Cytotoxicity of different extracts of arial parts of Ziziphus spina-christi on Hela and MDA-MB-468 tumor cells

Exploring the potential of Ziziphus nummularia and luteolin-7-O-glucoside as tubulin inhibitors in cancer therapy and survival

Cancer is responsible for approximately 10 million deaths worldwide, with 70% of the deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries; as such safer and more effective anti-cancer drugs are required. Therefore, the potential benefits of Ziziphus nummularia and Ziziphus spina-christi as sources of anti-cancer agents were investigated. Z. nummularia and Z. spina-christi extracts were prepared using chloroform, ethanol, ethyl acetate, and water. The extracts' anti-cancer properties were determined using the MTT Cell Viability Assay in four cancer cell lines: breast (KAIMRC2 and MDA-MB-231), colorectal (HCT8), and liver (HepG2). The ApoTox-Glo Triplex Assay and high-content imaging (HCI)-Apoptosis Assay were used to assess KAIMRC2 and HCT8 cells further. In addition, KAIMRC2 cells were tested for microtubule staining, and AKT/mTOR protein expression was determined by western blot analysis. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was performed to identify the secondary metabolites in the ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts, followed by in silico techniques to predict molecular targets and interactions, safety, and pharmacokinetic profile for identified metabolites. Out of the eight extracts, the ethanolic extract of Z. nummularia, exhibited the most potent activity against KAIMRC2 cells with an IC50 value of 29.2 μg/ml. Cancer cell treatment with the ethanolic extract of Z. nummularia resulted in a dose-dependent decrease in cell viability with increased apoptosis and cytotoxic effects. Microtubule staining showed a disrupted microtubular network. The ethanolic extract treatment of KAIMRC2 cells led to upregulated expression of pAKT and pmTOR. In silico studies predicted luteolin-7-O-glucoside to be a ligand for tubulin with the highest docking score (- 7.686) and similar binding interactions relative to the native ligand. Further computational analysis of the metabolites showed acceptable pharmacokinetic and safety profiles, although ethanolic extract metabolites were predicted to have cardiotoxic effects. Ethanolic extraction is optimal for solubilizing active anticancer metabolites from Z. nummularia, which may act by causing M-phase arrest via inhibition of tubulin polymerization. Luteolin-7-O-glucoside is the lead candidate for further research and development as an anti-cancer agent. In addition, this study suggests that herbal treatment could switch on mechanisms of adaptation and survival in cancer cells.

Middle Eastern Plants with Potent Cytotoxic Effect Against Lung Cancer Cells

Cancer is one of the leading causes of increasing global mortality with uprising health concerns and threats. Unfortunately, conventional chemotherapy has substantial side effects, limiting its relevance and prompting a quest for safe and efficient alternatives. For thousands of years, plants have provided a rich reservoir for curing a variety of ailments, including cancer. According to the World Health Organization, medicinal plants would be the best source of medications. However, only 25% of drugs in the present pharmacopoeia are derived from plants. Hence, further research into different plants is required to better understand their efficacy. Twenty extracts of widely distributed Middle Eastern plants were screened for the cytotoxic effect against lung cancer cell lines (A549). Eleven plants showed IC50 below 25 μg/mL, consequently, the bioactive extracts were further fractionated by graded precipitation using absolute ethanol. All fraction A (FA; crude polysaccharides precipitate) showed potent IC50, 0.2-5.5 μg/mL except the FA of Brassica juncea, Silybum marianum, and Phaseolus vulgaris, whereas FB fractions (filtrate) of Anastatica hierochuntica, Plantago ovate, Tussilago farfara, and Cucurbita moschata had lower efficacy than other fractions with IC50 values in the range of 0.1-7.7 μg/mL. The fractions of FA Taraxacum officinale and FB Ziziphus spina possess the most potent cytotoxic activity with IC50, 0.2 and 0.1 μg/mL, respectively. Moreover, cell cycle analysis of both fractions revealed an arrest at G1/S-phase and activation of apoptosis rather than necrosis as the mode of cell death. Therefore, T. officinale and Z. spina fractions may pave the way to manage lung carcinoma as an alternative and complementary food regimen.

