nitric oxide (NO), as well as serological markers including AST, ALT, ALP, BUN, and creatinine. CAPE exposure also resulted in a reduction in total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) levels. Histological examination revealed hyperemia in both liver and kidney tissues exposed to CAPE. However, treatment with MEL demonstrated positive effects. MEL administration alleviated oxidative stress, reduced levels of liver enzymes, BUN, and creatinine, and ameliorated histopathological degenerations. MEL also increased GPx and TAC levels. Moreover, MEL treatment aided in restoring the body weight that was lost due to CAPE exposure.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicated that the administration of MEL in rats significantly enhanced the hepatic and renal toxicity induced by CAPE.

5-Flourouracil-induced toxicity in both male and female reproductive systems: A narrative review

The chemotherapeutic drug 5-flourouracil (5FU) is frequently used to treat a wide range of solid malignant tumors, such as colorectal, pancreatic, gastric, breast, and head and neck cancers. Its antitumoral effects are achieved by interfering with the synthesis of RNA and DNA and by inhibiting thymidylate synthase in both malignant and non-malignant cells. Therefore, it can be responsible for severe toxicities in crucial body organs, including heart, liver, kidney, and reproductive system. Given the fact that 5FU-induced reproductive toxicity may limit the clinical application of this drug, in this study, we aimed to discuss the main locations and mechanisms of the 5FU-induced reproductive toxicity. Initially, we discussed the impact of 5FU on the male reproductive system, which leads to damage of the seminiferous epithelial cells and the development of vacuoles in Sertoli cells. Although no noticeable changes occur at the histopathological level, there is a decrease in the weight of the prostate. Additionally, 5FU causes significant abnormalities in spermatogenesis, including germ cell shedding, spermatid halo formation, polynucleated giant cells, and decreased sperm count. Finally, in females, 5FU-induced reproductive toxicity is characterized by the presence of atretic secondary and antral follicles with reduced numbers of growing follicles, ovarian weight, and maturity impairment.