Pharmaceutical Properties and Phytochemical Profile of Extract Derived from Purple Leaf Graptophyllum pictum (L.) Griff

Objective

Graptophyllum pictum (L.) Griff is a medicinal shrub belonging to the Acanthaceae family and is traditionally used to treat various diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the pharmaceutical properties and phytochemical profiles of the methanolic extract of G. pictum.

Materials and Methods

G. pictum leaves was extracted using methanol. Antioxidant, cytotoxic on Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7) and HepG2, antidiabetic, and antibacterial properties were evaluated in vitro. Chemical profile of the extract was identified through qualitative (for phytochemicals), quantitative (for phenolic and flavonoid content), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis.

Results

The results showed that the extract had potent antioxidant activity against 2,2-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals with IC50 values of 49.00 ± 3.20 µg/mL and 70.18 ± 3.27 µg/mL, respectively. It also exhibited cytotoxic effects on human breast (MCF-7) and liver (HepG2) carcinoma cells with growth inhibition percentages of 74.29 ± 1.53% and 64.90 ± 1.94%, respectively. The antidiabetic assay showed that the extract had inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase activity with IC50 value 194.59 ± 15.59 µg/mL, indicating its potential to be developed as an antidiabetic agent. Furthermore, it had antibacterial properties against four test strains, and the highest activity was found against Bacillus subtilis American Type Culture Collection 19659, with minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration values of 625 µg/mL and 1250 µg/mL, respectively. Phytochemical tests indicated the presence of alkaloids, flavonoid and terpenoids in the extract, with total phenolic content and total flavonoid content of 41.17 ± 2.38 mg gallic acid equivalents/g and 26.52 ± 0.61 mg quercetin equivalent/g, respectively. GC-MS analysis revealed that it contained several active compounds, including eicosane, 2,4-Di-tert-butylphenol, hentriacontane, tetracosane, octacosane, sulfurous acid, 2-methylhexacosane, docosane, heneicosane, 1-propene-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid, tributyl ester, and pentacosane.

Conclusion

The extract derived from G. pictum leaves was a potential source of therapeutic compounds, particularly for antioxidant, antidiabetic, anticancer, and antibacterial agents.

Evaluation of cytotoxic effect of siphonochilone from African ginger: an in vitro analysis

Plants provide a wide array of compounds that can be explored for potential anticancer properties. Siphonochilone, a furanoterpene that represents one of the main components of the African plant Siphonochilus aethiopicus, shows numerous health benefits. However, to date, its antiproliferative properties have not been tested. The aim of this study was to analyze the cytotoxic effects of siphonochilone on a panel of cancer cell lines and its underlying mechanism of action. Our results demonstrated that siphonochilone exhibited significant cytotoxic effects on pancreatic, breast, lung, colon, and liver cancer cell lines showing a IC50 ranging from 22 to 124 μM at 72 h of treatment and highlighting its cytotoxic effect against MCF7 and PANC1 breast and pancreas cancer cell lines (22.03 and 39.03 μM, respectively). Cell death in these tumor lines was mediated by apoptosis by the mitochondrial pathway, as evidenced by siphonochilone-induced depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential. In addition, siphonochilone treatment involves the generation of reactive oxygen species that may contribute to apoptosis induction. In this work, we described for the first time the cytotoxic properties of siphonochilone and provided data about the molecular processes of cell death. Although future studies will be necessary, our results support the interest in this molecule in relation to their clinical application in cancer, and especially in breast and pancreatic cancer.

Evasion of NKG2D-mediated cytotoxic immunity by sarbecoviruses

SARS-CoV-2 and other sarbecoviruses continue to threaten humanity, highlighting the need to characterize common mechanisms of viral immune evasion for pandemic preparedness. Cytotoxic lymphocytes are vital for antiviral immunity and express NKG2D, an activating receptor conserved among mammals that recognizes infection-induced stress ligands (e.g., MIC-A/B). We found that SARS-CoV-2 evades NKG2D recognition by surface downregulation of MIC-A/B via shedding, observed in human lung tissue and COVID-19 patient serum. Systematic testing of SARS-CoV-2 proteins revealed that ORF6, an accessory protein uniquely conserved among sarbecoviruses, was responsible for MIC-A/B downregulation via shedding. Further investigation demonstrated that natural killer (NK) cells efficiently killed SARS-CoV-2-infected cells and limited viral spread. However, inhibition of MIC-A/B shedding with a monoclonal antibody, 7C6, further enhanced NK-cell activity toward SARS-CoV-2-infected cells. Our findings unveil a strategy employed by SARS-CoV-2 to evade cytotoxic immunity, identify the culprit immunevasin shared among sarbecoviruses, and suggest a potential novel antiviral immunotherapy.

Untargeted metabolomics using UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS for identifying cytotoxic compounds on MCF-7 breast cancer cells from Annona muricata Linn leaf extracts as potential anticancer agents

INTRODUCTION

The leaves of Annona muricata L., known as "soursop" or "sirsak" in Indonesia, are used traditionally for cancer treatment. However, the bioactive components remain largely unidentified.

OBJECTIVE

This study used untargeted liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based metabolomics to identify potential cytotoxic compounds in A. muricata leaf extracts on MCF-7 breast cancer cells in vitro.

METHODS

A. muricata leaves were macerated with water, 99% ethanol, and aqueous mixtures containing 30%, 50%, and 80% ethanol. Cytotoxic activity of the extracts against MCF-7 breast cancer cells was determined using the MTT assay. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-Q-Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectroscopy (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-HRMS) was used to characterize the metabolite composition of each extract. The correlations between metabolite profile and cytotoxic activities were evaluated using orthogonal partial least square discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). The binding of these bioactive compounds to the tumorigenic alpha-estrogen receptor (3ERT) was then evaluated by in silico docking simulations.

RESULTS

Ninety-nine percent ethanol extracts demonstrated the greatest potency for reducing MCF-7 cell viability (IC50 = 22 μg/ml). We detected 35 metabolites in ethanol extracts, including alkaloids, flavonoids, and acetogenins. OPLS-DA predicted that annoreticuin, squadiolin C, and xylopine, and six unknown acetogenin metabolites, might reduce MCF-7 cell viability. In silico analysis predicted that annoreticuin, squadiolin C, and xylopine bind to 3ERT with an affinity comparable to doxorubicin.

CONCLUSION

Untargeted metabolomics and in silico modeling identified cytotoxic compounds on MCF-7 cells and binding affinity to 3ERT in A. muricata leaf extracts. The findings need to be further verified to prove the screening results.

Important Factors Affecting Induction of Cell Death, Oxidative Stress and DNA Damage by Nano- and Microplastic Particles In Vitro

We have described the influence of selected factors that increase the toxicity of nanoplastics (NPs) and microplastics (MPs) with regard to cell viability, various types of cell death, reactive oxygen species (ROS) induction, and genotoxicity. These factors include plastic particle size (NPs/MPs), zeta potential, exposure time, concentration, functionalization, and the influence of environmental factors and cell type. Studies have unequivocally shown that smaller plastic particles are more cytotoxic, penetrate cells more easily, increase ROS formation, and induce oxidative damage to proteins, lipids, and DNA. The toxic effects also increase with concentration and incubation time. NPs with positive zeta potential are also more toxic than those with a negative zeta potential because the cells are negatively charged, inducing stronger interactions. The deleterious effects of NPs and MPs are increased by functionalization with anionic or carboxyl groups, due to greater interaction with cell membrane components. Cationic NPs/MPs are particularly toxic due to their greater cellular uptake and/or their effects on cells and lysosomal membranes. The effects of polystyrene (PS) vary from one cell type to another, and normal cells are more sensitive to NPs than cancerous ones. The toxicity of NPs/MPs can be enhanced by environmental factors, including UV radiation, as they cause the particles to shrink and change their shape, which is a particularly important consideration when working with environmentally-changed NPs/MPs. In summary, the cytotoxicity, oxidative properties, and genotoxicity of plastic particles depends on their concentration, duration of action, and cell type. Also, NPs/MPs with a smaller diameter and positive zeta potential, and those exposed to UV and functionalized with amino groups, demonstrate higher toxicity than larger, non-functionalized and environmentally-unchanged particles with a negative zeta potential.