The hematopoietic potential of methanolic and aqueous extracts of Portulaca oleracea in a phenylhydrazine model of anemia

Objective

Portulaca oleracea, commonly known as Purslane, is traditionally used as a sour, diuretic, and cooling herb with hemostatic properties. The present study evaluates the antianemic effect of methanolic and aqueous extracts of P. oleracea in a phenylhydrazine model of anemia.

Materials and Methods

Phenylhydrazine (60 mg/kg/day, i.p., two consecutive days) was used to induce anemia in rats. The aqueous and methanolic extracts of P. oleracea were prepared, and three methods of treatment were defined with two doses (500 and 750 mg/kg, i.p.). The hematological parameters and blood cell morphology, total and direct bilirubin, and morphology, and pathology of bone marrow were evaluated.

Results

The results showed that the methanolic extract has better effects than aqueous extract in improving phenylhydrazine-induced anemia. Our results showed that administration of 500 and 750 mg/kg of P. oleracea methanolic extracts for 4 days could protect against the development of anemia caused by phenylhydrazine.

Conclusion

In summary, the methanolic extracts of P. oleracea might be effective in phenylhydrazine-induced anemia.

Ethnopharmacology, Biological Evaluation, and Chemical Composition of Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) Desf.: A Review

Medicinal plants are the primary raw materials used in the production of medicinal products all over the world. As a result, more study on plants with therapeutic potential is required. The tropical tree Ziziphus spina belongs to the Rhamnaceae family. Biological reports and traditional applications including management of diabetes and treatment of malaria, digestive issues, typhoid, liver complaints, weakness, skin infections, urinary disorders, obesity, diarrhoea, and sleeplessness have all been treated with different parts of Z. spina all over the globe. The plant is identified as a rich source of diverse chemical compounds. This study is a comprehensive yet detailed review of Z. spina based on major findings from around the world regarding ethnopharmacology, biological evaluation, and chemical composition. Scopus, Web of Science, BioMed Central, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Springer Link, and Google Scholar were searched to find published articles. From the 186 research articles reviewed, we revealed the leaf extract to be significant against free radicals, microbes, parasites, inflammation-related cases, obesity, and cancer. Chemically, polyphenols/flavonoids were the most reported compounds with a composition of 66 compounds out of the total 193 compounds reported from different parts of the plant. However, the safety and efficacy of Z. spina have not been wholly assessed in humans, and further well-designed clinical trials are needed to corroborate preclinical findings. The mechanism of action of the leaf extract should be examined. The standard dose and safety of the leaf should be established.

Two new 5(14)-membered type cyclopeptide alkaloids from root bark of Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) Desf

Six 5(14)-membered ring type of cyclopeptide alkaloids (CPAs), including two undescribed members, 1-hydro,2β-methoxy-mauritine-A (1) and 1-hydro,2α-methoxy-mauritine-A (2), together with four known compounds, mauritine-A (3), mauritine C (4), amphibine-A (5), and amphibine-E (6), were isolated from the root bark of Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) Desf., Their structures were determined by multiple spectral analyses, including UV, IR, 1D NMR, 2D NMR, EI-MS, HR-EI-MS, FAB-MS and ESI-MS, and by comparison with literature. All six CPAs were tested in vitro for cytotoxicity by three human cancer cell lines (MCF7, H460 and Hela) and a human normal cell line (BJ). None of the compounds showed cytotoxicity towards all tested cell lines.

In vitro cytotoxicity analysis of Zizyphus spina-christi stem bark extract on human cancer cell lines

Zizyphus spina-christi (Rhamnaceae family) is an edible plant used in folk medicine. Therefore, it is of interest to report the cytotoxic effects of Z. spina-christi bark crude extract on human cell lines. Crude ethanol extract of Z. spina-christi bark was fractionated with increasing polarity (diethyl ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and butanol fractions). The fractions were examined for their cytotoxicity against human colon cancer (HCT-116 and CACO-2), cervical cancer (HeLa and HEp-2), lung carcinoma (A-549), hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG-2), breast cancer (MCF-7) and prostate cancer (PC-3) cell lines using viability assay. Diethyl ether fraction of Z. spina-christi showed the highest cytotoxic effects among the four extracts of Z. spina-christi. The IC50 of diethyl ether fraction was 7.14, 11.2, 11.6, 15.4, 39.8, 42.2, 84.2 and 153.8 µg/ml on HepG-2, A-549, CACO-2, HCT-116, MCF-7, PC-3, HeLa, and HEp-2 cell lines, respectively. Data shows that the diethyl ether fraction of Z. spina-christi showed effective cytotoxic effects in colon, lung and hepatocellular cancer cell lines.

