The medicinal activity of lyophilized aqueous seed extract of Lepidium sativum L. in an androgenic alopecia model

This study evaluated the topical effect of Lepidium sativum lyophilized seed extract (LSLE) towards Sustanon-induced alopecia in male adult Wistar albino rats in vivo, compared to minoxidil topical reference standard drug (MRD). LC-MS/MS together with molecular networking was used to profile the metabolites of LSLE. LSLE treated group revealed significant changes in alopecia related biomarkers, perturbation of androgenic markers; decline in testosterone level and elevation in 5α-reductase (5-AR); decline in the cholesterol level. On the other hand, LSLE treated group showed improvement in vascular markers; CTGF, FGF and VEGF. Groups treated topically with minoxidil and LSLE showed significant improvement in hair length. LC-MS/MS profile of LSLE tentatively identified 17 constituents: mainly glucosinolates, flavonoid glycosides, alkaloids and phenolic acids. The results point to the potential role of LSLE in the treatment of alopecia through decreasing 5(alpha)-dihydrotestosterone levels. Molecular docking was attempted to evaluate the probable binding mode of identified compounds to androgen receptor (PDB code: 4K7A).

Green Biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Annona glabra and Annona squamosa Extracts with Antimicrobial, Anticancer, Apoptosis Potentials, Assisted by In Silico Modeling, and Metabolic Profiling

Annona glabra L. (AngTE) and Annona squamosa L. (AnsTE) fruits have been widely used in cancer treatment. Accordingly, their extracts were used to synthesize silver nanoparticles via a biogenic route (Ang-AgNPs) and (Ans-AgNPs), respectively. Chemical profiling was established using UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS. All species were tested for anticancer activity against human cervical cancer cells (HeLa), prostate adenocarcinoma metastatic (PC3), and ovary adenocarcinoma (SKOV3) using sulphorhodamine B assay. Apoptosis was determined using Annexin flow cytometry along with cell cycle analysis and supported by a molecular docking. The antibacterial and synergistic effect when combined with gentamicin were evaluated. A total of 114 compounds were tentatively identified, mainly acetogenins and ent-kaurane diterpenes. AnsTE and Ans-AgNPs had the most potent cytotoxicity on HeLa and SKOV3 cells, inducing a significant apoptotic effect against all tumor cells. The AnsTE and Ans-AgNPs significantly arrested PC3, SKOV3, and HeLa cells in the S phase. The nanoparticles demonstrated greater antibacterial and antifungal activities, as well as a synergistic effect with gentamicin against P. aeruginosa and E. coli. Finally, a molecular docking was attempted to investigate the binding mode of the identified compounds in Bcl-2 proteins’ receptor, implying that the fruits and their nanoparticles are excellent candidates for treating skin infections in patients with ovarian or prostatic cancer.

Metabolomics-based profiling of 4 avocado varieties using HPLC-MS/MS and GC/MS and evaluation of their antidiabetic activity

Seven avocado “Persea americana” seeds belonging to 4 varieties, collected from different localities across the world, were profiled using HPLC–MS/MS and GC/MS to explore the metabolic makeup variabilities and antidiabetic potential. For the first time, 51 metabolites were tentatively-identified via HPLC–MS/MS, belonging to different classes including flavonoids, biflavonoids, naphthodianthrones, dihydrochalcones, phloroglucinols and phenolic acids while 68 un-saponified and 26 saponified compounds were identified by GC/MS analysis. The primary metabolic variabilities existing among the different varieties were revealed via GC/MS-based metabolomics assisted by unsupervised pattern recognition methods. Fatty acid accumulations were proved as competent, and varietal-discriminatory metabolites. The antidiabetic potential of the different samples was explored using in-vitro amylase and glucosidase inhibition assays, which pointed out to Gwen (KG) as the most potent antidiabetic sample. This could be attributed to its enriched content of poly-unsaturated fatty acids and polyphenolics. Molecular docking was then performed to predict the most promising phytoligands in KG variety to be posed as antidiabetic drug leads. The highest in-silico α-amylase inhibition was observed with chrysoeriol-4′-O-pentoside-7-O-rutinoside, apigenin-7-glucuronide and neoeriocitrin which might serve as potential drug leads for the discovery of new antidiabetic remedies.