Microwave-Assisted Atom Transfer Radical Cyclization in the Synthesis of 3,3-Dichloro-γ- and δ-Lactams from N-Alkenyl-Tethered Trichloroacetamides Catalyzed by RuCl2(PPh3)3 and Their Cytotoxic Evaluation

An expeditious synthesis of γ- and δ-lactams from tethered alkenyl trichloroacetamides in the presence of 5% of RuCl2(PPh3)3 is reported. In this investigation we have demonstrated that microwave activation significantly enhances reaction rates, leading to the formation of the corresponding lactams in yields ranging from good to excellent. Thus, we have been able to prepare a wide range of lactams, including indole and morphan bicyclic scaffolds, where the corresponding reactions were completely diastereoselective. This process was successfully extended to α,α-dichloroamides without affecting either their yield or their diastereoselectivity. Some of the lactams prepared in this work were evaluated for their hemolytic and cytotoxic responses. All compounds were found to be non-hemolytic at the tested concentration, indicating their safety profile in terms of blood cell integrity. Meanwhile, they exhibited interesting cytotoxicity responses that depend on both their lactam structure and cell line. Among the molecules tested, γ-lactam 2a exhibited the lowest IC50 values (100-250 µg/mL) as a function of its cell line, with promising selectivity against squamous carcinoma cells (A431) in comparison with fibroblasts (3T3 cell line).

M27416

Three novel meroterpenoids, taladrimanins B-D (1-3), were isolated from the marine-derived fungus Talaromyces sp. M27416, alongside three biogenetically related compounds (4-6). We delineated taladrimanin B's (1) structure using HRESIMS and NMR, confirmed its configuration via quantum chemical NMR analysis and DP4+ methodology, and verified it through X-ray crystallography. ECD calculations determined the absolute configuration of compound 1, while comparative NMR and ECD analyses elucidated the absolute configurations of 2 and 3. These compounds are drimane-type meroterpenoids with a C10 polyketide unit (8R-configuration). We proposed a biosynthetic pathway and noted that compound 1 showed cytotoxic activity against MKN-45 and 5637 cell lines and selective antibacterial effects against Staphylococcus aureus CICC 10384.

Hemisynthesis and cytotoxic evaluation of manoyl oxide analogs from sclareol: effect of two tertiary hydroxyls & Heck coupling on cytotoxicity

Sclareol, a bioactive diterpene alcohol isolated from Salvia sclarea, was subjected to structural modification and cytotoxic evaluation. Boron-Heck-coupled analogs of manoyl oxide were prepared from sclareol in a two-step reaction scheme. In the first step manoyl oxide was prepared from sclareol using cerium (IV) ammonium nitrate. Further the structural modification of manoyl oxide via Palladium (II) catalysed Boron-Heck coupling reaction produced a new series of compounds. All the synthesised compounds were screened for in vitro cytotoxic evaluation against four cancer cell lines HCT-116, MCF-7, MDA-MB231and MDA-MB468. The results showed that manoyl oxide is less active than sclareol. Sclareol shows an IC50 of 2.0 µM compared to manoyl oxide with an IC50 of 50 µM against the MCF-7 cell line. From the results it was inferred that the presence of two tertiary hydroxyls in sclareol are necessary for its cytotoxic activity and Heck coupled analogs are more active than sclareol and manoyl oxide.

Risk Factors Associated with Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting Among Women with Breast Cancer Receiving Highly Emetogenic Chemotherapy: Individual Patient-Based Analysis of Three Prospective Antiemetic Trials

Purpose

Although risk factors related to chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) have been identified in previous studies, only a few studies have evaluated the risk factors associated with contemporary antiemetic prophylaxis, including olanzapine/aprepitant- or NEPA-containing regimens. This study aimed to identify the risk factors associated with CINV development in Chinese breast cancer patients receiving doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide chemotherapy.

Methods

Data from 304 patients enrolled in 3 previously reported prospective antiemetic studies were included. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to predict risk factors associated with CINV occurrence. Additionally, the likelihood of treatment failure in relation to the number of risk factors in individual patients was evaluated.

Results

Multivariate analysis of the entire study group revealed that obesity status (defined as body mass index/= 25.0 kg/m2) and the use of olanzapine/aprepitant- or NEPA-containing anti-emetic regimens were associated with a high likelihood, while a history of motion sickness was associated with a lower likelihood, complete response (CR), and "no nausea" in the overall phase. A history of vomiting during pregnancy was also associated with a lower likelihood of an overall CR. Patients with an increasing number of risk factors had a higher likelihood of treatment failure and shorter time to first vomiting. Those who did not achieve CR and "no nausea" in the first cycle were less likely to achieve these parameters in the subsequent cycle of chemotherapy.

Conclusion

The present study confirmed previously reported risk factors for CINV in Chinese breast cancer patients receiving doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide. Further optimization of CINV control is required for patients with identifiable risk factors; olanzapine/aprepitant- or NEPA- containing prophylaxis are the preferred contemporary anti-emetics regimens for Chinese breast cancer patients undergoing doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide chemotherapy.

Evaluation of Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Activity of Nanoformulated Chamomile and Green Tea-Based Mouthwash: An In Vitro Study

Introduction Nanotechnology plays a significant role in the biomedical and dental fields, offering numerous benefits to humans. Particularly, nanoparticles synthesised through green methods involving herbal formulations present promising advantages. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) demonstrate strong antibacterial properties. Utilising treatments incorporating chamomile tea and green tea may potentially reduce toxicity while enhancing antibacterial effectiveness against oral infections. This study aimed to develop a mouthwash containing ZnONPs, followed by an evaluation of both its cytotoxicity and antibacterial effectiveness. Materials and methods This study was conducted at Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Science, Chennai, India. In the synthesis of ZnONPs, a formulation consisting of chamomile tea and green tea was employed. Subsequently, these synthesised nanoparticles were used in the preparation of mouthwash. An antimicrobial test of the produced ZnONPs was carried out using the agar well diffusion technique for oral pathogens. For analysis of cytotoxicity, brine shrimps were used in an assay, and comparisons were made with a commercially available mouthwash. Results The antimicrobial properties were assessed, and the formulated mouthwash demonstrated a zone of inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus (20 mm), Enterococcus faecalis (11 mm), Streptococcus mutans (15 mm) and Candida albicans (13 mm), when the agar well diffusion assay was carried out. Furthermore, the formulated mouthwash exhibited lower cytotoxicity compared to the commercially available mouthwash when cytotoxicity was checked in brine shrimps. Conclusion In our study, the ZnONP synthesis with chamomile tea and green tea showed notable antibacterial and antifungal effects. In addition, lower toxicity was observed compared to the commercially available mouthwash. These findings suggest that mouthwash formulated with green-synthesis ZnONPs could serve as a viable alternative to synthetic mouthwash options. As a result, it is suggested that ZnONPs could be employed in mouthwash formulations at concentrations of 40 µL.

The ethnomedicine, phytochemistry, and pharmacological properties of the genus Bersama: current review and future perspectives

Bersama (Melianthaceae) has been used in traditional medicine for a wide range of ailments, including blood purifier, immune booster, psychotropic medication, and treatment for malaria, hepatitis, infertility, diabetes, impotency, meningitis, and stroke. This review gathers fragmented information from the literature on ethnomedicinal applications, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology of the Bersama genus. It also explores the therapeutic potential of the Bersama genus in ethnophytopharmacology, allowing for further investigation. All the available information published in the English language on Bersama genus was compiled from electronic databases such as Academic Journals, Ethnobotany, Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, and library search using the following keywords: "Bersama genus," "traditional use," "phytochemistry," "pharmacological effects," and "toxicology". The ethnomedical applications of the Bersama genus have been recorded, and it has been used traditionally for more than 30 different types of ailments. Thus far, more than 50 compounds have been isolated from the genus. Cardiac glycosides and terpenoids are the main compounds isolated from the Bersama genus. Different plant parts of Bersama genus extracts demonstrated a wide range of pharmacological properties, including antioxidant, antimalarial, antidiabetic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxic activity. Exemplary drug leads from the genus include mangiferin and quercetin-3-O-arabinopyranoside, both of which have antioxidant activities. Bersama genus has long been used to cure a wide range of ailments. Bersama genus extracts and phytochemicals have been found to have promising pharmacological activities. Further study on promising crude extracts and compounds is required to develop innovative therapeutic candidates.