Review On Documented Medicinal Plants Used For The Treatment Of Cancer

Background:

Cancer is a frightful disease and it is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Naturally derived compounds are gaining interest of research workers as they have less toxic side effects as compared to currently used treatments such as chemotherapy. Plants are the pool of chemical compounds which provides a promising future for research on cancer.

Objective:

This review paper provides updated information gathered on medicinal plants and isolated phytoconstituents used as anticancer agents and summarises the plant extracts and their isolated chemical constituents exhibiting anticancer potential on clinical trials.

Methods:

An extensive bibliographic investigation was carried out by analysing worldwide established scientific databases like SCOPUS, PUBMED, SCIELO, ScienceDirect, Springerlink, Web of Science, Wiley, SciFinder and Google Scholar etc. In next few decades, herbal medicine may become a new epoch of medical system.

Results:

Many researches are going on medicinal plants for the treatment of cancer but it is a time to increase further experimental studies on plant extracts and their chemical constituents to find out their mechanism of action at molecular level.

Conclusion:

The article may help many researchers to start off further experimentation that might lead to the drugs for the cancer treatment.

Ziziphus nummularia Attenuates the Malignant Phenotype of Human Pancreatic Cancer Cells: Role of ROS

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is the fourth leading cause of all cancer-related deaths. Despite major improvements in treating PC, low survival rate remains a major challenge, indicating the need for alternative approaches, including herbal medicine. Among medicinal plants is Ziziphus nummularia (family Rhamnaceae), which is a thorny shrub rich in bioactive molecules. Leaves of Ziziphus nummularia have been used to treat many pathological conditions, including cancer. However, their effects on human PC are still unknown. Here, we show that the treatment of human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells (Capan-2) with Ziziphus nummularia ethanolic extract (ZNE) (100–300 μg/mL) attenuated cell proliferation in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Pretreatment with N-acetylcysteine, an ROS scavenger, attenuated the anti-proliferative effect of ZNE. In addition, ZNE significantly decreased the migratory and invasive capacity of Capan-2 with a concomitant downregulation of integrin α₂ and increased cell–cell aggregation. In addition, ZNE inhibited in ovo angiogenesis as well as reduced VEGF and nitric oxide levels. Furthermore, ZNE downregulated the ERK1/2 and NF-κB signaling pathways, which are known to drive tumorigenic and metastatic events. Taken together, our results suggest that ZNE can attenuate the malignant phenotype of Capan-2 by inhibiting hallmarks of PC. Our data also provide evidence for the potential anticancer effect of Ziziphus nummularia, which may represent a new resource of novel anticancer compounds, especially ones that can be utilized for the management of PC.

The Use of Ziziphus spina-christi Extract in Treating Erlotinib (Tarceva®) Associated Rash: A Case Report

The most common side effect for cancer patients using epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors (EGFRI) is the development of an itchy papulopustular rash. In severe cases, the patients are forced to stop taking the medications, hence affecting treatment outcomes. We herein report a case of a 50-year-old patient who developed a papulopustular rash after starting erlotinib. He treated himself with Ziziphus spina-christi leaves which is a plant well known for its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties in the middle east. We hypothesize that the anti-inflammatory, soothing, and antibacterial activity of the Ziziphus tree might actually represent a possible better treatment of the rash than available treatments, particularly in patients on EGFR blockers, and hence improve treatment outcomes.

A Completely Polyherbal Conditioning and Antioxidant Shampoo: A Phytochemical Study and Pharmaceutical Evaluation

Aim:

A recent approach in shampoo research has been to find a natural alternative for synthetic detergents that have deteriorative effects on hair follicles. This study aimed at the formulation of a completely herbal shampoo containing a natural foaming agent, in addition to having conditioning, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects.