Phyto-pharmacological evaluation and characterization of the methanolic extract of the Baccaurea motleyana Müll. Arg. seed: promising insights into its therapeutic uses

Introduction: Plants and their extracts have been integral to the development of medicinal treatments throughout history, offering a vast array of compounds for innovative therapies. Baccaurea motleyana Müll. Arg., commonly known as Rambai, is an evergreen tree with economic importance in the Old-World Tropics. Method: The study investigates its phytochemical composition through Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and evaluates its pharmacological properties, including antidiabetic, antidiarrheal, antimicrobial, and antidepressant effects. Result and Discussion: The GC-MS analysis revealed 15 bioactive compounds in the methanol extract, with Phenol, 3,5-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-, Methyl stearate, and Hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester being the predominant ones. The cytotoxicity assay demonstrated significant activity in the ethyl acetate fraction. Antimicrobial assays indicated mild to moderate antibacterial activity. In vivo studies on mice revealed significant hypoglycemic, antidiarrheal, and antidepressant properties. Molecular docking studies against EGFR, DHFR, GLUT-3, KOR, and MOA identified promising compounds with potential therapeutic effects. The identified compounds exhibited favorable ADME/T properties, emphasizing their potential for drug development. The study underscores the promising therapeutic potential of Baccaurea motleyana, showcasing its diverse bioactive compounds with significant medicinal properties. Conclusion: These findings lay the groundwork for future research, emphasizing the exploration of B. motleyana as a source of natural remedies for addressing prevalent health conditions.

An axon-T cell feedback loop enhances inflammation and axon degeneration

Inflammation is closely associated with many neurodegenerative disorders. Yet, whether inflammation causes, exacerbates, or responds to neurodegeneration has been challenging to define because the two processes are so closely linked. Here, we disentangle inflammation from the axon damage it causes by individually blocking cytotoxic T cell function and axon degeneration. We model inflammatory damage in mouse skin, a barrier tissue that, despite frequent inflammation, must maintain proper functioning of a dense array of axon terminals. We show that sympathetic axons modulate skin inflammation through release of norepinephrine, which suppresses activation of γδ T cells via the β2 adrenergic receptor. Strong inflammatory stimulation-modeled by application of the Toll-like receptor 7 agonist imiquimod-causes progressive γδ T cell-mediated, Sarm1-dependent loss of these immunosuppressive sympathetic axons. This removes a physiological brake on T cells, initiating a positive feedback loop of enhanced inflammation and further axon damage.

Secondary metabolites from the deep-sea derived fungus Aspergillus terreus MCCC M28183

Aspergillus fungi are renowned for producing a diverse range of natural products with promising biological activities. These include lovastatin, itaconic acid, terrin, and geodin, known for their cholesterol-regulating, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and antibiotic properties. In our current study, we isolated three dimeric nitrophenyl trans-epoxyamides (1-3), along with fifteen known compounds (4-18), from the culture of Aspergillus terreus MCCC M28183, a deep-sea-derived fungus. The structures of compounds 1-3 were elucidated using a combination of NMR, MS, NMR calculation, and ECD calculation. Compound 1 exhibited moderate inhibitory activity against human gastric cancer cells MKN28, while compound 7 showed similar activity against MGC803 cells, with both showing IC50 values below 10 μM. Furthermore, compound 16 exhibited moderate potency against Vibrio parahaemolyticus ATCC 17802, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 7.8 μg/mL. This promising research suggests potential avenues for developing new pharmaceuticals, particularly in targeting specific cancer cell lines and combating bacterial infections, leveraging the unique properties of these Aspergillus-derived compounds.

Diving into paclitaxel: isolation and screening content from Taxus sumatrana at Singgalang Conservation Center, West Sumatra

The report features the first isolation of paclitaxel from wood of conservated Taxus sumatrana. The T. sumatrana is a nationally protected endemic plant that has been successfully cultivated outside its natural habitat at the Singgalang Conservation Centre in West Sumatra. The paclitaxel was utilised as a reference standard for evaluating its presence in different parts of T. sumatrana. This analysis exhibits that the acetone extract from T. sumatrana bark contained the highest paclitaxel concentration, measuring about 0.473 ± 0.031 ppm. The isolated paclitaxel demonstrated potent cytotoxic activity against A549, HeLa, and MCF7 cancer cells, by IC50 values of 3.26 ± 0.334, 2.85 ± 0.257, and 3.81 ± 0.013 μM, respectively. This outcome provides scientific support for conservation programs and campaigns for the community to engage in conservation efforts.

Predicting fungal secondary metabolite activity from biosynthetic gene cluster data using machine learning

Fungal secondary metabolites (SMs) contribute to the diversity of fungal ecological communities, niches, and lifestyles. Many fungal SMs have one or more medically and industrially important activities (e.g., antifungal, antibacterial, and antitumor). The genes necessary for fungal SM biosynthesis are typically located right next to each other in the genome and are known as biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). However, whether fungal SM bioactivity can be predicted from specific attributes of genes in BGCs remains an open question. We adapted machine learning models that predicted SM bioactivity from bacterial BGC data with accuracies as high as 80% to fungal BGC data. We trained our models to predict the antibacterial, antifungal, and cytotoxic/antitumor bioactivity of fungal SMs on two data sets: (i) fungal BGCs (data set comprised of 314 BGCs) and (ii) fungal (314 BGCs) and bacterial BGCs (1,003 BGCs). We found that models trained on fungal BGCs had balanced accuracies between 51% and 68%, whereas training on bacterial and fungal BGCs had balanced accuracies between 56% and 68%. The low prediction accuracy of fungal SM bioactivities likely stems from the small size of the data set; this lack of data, coupled with our finding that including bacterial BGC data in the training data did not substantially change accuracies currently limits the application of machine learning approaches to fungal SM studies. With >15,000 characterized fungal SMs, millions of putative BGCs in fungal genomes, and increased demand for novel drugs, efforts that systematically link fungal SM bioactivity to BGCs are urgently needed.IMPORTANCEFungi are key sources of natural products and iconic drugs, including penicillin and statins. DNA sequencing has revealed that there are likely millions of biosynthetic pathways in fungal genomes, but the chemical structures and bioactivities of >99% of natural products produced by these pathways remain unknown. We used artificial intelligence to predict the bioactivities of diverse fungal biosynthetic pathways. We found that the accuracies of our predictions were generally low, between 51% and 68%, likely because the natural products and bioactivities of only very few fungal pathways are known. With >15,000 characterized fungal natural products, millions of putative biosynthetic pathways present in fungal genomes, and increased demand for novel drugs, our study suggests that there is an urgent need for efforts that systematically identify fungal biosynthetic pathways, their natural products, and their bioactivities.

Camellia annamensis (Theaceae): phytochemical analysis, cytotoxic, antioxidative, and antimicrobial activities

Cytotoxic, antioxidative, and antimicrobial activities of Camellia annamensis, and its chemical compositions were first provided in the current study. Phenolic contents in the methanol extracts of its leaves and flowers were 222.73 ± 0.09 and 64.44 ± 0.08 mg GAE/g extract, whereas flavonoid contents in these parts were 108.80 ± 0.28 and 131.26 ± 0.39 mg rutin/g extract, respectively. By using HPLC-DAD analysis, gallic acid (43.72 ± 0.09 - 81.89 ± 1.83 mg/g) and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (67.31 ± 1.26 - 70.68 ± 7.82 mg/g) were identified as the major compounds. C. annamensis leaf and flower extracts were moderately cytotoxic against A549, HT-29, SK-Mel-2, MCF-7, HepG2, HeLa, and MKN-7. Particularly, they are better than the standards trolox (IC50 7.57 ± 0.23 µg/mL) in lipid peroxidation inhibitory evaluation, and streptomycin (IC50/MIC = 45.34-50.34/128-256 µg/mL) in antimicrobial assay against the Gram-positive bacteria Enterococcus faecalis ATCC299212, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC25923, and the Gram-negative bacterium Salmonella enterica ATCC13076.

Preclinical Evaluation of Zn(II) Self-Assemblies with Selective Cytotoxic Activity Against Cancer Cells In Vitro and In Ovo

Dipodal pyridylthiazole amine ligands L1 and L2 both form different metallo-supramolecular self-assemblies with Zn2+ and Cu2+ and these are shown to be toxic and selective towards cancer cell lines in vitro. Furthermore, potency and selectivity are highly dependent upon the metal ions, ligand system and bound anion, with significant changes in chemosensitivity and selectivity dependent upon which species are employed. Importantly, significant anti-tumor activity was observed in ovo at doses that are non-toxic.

Plant-mediated synthesis of silver nanoparticles: unlocking their pharmacological potential-a comprehensive review

In recent times, nanoparticles have experienced a significant upsurge in popularity, primarily owing to their minute size and their remarkable ability to modify physical, chemical, and biological properties. This burgeoning interest can be attributed to the expanding array of biomedical applications where nanoparticles find utility. These nanoparticles, typically ranging in size from 10 to 100 nm, exhibit diverse shapes, such as spherical, discoidal, and cylindrical configurations. These variations are not solely influenced by the manufacturing processes but are also intricately linked to interactions with surrounding stabilizing agents and initiators. Nanoparticles can be synthesized through physical or chemical methods, yet the biological approach emerges as the most sustainable and eco-friendly alternative among the three. Among the various nanoparticle types, silver nanoparticles have emerged as the most encountered and widely utilized due to their exceptional properties. What makes the synthesis of silver nanoparticles even more appealing is the application of plant-derived sources as reducing agents. This approach not only proves to be cost-effective but also significantly reduces the synthesis time. Notably, silver nanoparticles produced through plant-mediated processes have garnered considerable attention in recent years due to their notable medicinal capabilities. This comprehensive review primarily delves into the diverse medicinal attributes of silver nanoparticles synthesized using plant-mediated techniques. Encompassing antimicrobial properties, cytotoxicity, wound healing, larvicidal effects, anti-angiogenesis activity, antioxidant potential, and antiplasmodial activity, the paper extensively covers these multifaceted roles. Additionally, an endeavor is made to provide an elucidated summary of the operational mechanisms underlying the pharmacological actions of silver nanoparticles.

Two new rotenoid glycosides from the rhizomes of Stemona curtisii Hook. f

Two new rotenoid glycosides named stemonal 11-O-β-D-glucopyranoside and 6-O-methylstemonal 11-O-β-D-glucopyranoside together with ten known metabolites were isolated from the rhizomes of Stemona curtisii. The chemical structures of the new compounds were elucidated based on the analysis of their 1D and 2D NMR and HRESIMS, while the sugar unit and absolute configuration were determined by chemical hydrolysis and ECD analysis. Among the tested compounds for anti-α-glucosidase assay, stemonal showed an inhibitory effect (IC50 = 38.67 µM), which is 2.4-fold more potent than acarbose. Cytotoxic evaluation against the lung adenocarcinoma A549 cell line indicated that none of the compounds were strongly active to suppress the cancer cell growth at 100 µM. This work describes the occurrence of rotenoids bearing a sugar moiety, which are reported for the first time in the genus Stemona. The isolated compound's α-glucosidase inhibitory potential provides insight for further investigation of natural rotenoids as anti-diabetic agents.

Cellular and DNA Toxicity Study of Triphenyltin Ethyl Phenyl Dithiocarbamate and Triphenyltin Butyl Phenyl Dithiocarbamate on K562, Leukemia Cell Line

INTRODUCTION

Continuous research for new effective drugs to treat cancer has improved our understanding on the mechanism of action of these drugs and paved new potential for their application in cancer treatments. In this study, organotin compounds known as triphenyltin ethyl phenyl dithiocarbamate and triphenyltin butyl phenyl dithiocarbamate were investigated for their toxicity on leukemia cell line (K562) and non-cancerous cell line (Chang liver cell and lung fibroblast, V79 cell).

METHODS

MTT assay was performed to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of both compounds toward the cells after 24, 48 and 72 hours of exposure or treatment. The alkaline comet assay was conducted to determine the DNA damage on K562 cells after been exposed to both compounds for 30, 60 and 90 minutes.

RESULTS

The IC50 values obtained from K562 cells ranged from 0.01 to 0.30 μM, whereas for both Chang liver cell and lung fibroblast V79 cell, the values ranged from 0.10 to 0.40 μM. For genotoxicity evaluation, the percentage of damaged DNA is measured as an average of tail moment, and was found to be within 1.20 to 2.20 A.U while the percentage of DNA intensity ranging from 1.50 to 3.50% indicating no genotoxic effects.

CONCLUSION

Both compounds are cytotoxic toward leukemia cells and non-cancerous cells but do not exert their genotoxic effects towards leukemia cell.

Phenolic and flavonoid compounds from the fruit shell of Camellia oleifera

A new phenolic compound oleiphenol (1), and a new dihydrochalcone oleifechalcone (2) along with seven known compounds (3-9) were isolated from the fruit shell of Camellia oleifera Abel. The planar structures of compounds 1 and 2 were determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses (IR, UV, NMR, and HR-ESI-MS) and comparison with literature data. The absolute configurations of the new structures were determined by ECD calculations and chemical methods. In addition, compounds 1-9 underwent a series of pharmacological activity tests, including cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, anti-RSV and antioxidant activities.

Melinjo Seeds (Gnetum gnemon L.) Antioxidant Activity and Cytotoxic Effects on MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells: A Study Based on Tracing of Resveratrol Compound

Introduction

Breast cancer is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide. One of the polyphenols, namely, resveratrol, has been proven to have anticancer activity. Melinjo seeds which contain resveratrol need to be tested for their potential as an anti-breast cancer agent. This study aims to determine the antioxidant activity and cytotoxic effect of melinjo seeds based on solvent variations and resveratrol tracing.

Methods

Extraction of melinjo seeds was performed using the soxhletation method. Antioxidant test was performed using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil method. The in vitro cytotoxic test was carried out using the microtetrazolium method. Cytotoxic test was carried out on MCF-7 breast cancer cells using a concentration range of melinjo seeds between 31,25 and 1000 μg/mL. Antioxidant and anticancer potentials are expressed in inhibitory concentration (IC)50 values. Resveratrol was traced using preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (Prep-HPLC).

Results

Melinjo seed ethanol extract provided the largest total phenolics (126,154 ± 0,865 mg GAE/g sample) and total flavonoids (44,576 ± 0,611 mg QE/g sample) among all solvent fractions. The antioxidant activity of melinjo seeds from ethanol extract, n-hexane fraction, ethyl acetate fraction, and ethanol fraction was 263,307 ppm, 317,595 ppm, 160,878 ppm, and 181,159 ppm, respectively. The ethyl acetate fraction of melinjo seeds showed the strongest cytotoxic effect (94.6 μg/mL) among all extracts and solvent fractions. Prep-HPLC showed that the ethanol extract of melinjo seeds contained resveratrol, while the ethanol and ethyl acetate fractions of melinjo seeds were thought to contain resveratrol derivatives.

Conclusion

The antioxidant activity of melinjo seeds showed a cytotoxic effect on MCF-7 cells, which varied based on solvent polarity and total phenolic and total flavonoid. The ethyl acetate fraction which is thought to contain resveratrol derivatives provides the most potent antioxidant activity and cytotoxic effect. These results indicate that melinjo seeds containing resveratrol and its derivatives have the potential for anticancer of the breast. Further studies are still needed in determining the structure of resveratrol compounds and their derivatives to ensure their biological activity and mechanism of action.

Benzoquinone and furopyridinone derivatives from the marine-derived fungus Talaromyces sp. MCCC 3A01752

Two new compounds, compounds 1 and 2, were obtained from the culture of a marine-derived fungus Talaromyces sp. MCCC 3A01752, together with 13 known compounds (3-15). Their structures were elucidated based on detailed analysis of NMR, HRESIMS, ECD spectra and OR value. Compound 1 exhibited antibacterial potential against Staphylococcus aureus with a MIC value of 100 μM and cytotoxic activity against gastric cancer cell line MKN1 with a IC50 value of 78.0 μM.