Material and Methods:

The leaves of Salix babylonica L., Ziziphus spina-christi L. (Willd), and Glycyrrhiza glabra rhizomes were extracted with 70% methanol then quantified for their phenolic and flavonoid contents using colorimetric assays that were qualitatively identified by Ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) with tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS). The mineral content was also estimated. The radical scavenging activity was estimated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-Picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was determined. Additionally, the antimicrobial activity was tested using agar diffusion assay and compared to vancomycin and ketoconazole. Four formulations, consisting of the different plant extracts and a combination of the extracts, were prepared and evaluated for several physicochemical properties. The best formula was evaluated for its conditioning effects using scanning electron microscope and blind touch tests by asking volunteers for grading the formulations.

Results and Discussion:

UPLC-MS-MS analysis of S. babylonica and Z. spina-christi allowed tentative identification of 12 phytoconstituents in each. Z. spina-christi showed the highest phenolic content and a high copper, zinc, and manganese content beside the best antioxidant activity, whereas G. glabra had a high potency against Bacillus cereus and Candida albicans. The polyherbal shampoo formulation (F4) was selected as an optimized formulation because of a high foam stability after 4 min, low wetting time (2 s), surface tension reduction, and comparable results for percent solid content. F4 showed good conditioning effect and consumer contentment.

Conclusion:

The formulated polyherbal shampoo is chemical free, extra-nourishing shampoo with excellent conditioning, cleansing, and antimicrobial effects.

Novel betulin derivative is responsible for the anticancer folk use of Ziziphus spina-christi from the hot environmental habitat of UAE

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Several natural products derived from plant sources are developed to remarkable medicines based on their traditional uses. Ziziphus, a worldwide known plant, is proven for potential cytotoxic activity. However, the plant growing at the unique hot environmental climate of UAE was never investigated. Different phytochemicals may be produced from the same plant genotype at different climates leading to variable pharmacological activities.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The study was conducted in order to investigate phytochemicals in the UAE native Z. spina-christi plant and its anticancer activity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Z. spina-christi plant were collected, dried and dissected into leaves, stems and thorns. The plant organs were subjected to comparative fractionation-based anticancer assay followed by spectroscopic analysis of a uniquely isolated compound.

RESULTS

The results indicate that a novel betulin derivative (13-dehydrobetulin) isolated from plant stem exhibited substantial anticancer activity specifically against liver cancer and with wide therapeutic range.

CONCLUSIONS

Growth of cytotoxic traditionally-known plant remedy at harsh environmental habitat advances its anticancer activity due to production of novel phytochemical with optimum activity and minimal toxicity. Furthermore, such approach may be a future to develop novel lead compounds with optimum activity.

Ziziphus spina-christi leaves methanolic extract alleviates diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma in rats

This study evaluated the antitumor activity of a methanolic extract from the leaves of Ziziphus spina-christi (ZSCL) against diethylnitrosamine (DENA)-induced hepatocarcinoma in rats. The phytochemical constituents, in vitro antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of ZSCL extract were investigated. Male Wistar rats were distributed among 6 groups: (i) normal control; (ii) ZSCL1-treated rats (100 mg/kg body mass; "b.m."); (iii) ZSCL2-treated rats (300 mg/kg b.m.); (iv) rats with DENA-induced hepatocarcinoma; (v and vi) rats with hepatocarcinoma that were treated with either (v) ZSCL1 or (vi) ZSCL2. Serum liver function and levels of oxidative stress were assayed. The expression of hepatocyte growth factor, insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor, B cell lymphoma-2, and matrix metalloproteinase-9 oncogenes were quantified in liver samples. Histological examination of the liver tissues was performed. The ZSCL was rich in essential fatty acids, phytol, and polyphenolic flavones (luteolin and quercetin) with strong free-radical and peroxide scavenging activities and cytotoxic activity. Administration of ZSCL1 and ZSCL2 to the rats produced no toxic effects. DENA induced hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangioma by producing oxidative stress and upregulating the expression of hepatic oncogenes. Treatment of DENA-induced hepatocarcinoma with ZSCL2 ameliorated all of the abnormalities induced by DENA except for cholangioma. In conclusion, the ZSCL (300 mg/kg b.m.) displayed strong therapeutic activity against DENA-induced hepatocellular carcinoma via targeting oxidative stress and oncogenes.