A Review of in vivo Toxicity of Quantum Dots in Animal Models

Tremendous research efforts have been devoted to nanoparticles for applications in optoelectronics and biomedicine. Over the past decade, quantum dots (QDs) have become one of the fastest growing areas of research in nanotechnology because of outstanding photophysical properties, including narrow and symmetrical emission spectrum, broad fluorescence excitation spectrum, the tenability of the emission wavelength with the particle size and composition, anti-photobleaching ability and stable fluorescence. These characteristics are suitable for optical imaging, drug delivery and other biomedical applications. Research on QDs toxicology has demonstrated QDs affect or damage the biological system to some extent, and this situation is generally caused by the metal ions and some special properties in QDs, which hinders the further application of QDs in the biomedical field. The toxicological mechanism mainly stems from the release of heavy metal ions and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). At the same time, the contact reaction with QDs also cause disorders in organelles and changes in gene expression profiles. In this review, we try to present an overview of the toxicity and related toxicity mechanisms of QDs in different target organs. It is believed that the evaluation of toxicity and the synthesis of environmentally friendly QDs are the primary issues to be addressed for future widespread applications. However, considering the many different types and potential modifications, this review on the potential toxicity of QDs is still not clearly elucidated, and further research is needed on this meaningful topic.

A new benzophenanthridine alkaloid from stem bark of Zanthoxylum rhetsa and its biological activities

A new benzophenanthridine alkaloid 6-butanoyldihydrochelerythrine (1) and five known alkaloids 6-acetonyldihydronitidine (2), 6-acetonyldihydrochelerythrine (3), isocorydine (4), (O)-methyltembamide (5), N-(4-methoxyphenethyl)benzamide (6) were isolated from the stem barks of Zanthoxylum rhetsa. These structures were elucidated by 1D, 2D NMR spectroscopy and by mass spectrometry. This is the first time that compounds 2-6 were identified from Zanthoxylum rhetsa and the first time that compounds 4 and 6 were identified from the genus Zanthoxylum. Bioactivity results of isolated compounds showed that 1, 2, 5 and 6 exhibited inhibitory activity against MCF7 and A549 cell lines, while 3 showed the inhibitory activity against A549 cell line; all isolated compounds 1-6 inhibited at least two strain microorganisms; compound 4 showed angiotensin II converting enzyme inhibitory activity in vitro with IC50 value of 65.58 µM and in silico with a docking score of -11.52 kcal/mol.

Biological Synthesis, Characterization, and Therapeutic Potential of S. commune-Mediated Gold Nanoparticles

Green-synthesized gold nanoparticles demonstrate several therapeutic benefits due to their safety, non-toxicity, accessibility, and ecological acceptance. In our study, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were created using an extracellular extract from the fungus Schizophyllum commune (S. commune). The reaction color was observed to be a reddish pink after a 24 h reaction, demonstrating the synthesis of the nanoparticles. The myco-produced nanoparticles were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and UV-visible spectroscopy. The TEM pictures depicted sphere-like shapes with sizes ranging from 60 and 120 nm, with an average diameter of 90 nm, which is in agreement with the DLS results. Furthermore, the efficiency of the AuNPs' antifungal and cytotoxic properties, as well as their production of intracellular ROS, was evaluated. Our findings showed that the AuNPs have strong antifungal effects against Trichoderma sp. and Aspergillus flavus at increasing doses. Additionally, the AuNPs established a dose-dependent activity against human alveolar basal epithelial cells with adenocarcinoma (A549), demonstrating the potency of synthesized AuNPs as a cytotoxic agent. After 4 h of incubation with AuNPs, a significant increase in intracellular ROS was observed in cancer cells. Therefore, these metallic AuNPs produced by fungus (S. commune) can be used as an effective antifungal, anticancer, and non-toxic immunomodulatory delivery agent.

Pharmacological Activities of Rhododendron afghanicum; an Endemic Species of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Majority of different kinds of metabolites having therapeutic characteristics are thought to be stored in medicinal plants. So, the present study was aimed to explore the crude extract of leaves and stem of R. afghanicum for phytochemical screening and various pharmacological activities. Toxicological studies at 100 mg/kg showed 60 % mortality where its safe dose level was 90 mg/kg. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids and tannins in both extracts. Bacterial strains were susceptible to (RLEt) and (RLM) crude extracts except Staphylococcus aureus. RSM showed maximum anti-inflammatory activity (20.16 %) followed by RSEt (20.14 %) where lowest activity was displayed by RLEt (18.46 %). Phytotoxic activity showed a substantial dose-dependent phyto-inhibition of Lemna minor. An outstanding cytotoxic potential was displayed with LD50 values of 9.46 and 13.03 μg/ml in both stem extracts. RLEt demonstrated a dose-dependent pain relief at 30, 60 and 90 mg/kg which was 31 %, 40 % and 52 % respectively. A considerable spasmolytic action was observed by the shrinkage of jejunum muscle in albino mice. RLEt at 1000 ppm showed (17 mm) and RLM at 1000 ppm showed (16 mm) zone of inhibition against Aspergillus niger. These findings support and corroborate the traditional applications of R. afghanicum for treating digestive, analgesic and inflammatory ailments.

Risk assessment of personnel exposure in a central cytotoxic preparation unit using the FMECA method

INTRODUCTION

Personnel involved in the preparation of cytotoxics are exposed to them and the resulting risks. To protect themselves, many means of protection are currently implemented. Nevertheless, the exposure of these manipulators remains a possibility to be considered.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study was conducted during the period (October-November 2022) in the pharmacy of the National Institute of Oncology (INO), a hospital structure specializing in cancer care. The Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis method was used to assess the risks of exposure of personnel in a central cytotoxic preparation unit and then calculate the criticality index (CI  =  severity  ×  frequency  ×  detectability). The risks were classified into toxic, traumatic, chemical, and environmental risks. We have cited 12 failure modes of which nine are minor and three are major. The three major modes cited are essentially related to the particulate environment, direct contact and daily passive inhalation of handling.

CONCLUSION

Our study shows that in our institution, the analysis of the risk of exposure of personnel to cytotoxics remains important, hence the interest of automaton in charge of preparations and which will gradually take charge of all the preparations. The existing procedures and the pharmacotechnical equipment used also contribute to protection and risk reduction.

Evaluating Phytochemical Profiles, Cytotoxicity, Antiviral Activity, Antioxidant Potential, and Enzyme Inhibition of Vepris boiviniana Extracts

In the present study, we performed comprehensive LC-MS chemical profiling and biological tests of Vepris boiviniana leaves and stem bark extracts of different polarities. In total, 60 bioactive compounds were tentatively identified in all extracts. The 80% ethanolic stem bark extract exhibited the highest activity in the ABTS assay, equal to 551.82 mg TE/g. The infusion extract of stem bark consistently demonstrated elevated antioxidant activity in all assays, with values ranging from 137.39 mg TE/g to 218.46 mg TE/g. Regarding the enzyme inhibitory assay, aqueous extracts from both bark and leaves exhibited substantial inhibition of AChE, with EC50 values of 2.41 mg GALAE/g and 2.25 mg GALAE/g, respectively. The 80% ethanolic leaf extract exhibited the lowest cytotoxicity in VERO cells (CC50: 613.27 µg/mL) and demonstrated selective cytotoxicity against cancer cells, particularly against H1HeLa cells, indicating potential therapeutic specificity. The 80% ethanolic bark extract exhibited elevated toxicity in VERO cells but had reduced anticancer selectivity. The n-hexane extracts, notably the leaves' n-hexane extract, displayed the highest toxicity towards non-cancerous cells with selectivity towards H1HeLa and RKO cells. In viral load assessment, all extracts reduced HHV-1 load by 0.14-0.54 log and HRV-14 viral load by 0.13-0.72 log, indicating limited antiviral activity. In conclusion, our research underscores the diverse bioactive properties of Vepris boiviniana extracts, exhibiting potent antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory, and cytotoxicity potential against cancer cells.