Biological, chemical and toxicological perspectives on aerial and roots of Filago germanica (L.) huds: Functional approaches for novel phyto-pharmaceuticals

We investigated into the effects of methanol and dichloromethane extracts from aerial and roots of Filago germanica (L.) Huds (Astearaceae) on key enzymes (cholinesterases, α-glucosidase and urease), antioxidant capabilities, cytotoxic potential and secondary metabolomics profile. Total phenolic and flavonoids were determined by spectrophotometric technique and secondary metabolites composition by UHPLC-MS. Antioxidant activities were assessed employing free radical scavenging, ferric reducing power and phosphomolybdenum assays. The cell-toxicity was evaluated by MTT assay against breast (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231), cervix (CaSki) and prostate (DU-145) cancers. Overall, methanol extracts were found to have higher total bioactive contents and antioxidant potential. UHPLC-MS analysis revealed significant variation in the secondary metabolites in the methanol extracts. The most common derivatives belong to seven groups i.e. alkaloids, benzoic acids, flavones, flavonols, flavan-3-ols, terpenoids and saponins. The major polyphenolic compounds were found to be kampferol, robinin, luteolin, ferulic acid, benzoic acid and salicylic acid. All the extracts showed moderate cholinesterases inhibition, whereas methanol extracts exhibited highest urease inhibition and all extracts presented a relatively high inhibition against α-glucosidase. Similarly, all extracts showed strong to moderate cytotoxicity with IC₅₀ values ranging from 53.02 to 382.7 μg/mL. Overall, results have suggested F. germanica to be a lead source for novel natural products.

Ziziphus spina-christi fruit extract suppresses oxidative stress and p38 MAPK expression in ulcerative colitis in rats via induction of Nrf2 and HO-1 expression

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and protective effects of Ziziphus spina-christi fruit extract (ZFE) against acetic acid (AcOH)-induced colitis in rats. Before a single AcOH instillation, ZFE (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg/day) was administered for 5 days by oral gavage. Pretreatment with ZFE at different doses suppressed the spread of inflammation and inhibited mucosal damage; in addition, it reduced ulcer size and mitigated colitis markers. Administration of ZFE (400 mg/kg) resulted in a greater reduction of inflammatory colonic injury than that after reference drug, mesalazine (MLZ), administration. In addition, ZFE not only histopathologically ameliorated AcOH-induced colitis but also restored the balance between the oxidants and antioxidants. Furthermore, ZFE effectively modulated the mRNA expression of redox-sensitive transcription factors, such as nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 and heme oxygenase-1, downregulated the expression of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, and upregulated that of vascular endothelial growth factor A and interleukin-1β in AcOH-induced colitis in rats. In conclusion, our results suggested that ZFE could prevent the development of chronic experimental colitis in rats; therefore, it could be considered as an alternative and/or additive therapeutic approach for the management of inflammatory bowel disease.

Emerging CAM Ziziphus nummularia with in vivo sedative-hypnotic, antipyretic and analgesic attributes

Ziziphus nummularia from Rhamnaceae family is traditionally used for sedative-hypnotic, antipyretic and analgesic purposes; however, scientific validations are lacking. This in vivo study was undertaken to verify the above ameliorative properties of Z. nummularia root methanolic extract. Various fractions of the extract were assayed on Balb/c mice by open field, Brewer’s yeast-induced hyperthermia and acetic acid-induced writhing experiments. The significance of the outcomes was analyzed with statistical tests. Various fractions of the extract exhibited marked dose-dependent (p < 0.05) sedative-hypnotic and antipyretic activities. The biological efficacies were most pronounced between 50 and 100 mg/kg. Further, the acetic acid-induced abdominal constrictions were significantly (p < 0.05) attenuated by the extract. Chloroform fraction of the extract was most dominant followed by ethyl acetate. The demonstrated therapeutic attributes of Z. nummularia extract can be exploited to isolate pharmaceutically relevant compounds.