Costunosides A-C: cytotoxic sesquiterpene lactones from the rhizomes of Aucklandia costus Falc

Three new eudesmane type rare sesquiterpene lactone galactosides, costunosides A-C (1-3) were isolated from the rhizomes of Aucklandia costus along with ten known compounds (4-13). Costunosides A-C (1-3) are the first example of naturally eudesmane glycosides containing a β-galactopyranoside moiety. The structure and relative configurations of these compounds were established by comprehensive analysis of MS and, in particular 1D/2D NMR spectroscopic data. The isolated compounds were tested against a panel of human cancer cell lines, where compounds 3, 6 and 7 have shown promising cytotoxic activity against PC-3, HCT-116 and A549 cell lines with IC50 values in the range of 3.4 µM to 9.3 µM, respectively. Costunosides A-C (1-3) were also screened for inhibition assay of acetyl-cholinesterase (AChE), and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and found inactive at a concentration of 10 µM.

Amino Acid Derivatives of Ginsenoside AD-2 Induce HepG2 Cell Apoptosis by Affecting the Cytoskeleton

AD-2 (20(R)-dammarane-3β, 12β, 20, 25-tetrol, 25-OH-PPD) was structurally modified to introduce additional amino groups, which can better exert its anti-tumor effects in MCF-7, A549, LoVo, HCT-116, HT -29, and U-87 cell lines. We investigated the cellular activity of 15 different AD-2 amino acid derivatives on HepG2 cells and the possible mechanism of action of the superior derivative 6b. An MTT assay was used to detect the cytotoxicity of the derivatives. Western blotting was used to study the signaling pathways. Flow cytometry was used to detect cell apoptosis and ghost pen peptide staining was used to identify the changes in the cytoskeleton. The AD-2 amino acid derivatives have a better cytotoxic effect on the HepG2 cells than AD-2, which may be achieved by promoting the apoptosis of HepG2 cells and influencing the cytoskeleton. The derivative 6b shows obvious anti-HepG2 cells activity through affecting the expression of apoptotic proteins such as MDM2, P-p53, Bcl-2, Bax, Caspase 3, Cleaved Caspase 3, Caspase 8, and NSD2. According to the above findings, the amino acid derivatives of AD-2 may be developed as HepG2 cytotoxic therapeutic drugs.

Targeting AKT2 in MDA-MB-231 Cells by Pyrazole Hybrids: Structural, Biological and Molecular Docking Studies

Pyrazolic hybrids appended with naphthalene, p-chlorobenzene, o-phenol and toluene have been synthesized using Claisen Schmidt condensation reaction of 1-benzyl-3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carbaldehyde. All compounds were characterized by various spectroscopic techniques. Compound (E)-3-(1-benzyl-3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-1-(4-chlorophenyl)prop-2-en-1-one crystallizes in monoclinic crystal system with C2/c space group. These synthesized compounds were tested for cytotoxic activity and among these compounds 4b and 5a shows prominent cytotoxic activity against triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells MDA-MB-231 with IC50 values 47.72 μM and 24.25 μM, respectively. Distinguishing morphological changes were noticed in MDA-MB-231 cells treated with pyrazole hybrids contributing to apoptosis action. To get more insight into cytotoxic activity, in silico molecular docking of these compounds were performed and the results suggested that (E)-3-(1-benzyl-3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-1-(p-tolyl)prop-2-en-1-one and 1-(1'-benzyl-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-3',5'-dimethyl-3,4-dihydro-1'H,2H-[3,4'-bipyrazol]-2-yl)ethan-1-one binds to the prominent domain of Akt2 indicating their potential ability as Akt2 inhibitor. Moreover, from in silico ADME studies clearly demonstrated that these compounds may be regarded as a drug candidate for sub-lingual absorption based on log p values (2.157-4.924). These compounds also show promising antitubercular activity. The overall results suggest that pyrazolic hybrids with substitution at less sterically hindered positions have appealing potent cytotoxic activity and antituberculosis activity due to which they may act as multidrug candidate.

Natural products derived from medicinal plants and microbes might act as a game-changer in breast cancer: a comprehensive review of preclinical and clinical studies

Breast cancer (BC) is the most prevalent neoplasm among women. Genetic and environmental factors lead to BC development and on this basis, several preventive - screening and therapeutic interventions have been developed. Hormones, both in the form of endogenous hormonal signaling or hormonal contraceptives, play an important role in BC pathogenesis and progression. On top of these, breast microbiota includes both species with an immunomodulatory activity enhancing the host's response against cancer cells and species producing proinflammatory cytokines associated with BC development. Identification of novel multitargeted therapeutic agents with poly-pharmacological potential is a dire need to combat advanced and metastatic BC. A growing body of research has emphasized the potential of natural compounds derived from medicinal plants and microbial species as complementary BC treatment regimens, including dietary supplements and probiotics. In particular, extracts from plants such as Artemisia monosperma Delile, Origanum dayi Post, Urtica membranacea Poir. ex Savigny, Krameria lappacea (Dombey) Burdet & B.B. Simpson and metabolites extracted from microbes such as Deinococcus radiodurans and Streptomycetes strains as well as probiotics like Bacillus coagulans and Lactobacillus brevis MK05 have exhibited antitumor effects in the form of antiproliferative and cytotoxic activity, increase in tumors' chemosensitivity, antioxidant activity and modulation of BC - associated molecular pathways. Further, bioactive compounds like 3,3'-diindolylmethane, epigallocatechin gallate, genistein, rutin, resveratrol, lycopene, sulforaphane, silibinin, rosmarinic acid, and shikonin are of special interest for the researchers and clinicians because these natural agents have multimodal action and act via multiple ways in managing the BC and most of these agents are regularly available in our food and fruit diets. Evidence from clinical trials suggests that such products had major potential in enhancing the effectiveness of conventional antitumor agents and decreasing their side effects. We here provide a comprehensive review of the therapeutic effects and mechanistic underpinnings of medicinal plants and microbial metabolites in BC management. The future perspectives on the translation of these findings to the personalized treatment of BC are provided and discussed.

Coengineering specificity, safety, and function into T cells for cancer immunotherapy

Adoptive T-cell transfer (ACT) therapies, including of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and T cells gene-modified to express either a T cell receptor (TCR) or a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), have demonstrated clinical efficacy for a proportion of patients and cancer-types. The field of ACT has been driven forward by the clinical success of CD19-CAR therapy against various advanced B-cell malignancies, including curative responses for some leukemia patients. However, relapse remains problematic, in particular for lymphoma. Moreover, for a variety of reasons, relative limited efficacy has been demonstrated for ACT of non-hematological solid tumors. Indeed, in addition to pre-infusion challenges including lymphocyte collection and manufacturing, ACT failure can be attributed to several biological processes post-transfer including, (i) inefficient tumor trafficking, infiltration, expansion and retention, (ii) chronic antigen exposure coupled with insufficient costimulation resulting in T-cell exhaustion, (iii) a range of barriers in the tumor microenvironment (TME) mediated by both tumor cells and suppressive immune infiltrate, (iv) tumor antigen heterogeneity and loss, or down-regulation of antigen presentation machinery, (v) gain of tumor intrinsic mechanisms of resistance such as to apoptosis, and (vi) various forms of toxicity and other adverse events in patients. Affinity-optimized TCRs can improve T-cell function and innovative CAR designs as well as gene-modification strategies can be used to coengineer specificity, safety, and function into T cells. Coengineering strategies can be designed not only to directly support the transferred T cells, but also to block suppressive barriers in the TME and harness endogenous innate and adaptive immunity. Here, we review a selection of the remarkable T-cell coengineering strategies, including of tools, receptors, and gene-cargo, that have been developed in recent years to augment tumor control by ACT, more and more of which are advancing to the clinic.