Protective role of Lactobacillus plantarum A7 against irinotecan-induced genotoxicity

OBJECTIVE

Irinotecan is a botanical derivative and an anti-cancer drug with cytotoxic and genotoxic effects. The present study evaluated the effect of Lactobacillus plantarum A7 on the genotoxic activity of irinotecan in a hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (HepG2) by comet assay.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

HepG2 were incubated with irinotecan (100 µM), heat-killed cells (0.025 µg/ml) + irinotecan (100 µM), and cell-free supernatants (0.5 and 1 µg/ml) of L. plantarum A7 + irinotecan (100 µM). Phosphate buffered saline (PBS) was used as negative control.

RESULTS

Irinotecan was shown to induce DNA damage in HepG2 cells. The results showed that heat-killed cells (0.025 µg/ml) and cell-free supernatants (0.5 and 1 µg/ml) of L. plantarum significantly reduce irinotecan- induced DNA damage.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicate that L. plantarum A7 can decrease the genotoxic effects of irinotecan in HepG2 cells, in vitro. This finding may be supportive for the optimization of therapeutic efficacy in irinotecan treatment.

Effect of Iranian Ziziphus honey on growth of some foodborne pathogens

Background:

Honey has previously been shown to have wound healing and antimicrobial properties, but this is dependent on the type of honey, geographical location, and flower from which the final product is derived. We tested the antimicrobial activity of a natural honey originating from the Ziziphus spina-christi tree, against selected strains of bacteria. Ziziphus honey among more than a 100 verities of honey is known to have the greatest value of energy and minerals in it.

Materials and Methods:

The aim of this study was to determine the antibacterial activity of Ziziphus honey in 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% dilutions (v/v) against Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. Viable count enumeration of the sample was investigated after 0, 24, 72, and 120 h postinoculation with any of the bacteria using pour-plate method.

Results:

The findings indicate that Ziziphus honey was effective against these pathogenic bacteria. In a comparative trial, antibacterial activity of Ziziphus honey was higher after 120 h incubation for each four bacteria in most dilutions. The microbial count showed 3-7.5 log reduction comparing with control after 120 h.

Conclusions:

Therefore, it is recommended using Ziziphus honey as a natural preservative and antibacterial agent. Also, it could potentially be used as therapeutic agents against bacterial infection particularly to the tested microorganisms.

Evaluating ancient Egyptian prescriptions today: Anti-inflammatory activity of Ziziphus spina-christi

BACKGROUND

Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) Desf. (Christ's Thorn Jujube) is a wild tree today found in Jordan, Israel, Egypt, and some parts of Africa, which was already in use as a medicinal plant in Ancient Egypt. In ancient Egyptian prescriptions, it was used in remedies against swellings, pain, and heat, and thus should have anti-inflammatory effects. Nowadays, Z. spina-christi, is used in Egypt (by Bedouins, and Nubians), the Arabian Peninsula, Jordan, Iraq, and Morocco against a wide range of illnesses, most of them associated with inflammation. Pharmacological research undertaken to date suggests that it possesses anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, hypotensive and anti-microbial effects. The transcription factor NF-κB (nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells) is critical in inflammation, proliferation and involved in various types of cancer. Identification of new anti-inflammatory compounds might be an effective strategy to target inflammatory disorders and cancer. Therefore, extracts from Z. spina-christi are investigated in terms of their anti-inflammatory effects. Our intention is to evaluate the effects of Z. spina-christi described in ancient Egyptian papyri, and to show whether the effects can be proven with modern pharmacological methods. Furthermore, we determine the active ingredients in crude extracts for their inhibitory activity toward NF-κB pathway.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

To determine the active ingredients of Z. spina-christi, we fractionated the extracts for bioassays and identified the active compounds. Epigallocatechin, gallocatechin, spinosin, 6''' feruloylspinosin and 6''' sinapoylspinosin and crude extracts of seed, leaf, root or stem were analyzed for their effect on NF-κB DNA binding by electromobility shift assay (EMSA) and nuclear translocation of NF-κB-p65 by Western blot analysis. The binding mode of the compounds to NF-κB pathway proteins was compared with the known inhibitor, MG-132, by in silico molecular docking calculations. Log10IC50 values of gallocatechin and epigallocatechin as two main compounds of the plant were correlated to the microarray-based mRNA expression of 79 inflammation-related genes in cell lines of the National Cancer Institute (NCI, USA) as determined. The expression of 17 genes significantly correlated to the log10IC50 values for gallocatechin or epigallocatechin.

RESULTS

Nuclear p65 protein level decreased upon treatment with each extract and compound. Root and seed extracts inhibited NF-κB-DNA binding as shown by EMSA. The compounds showed comparable binding energies and similar docking poses as MG-132 on the target proteins.

CONCLUSION

Z. spina-christi might possess anti-inflammatory activity as assumed by ancient Egyptian prescriptions. Five compounds contributed to this bioactivity, i.e. epigallocatechin, gallocatechin, spinosin, 6''' feruloylspinosin and 6''' sinapoylspinosin as shown in vitro and in silico.

Cytotoxicity of 35 medicinal plants from Sudan towards sensitive and multidrug-resistant cancer cells

BACKGROUND

Cancer is a complex disease with multiple genetic and epigenetic alterations. Since decades, the hallmark of cancer therapy is chemotherapy. Cytotoxic drugs erase rapidly dividing cells without sufficient differentiation between normal and cancerous cells resulting in severe side effects in normal tissues. Recently, strategies for cancer treatment focused on targeting specific proteins involved in tumor growth and progression. The present study was designed to investigate the cytotoxicity of 65 crude extracts from 35 Sudanese medicinal plants towards various cancer cell lines expressing molecular mechanisms of resistance towards classical chemotherapeutics (two ATP-binding cassette transporters, ABCB1 (P-glycoprotein) and ABCB5, tumor suppressor p53, epidermal growth factors receptor (EGFR). And the aim was to identify plant extracts and isolated compounds thereof with activity towards otherwise drug-resistant tumor cells.

METHODS

Cold maceration was performed to obtain crude extracts from the plants. The resazurin assay was used to determine cytotoxicity of the plant extracts. Microarray-based mRNA expression profiling, COMPARE, and hierarchical cluster analyses were applied to identify, which genes correlate with sensitivity or resistance to ambrosin, the main constituent of the most active extract Ambrosia maritima.

RESULTS

The results of the resazurin assay on different tumors showed that Lawsonia inermis, Trigonella foenum-graecum and Ambrosia maritma were the most active crude extracts. Ambrosin was selected as one active principle of A. maritima for microarray-based expression profiling. Genes from various functional groups (transcriptional regulators, signal transduction, membrane transporters, cytoskeleton organization, chaperones, immune system development and DNA repair) were significantly correlated with response of tumor cell lines to ambrosin.

CONCLUSION

The results revealed cytotoxicity and pharmacogenomics studies of Sudanese medicinal plants provide an attractive strategy for the development of novel cancer therapeutics with activity towards cell lines that resistance to established anticancer agents.

Evaluation of inhibitory action of novel non β-lactam inhibitor against Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC-2)

The use of three classical β-lactamase inhibitors (Clavulanic acid, tazobactam and sulbactam) in combination with β-lactam antibiotics is presently the mainstay of antibiotic therapy against Gram-negative bacterial infections. However these inhibitors are unable to inhibit carbapenemase KPC-2 effectively. They being β-lactam derivatives behave as substrates for this enzyme instead of inactivating it. We have initiated our study to check the in vitro inhibition activity of the two novel screened inhibitors (ZINC01807204 and ZINC02318494) in combination with carbapenems against KPC-2 expressing bacterial strain and their effect on purified enzyme KPC-2. The MIC values of meropenem and ertapenem showed maximum reduction (8 folds) in combination with screened compounds (ZINC01807204 and ZINC02318494). CLSM images also depicted their strong antibacterial activity in comparison to conventional β-lactamase inhibitors. Moreover no toxic effect has been shown on HeLa cell line. Though the IC50 value of ZINC01807204 was high (200 µM), it exhibited fairly good affinity for KPC-2 (Ki = 43.82 µM). With promising results this study identifies ZINC01807204 as a lead molecule for further optimization and development of more potent non β-lactam inhibitors against KPC-2.