Natural Bio-Compounds from Ganoderma lucidum and Their Beneficial Biological Actions for Anticancer Application: A Review

Ganoderma lucidum (G. lucidum) has been known for many centuries in Asian countries under different names, varying depending on the country. The objective of this review is to investigate the scientific research on the natural active bio-compounds in extracts obtained from G. lucidum with significant biological actions in the treatment of cancer. This review presents the classes of bio-compounds existing in G. lucidum that have been reported over time in the main databases and have shown important biological actions in the treatment of cancer. The results highlight the fact that G. lucidum possesses important bioactive compounds such as polysaccharides, triterpenoids, sterols, proteins, nucleotides, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals, which have been demonstrated to exhibit multiple anticancer effects, namely immunomodulatory, anti-proliferative, cytotoxic, and antioxidant action. The potential health benefits of G. lucidum are systematized based on biological actions. The findings present evidence regarding the lack of certainty about the effects of G. lucidum bio-compounds in treating different forms of cancer, which may be due to the use of different types of Ganoderma formulations, differences in the study populations, or due to drug-disease interactions. In the future, larger clinical trials are needed to clarify the potential benefits of pharmaceutical preparations of G. lucidum, standardized by the known active components in the prevention and treatment of cancer.

1,5,6-Trimethoxy-2,7-dihydroxyphenanthrene from Dendrobium officinale Exhibited Antitumor Activities for HeLa Cells

Natural products are irreplaceable reservoirs for cancer treatments. In this study, 12 phenanthrene compounds were extracted and isolated from Dendrobium officinale. Each chemical structure was identified using comprehensive NMR analysis. All compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities against five tumor cell lines, i.e., HeLa, MCF-7, SK-N-AS, Capan-2 and Hep G2. Compound 5, 1,5,6-trimethoxy-2,7-dihydroxyphenanthrene, displayed the most significant cytotoxic effect against HeLa and Hep G2 cells, with an IC50 of 0.42 and 0.20 μM. For Hela cells, further experiments demonstrated that compound 5 could obviously inhibit cell migration, block cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase and induce apoptosis. Expression measurements for p53 indicated that knock down of p53 by siRNA could mitigate the apoptosis induced by compound 5. Therefore, the compound 5 is a potential candidate drug for HeLa cells in cervical cancer.

The Cytotoxic Mycobacteriophage Protein Phaedrus gp82 Interacts with and Modulates the Activity of the Host ATPase, MoxR

Approximately 70% of bacteriophage-encoded proteins are of unknown function. Elucidating these protein functions represents opportunities to discover new phage-host interactions and mechanisms by which the phages modulate host activities. Here, we describe a pipeline for prioritizing phage-encoded proteins for structural analysis and characterize the gp82 protein encoded by mycobacteriophage Phaedrus. Structural and solution studies of gp82 show it is a trimeric protein containing two domains. Co-precipitation studies with the host Mycobacterium smegmatis identified the ATPase MoxR as an interacting partner protein. Phaedrus gp82-MoxR interaction requires the presence of a loop sequence within gp82 that is highly exposed and disordered in the crystallographic structure. We show that Phaedrus gp82 overexpression in M. smegmatis retards the growth of M. smegmatis on solid medium, resulting in a small colony phenotype. Overexpression of gp82 containing a mutant disordered loop or the overexpression of MoxR both rescue this phenotype. Lastly, we show that recombinant gp82 reduces levels of MoxR-mediated ATPase activity in vitro that is required for its chaperone function, and that the disordered loop plays an important role in this phenotype. We conclude that Phaedrus gp82 binds to and reduces mycobacterial MoxR activity, leading to reduced function of host proteins that require MoxR chaperone activity for their normal activity.

Evaluations of Anticancer Effects of Combinations of Cisplatin and Tirucallane-Type Triterpenes Isolated from Amphipterygium adstringens (Schltdl)

The cytotoxic activity of combinations of masticadienonic (AMD) or 3αOH-hydroxy-masticadienonic (3αOH-AMD) acids with cisplatin (CDDP) was evaluated against PC3 prostate and HCT116 colon cancer cell lines. Combinations A (half the IC50 value), B (IC50 value), and C (twice the IC50 value) were tested at a 1 : 1 ratio. All AMD plus CDDP combinations demonstrated increased cytotoxic effect, as determined by the sulforhodamine B test, in both cell types. The best combination was B, which showed 93 % and 91 % inhibition of the proliferation of PC3 and HCT116 cells, respectively. It also increased apoptosis in the PC3 cell lines, as evaluated by flow cytometry. However, in vivo tests showed no additional activity from the AMD plus CDDP combinations. These results showed that the increased cytotoxic activity of the combinations in vitro did not reflect in vivo tests. All combinations of 3αOH-AMD plus CDDP exerted antagonistic effects in both cell types.

A new flavonoid glycoside from Toxicodendron vernicifluum (Stokes) F.A. Barkley

Toxicodendron vernicifluum (Stokes) F.A. Barkley, also called 'Qishu', is a shrub belonging to the Anacardiaceae family and producing lacquer. In this work, a new flavonoid glycoside (1), was isolated from the heartwood of T. vernicifluum, together with four known compounds (2-5). The structure of the new compound was determined as 4',7-dihydroxy-3'-methoxy-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-flavonoid (1), on the basis of acidic hydrolysis, and spectroscopic analyses. Compound 1 showed significantly cytotoxic against A549 cell lines with the values of IC50 at 1.5 μM.

The Cytoprotective Role of Autophagy in Response to BRAF-Targeted Therapies

BRAF-targeted therapies are widely used for the treatment of melanoma patients with BRAF V600 mutations. Vemurafenib, dabrafenib as well as encorafenib have demonstrated substantial therapeutic activity; however, as is the case with other chemotherapeutic agents, the frequent development of resistance limits their efficacy. Autophagy is one tumor survival mechanism that could contribute to BRAF inhibitor resistance, and multiple studies support an association between vemurafenib-induced and dabrafenib-induced autophagy and tumor cell survival. Clinical trials have also demonstrated a potential benefit from the inclusion of autophagy inhibition as an adjuvant therapy. This review of the scientific literature relating to the role of autophagy that is induced in response to BRAF-inhibitors supports the premise that autophagy targeting or modulation could be an effective adjuvant therapy.

UHPLC-MS characterisation of principal triterpene glycosides and biological activities of different solvent extracts of Allochrusa gypsophiloides (Caryophyllaceae)

A crude methanol extract of the roots of Allochrusa gypsophiloides (syn. Acanthophyllum gypsophiloides) (collected from the Tashkent region of Uzbekistan) was chemically characterised by UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS analysis. The results indicate the presence of six major bisdesmosidic saponins derived from gypsogenin, gypsogenic and quillaic acids, including five compounds reported for the first time for this species. The chloroform, methanol and water extracts of A. gypsophiloides showed weak antioxidant and anthelmintic activities. Among the tested extracts, the water extract exhibited the highest level of cytotoxicity in CCRF-CEM and CEM/ADR5000 cell lines with IC50 values of 23.6 and 31.9 µg/mL, respectively.

Predicting fungal secondary metabolite activity from biosynthetic gene cluster data using machine learning

Fungal secondary metabolites (SMs) play a significant role in the diversity of ecological communities, niches, and lifestyles in the fungal kingdom. Many fungal SMs have medically and industrially important properties including antifungal, antibacterial, and antitumor activity, and a single metabolite can display multiple types of bioactivities. The genes necessary for fungal SM biosynthesis are typically found in a single genomic region forming biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). However, whether fungal SM bioactivity can be predicted from specific attributes of genes in BGCs remains an open question. We adapted previously used machine learning models for predicting SM bioactivity from bacterial BGC data to fungal BGC data. We trained our models to predict antibacterial, antifungal, and cytotoxic/antitumor bioactivity on two datasets: 1) fungal BGCs (dataset comprised of 314 BGCs), and 2) fungal (314 BGCs) and bacterial BGCs (1,003 BGCs); the second dataset was our control since a previous study using just the bacterial BGC data yielded prediction accuracies as high as 80%. We found that the models trained only on fungal BGCs had balanced accuracies between 51-68%, whereas training on bacterial and fungal BGCs yielded balanced accuracies between 61-74%. The lower accuracy of the predictions from fungal data likely stems from the small number of BGCs and SMs with known bioactivity; this lack of data currently limits the application of machine learning approaches in studying fungal secondary metabolism. However, our data also suggest that machine learning approaches trained on bacterial and fungal data can predict SM bioactivity with good accuracy. With more than 15,000 characterized fungal SMs, millions of putative BGCs present in fungal genomes, and increased demand for novel drugs, efforts that systematically link fungal SM bioactivity to BGCs are urgently needed.

New indole alkaloid Morucolletotricin from endophytic fungus Colletotrichum queenslandicum associated with Morus australis Poir. Leaf

Six compounds were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of endophytic fungus Colletotrichum queenslandicum derived from Morus australis Poir. leaf. Based on NMR and MS data led to characterised of these compounds including one new indole alkaloid Morucolletotricin (1) along with two other indole alkaloids; tryptopol (2) and indole-3-acetic acid (3), phomopyronol (4), 2-(3-aminophenyl)acetic acid (5) and ergosterol (6). phomopyronol (4) and 2-(3-aminophenyl)acetic acid (5) were first reported from Colletotrichum fungi. The cytotoxic activity of compounds 1-6 was evaluated against murine leukaemia P-388 cells and showed that all compounds were moderate cytotoxic. phomopyronol (4) was the most active among the five other compounds with IC50 = 37.17 μg/mL.

Cytotoxic and anti-bacterial evaluation of two new aromatic A-ring steroids isolated from the Red Sea soft coral Dendronephthya spp

A successful column chromatography of a CHCl3/MeOH crude extract of Dendronephthya spp. soft coral led to the isolation of two new aromatic A-ring steroids (1-2), together with three known compounds (3-5). Both 1 and 2 are 19-norsteroids. The chemical structures were elucidated based on extensive 1D, 2D NMR, and EIMS analyses. In cytotoxic bioassays, compounds 1-5 were tested against three cancer cell lines: MCF-7, NCI-1299, and HepG2, with IC50 in the ranges of 22.1-85.4, 26.9-88.7, and 25.9-93.7 μM, respectively. Compounds 1, 2, and 5 showed moderate degrees of inhibition against Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas sp. at 100 and 150 µg/mL, while exhibiting weak inhibition against Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus at 150 µg/mL.

The Antitumor Activity of Piplartine: A Review

Cancer is a worldwide health problem with high mortality in children and adults, making searching for novel bioactive compounds with potential use in cancer treatment essential. Piplartine, also known as piperlongumine, is an alkamide isolated from Piper longum Linn, with relevant therapeutic potential. Therefore, this review covered research on the antitumor activity of piplartine, and the studies reported herein confirm the antitumor properties of piplartine and highlight its possible application as an anticancer agent against various types of tumors. The evidence found serves as a reference for advancing mechanistic research on this metabolite and preparing synthetic derivatives or analogs with better antitumor activity in order to develop new drug candidates.

Lipid metabolic reprogramming of hepatic CD4+ T cells during SIV infection

While liver inflammation is associated with AIDS, little is known so far about hepatic CD4+ T cells. By using the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected rhesus macaque (RM) model, we aimed to characterize CD4+ T cells. The phenotype of CD4+ T cells was assessed by flow cytometry from uninfected (n = 3) and infected RMs, with either SIVmac251 (n = 6) or SHIVSF162p3 (n = 6). After cell sorting of hepatic CD4+ T cells, viral DNA quantification and RNA sequencing were performed.Thus, we demonstrated that liver CD4+ T cells strongly expressed the SIV coreceptor, CCR5. We showed that viremia was negatively correlated with the percentage of hepatic effector memory CD4+ T cells. Consistent with viral sensing, inflammatory and interferon gene transcripts were increased. We also highlighted the presence of harmful CD4+ T cells expressing GZMA and members of TGFB that could contribute to fuel inflammation and fibrosis. Whereas RNA sequencing demonstrated activated CD4+ T cells displaying higher levels of mitoribosome and membrane lipid synthesis transcripts, few genes were related to glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation, which are essential to sustain activated T cells. Furthermore, we observed lower levels of mitochondrial DNA and higher levels of genes associated with damaged organelles (reticulophagy and mitophagy). Altogether, our data revealed that activated hepatic CD4+ T cells are reprogrammed to lipid metabolism. Thus, strategies aiming to reprogram T cell metabolism with effector function could be of interest for controlling viral infection and preventing liver disorders.IMPORTANCEHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection may cause liver diseases, associated with inflammation and tissue injury, contributing to comorbidity in people living with HIV. Paradoxically, the contribution of hepatic CD4+ T cells remains largely underestimated. Herein, we used the model of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected rhesus macaques to access liver tissue. Our work demonstrates that hepatic CD4+ T cells express CCR5, the main viral coreceptor, and are infected. Viral infection is associated with the presence of inflamed and activated hepatic CD4+ T cells expressing cytotoxic molecules. Furthermore, hepatic CD4+ T cells are reprogrammed toward lipid metabolism after SIV infection. Altogether, our findings shed new light on hepatic CD4+ T cell profile that could contribute to liver injury following viral infection.

Synthesis, X-ray Structure, Hirshfeld, DFT Conformational, Cytotoxic, and Anti-Toxoplasma Studies of New Indole-Hydrazone Derivatives

The hydrazones 3a-c, were synthesized from the reaction of indole-3-carbaldehyde and nicotinic acid hydrazide, isonicotinic acid hydrazide, and benzoic acid hydrazide, respectively. Their structures were confirmed using FTIR, 1HNMR, and 13CNMR spectroscopic techniques. Exclusively, hydrazones 3b and 3c were confirmed using single crystal X-ray crystallography to exist in the Eanti form. With the aid of DFT calculations, the most stable configuration of the hydrazones 3a-c in gas phase and in nonpolar solvents (CCl4 and cyclohexane) is the ESyn form. Interestingly, the DFT calculations indicated the extrastability of the EAnti in polar aprotic (DMSO) and polar protic (ethanol) solvents. Hirshfeld topology analysis revealed the importance of the N…H, O…H, H…C, and π…π intermolecular interactions in the molecular packing of the studied systems. Distribution of the atomic charges for the hydrazones 3a-c was presented. The hydrazones 3a-c showed a polar character where 3b has the highest polarity of 5.7234 Debye compared to the 3a (4.0533 Debye) and 3c (5.3099 Debye). Regarding the anti-toxoplasma activity, all the detected results verified that 3c had a powerful activity against chronic toxoplasma infection. Compound 3c showed a considerable significant reduction percent of cyst burden in brain homogenates of toxoplasma infected mice representing 49%.

Ethnomedicinal importance of Patuletin in Medicine: Pharmacological Activities and Analytical Aspects

BACKGROUND

Plant-derived bioactive molecules have been a major source of therapeutics for human and veterinarian purposes. Different traditional medicine system across the globe had relied on natural resources to meet their demand of healthcare. Still in modern world pharmaceutical industries look for phytochemicals to develop new drugs. The current review explores patuletin, a flavonoid for its diverse reported pharmacological activities along with its analytical techniques.

METHODS

Scientific data published on patuletin was collected from Scopus, Science Direct, Pubmed, Google, and Google Scholar. The collected data were analyzed and arranged as per specific pharmacological activities performed using in-vitro or in-vivo methods. Analytical methods of patuletin have been presented next to pharmacological activities, Results: Available scientific literature indicates patuletin has anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, genotoxic, hepatoprotective, antiproliferative, antiplatelet, antinociceptive, and antioxidant activity. In addition to these activities, its biological potential on breast cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, aldose reductase, and different types of microorganisms has been also presented in this work. Analytical data on patuletin signified the importance of patuletin for the standardization of herbal products and derived medicine.

CONCLUSION

It may be concluded that patuletin with its diverse biological activities and readily available analytical methods, holds the potential to be translated into a new drug entity.

Cytotoxic CD4 T cells in the mucosa and in cancer

CD4 T cells were initially described as helper cells that promote either the cellular immune response (Th1 cells) or the humoral immune response (Th2 cells). Since then, a plethora of functionally distinct helper and regulatory CD4 T cell subsets have been described. CD4 T cells with cytotoxic function were first described in the setting of viral infections and autoimmunity, and more recently in cancer and gut dysbiosis. Regulatory CD4 T cell subsets such as Tregs and T-regulatory type 1 (Tr1) cells have also been shown to have cytotoxic potential. Indeed, Tr1 cells have been shown to be important for maintenance of stem cell niches in the bone marrow and the gut. This review will provide an overview of cytotoxic CD4 T cell development, and discuss the role of inflammatory and Tr1-like cytotoxic CD4 T cells in maintenance of intestinal stem cells and in anti-cancer immune responses.