Nanoencapsulation of extracts and isolated compounds of plant origin and their cytotoxic effects on breast and cervical cancer treatments: Advantages and new challenges.

This review analyzes the current progress in loaded nanoparticles (NPs) of plant extracts or isolated antineoplastic compounds used in breast and cervical cancer treatments. Also, it provides a comprehensive overview of the contributions made by traditional medicine and nanomedicine to the research of two of the most prevalent types of cancer in women worldwide: breast and cervical cancer. Searches were conducted in electronic databases to gather relevant information related to the biological activity of the NPs, which were meticulously reviewed. Nanomedicine has advanced to incorporate plant compounds including their crude extracts, in the preparation of NPs. The most used method is green synthesis, whose most outstanding advantages, is the reduced preparation time, and the variety of results that can be obtained depending on the reaction times, pH, temperature, and concentration of both the bio-reducing agent and the compound or plant extract. Most of the studies focus on evaluating crude extracts with high polarity, such as aqueous, alcoholic, and hydroalcoholic extracts. In conclusion, exploring the use of organic compounds is considered an area of opportunity for further research and future perspectives. Most of the analyzed studies were conducted using in vitro assays, highlighting the relatively recent nature of this field. It is expected that future research will involve more in vivo assays, particularly focusing on isolated cell lines representing the most difficult-to-treat types of cancer, such as triple-negative breast cancer like MDA-MB-231. Notably the MCF-7 cell line is one of the most used, while limited studies were found concerning cervical cancer.

Effect of methanolic extract of Mimosa malacophylla A.Gray in vero and HEK-293 cell lines, and in the morphology of kidney and bladder of rats with induced urolithiasis.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Urolithiasis is the presence of stones in the kidney, ureters, bladder and/or urethra; it is the third most frequent disease of the urinary tract. Mimosa malacophylla A. Gray, is a species distributed in northern Mexico, where people traditionally use it for its diuretic effect, and to treat kidney diseases; however, no scientific reports have been found in relation to its antiurolithic properties. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to obtain a qualitative phytochemical profile of the methanolic extract (ME) of M. malacophylla, and to evaluate its potential cytotoxic effect in vitro and its antiurolithic activity in vivo. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Phytochemical screening was performed to demonstrate the presence of secondary metabolite groups in the methanolic extract of M. malacophylla. In vitro cytotoxicity assays (MTT and nucleotide labeling with DAPI) were performed to evaluate the effect of the extract on kidney cell lines. Urolithiasis was induced in the bladder of Wistar rats introducing zinc disks for the calculus formation and exposed to three concentrations of ME. RESULTS: Phytochemical screening showed phenols, steroids, terpenoids and carbohydrates. In vitro analysis demonstrated that concentrations below 300 µg/mL of ME did not produce a cytotoxic effect on renal Vero and HEK-293 cells. In vivo analysis of 15 days of exposition, revealed that the extract at concentrations of 50 mg/kg to 150 mg/kg were effective as an antiurolithic treatment, and did not produce morphological alterations in kidney or bladder in murine model of induced urolithiasis. CONCLUSIONS: The antiurolithic activity may be attributed to the presence of flavonoids, steroids and terpenes detected in the phytochemical screening which have been reported to possess this activity. These results could be useful to evaluate new alternatives and their potential therapeutic effect to treat renal or urinary affections.

Preliminary Study of the Antimicrobial, Anticoagulant, Antioxidant, Cytotoxic, and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Five Selected Plants with Therapeutic Application in Dentistry.

The usefulness of traditional plants in Mexico to treat human ailments has been known since ancient times. This work evaluated the antimicrobial, anticoagulant, antioxidant, cytotoxic, and anti-inflammatory potential of ethanolic extracts of Aloe vera, Equisetum arvense, Mimosa tenuiflora, Lippia graveolens, and Syzygium aromaticum. The antimicrobial activity of the extracts was evaluated against Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sorbinus; a significant inhibitory effect of the L. graveolens extract on both bacteria was observed at concentration levels of 250 µg/mL and greater. The anticoagulant activity was evaluated in terms of prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), A. vera and M. tenuiflora extracts showed no significant difference (p ˂ 0.05) in PT compared with the control, and for APTT the extracts of A. vera, L. graveolens, and S. aromaticum decreased the APTT significantly (p ˂ 0.05) compared with the control. The antioxidant potential by DPPH assay indicated that the E. arvense extract behaved statistically the same as the control. The cytotoxic activity was evaluated in HGF-1 cells using the fluorometric microculture cytotoxicity assay technique, and none of the extracts was toxic at 125 and 250 µg/mL concentrations. Finally, the anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated using ELISA, where the A. vera extract showed the best anti-inflammatory capacity. Further research on the search for bioactive metabolites and elucidation of action mechanisms of the most promising extracts will be carried out.

Cytotoxic Effect In Vitro of Acalypha monostachya Extracts over Human Tumor Cell Lines.

Acalypha monostachya (A. monostachya) is a plant that is used in traditional medicine as a cancer treatment; however, its effect has not been validated. In this study, the potential cytotoxic effects and morphological changes of A. monostachya were evaluated in human tumor cell lines. The aqueous (AE), methanolic (ME), and hexane (HE) extracts were obtained, and flavonoid-type phenolic compounds were detected, which indicates an antineoplastic effect. We observed a time-dependent and concentration-selective toxicity in human tumor cells. Additionally, the ME and HE showed the greatest cytotoxic effect at minimum concentrations compared to the AE, which showed this effect at the highest concentrations. All extracts induced significant morphological changes in tumor cells. The HeLa (cervix carcinoma) cells were more sensitive compared to the MDA-MB-231 (triple-negative breast cancer) cells. In conclusion, we demonstrated a cytotoxic in vitro effect of A. monostachya extracts in tumoral human cell lines. These results show the potential antineoplastic effects of A. monostachya in vitro. Hereafter, our lab team will continue working to usefully isolate and obtain the specific compounds of A. monostachya extracts with cytotoxic effects on tumor cells to find more alternatives for cancer treatment.

Benefits of Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton) and Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) Extracts for Their Applications as Natural Anti-Inflammatory Adjuvants.

The genus Zingiberaceae has been widely used for phytotherapeutic purposes in traditional medicine throughout the world for its anti-inflammatory activity. Experimental studies have established that inflammation caused by chronic infections represents a risk factor for different forms of cancer. The objective of this study was focused on determining the anti-inflammatory capacity and cytotoxic activity of aqueous extracts of Elettaria cardamomum (cardamom) and Curcuma Longa (turmeric). The extracts were obtained by maceration and, through GC-MS/MS, a total of 11 different chemical components were determined in the aqueous extract of cardamom and 7 in the extract of turmeric. The main compounds found in cardamom and turmeric were α-terpinyl acetate (54.46%) and ß-turmerone (33.45%), respectively. RT-qPCR results showed significantly lower gene expression levels of innate inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α) compared to the control (LPS). Also, it was observed that the extracts do not possess cytotoxic activity against different cell lines, where E. cardamomum showed EC50 (µg/mL) of 473.84 (HeLa cells), 237.36 (J774A.1 cells), 257.51 (Vero E6 cells), and 431.16 (Balb/C peritoneal cells) and C. longa showed EC50 (µg/mL) of 351.17 (HeLa cells), 430.96 (J774A.1 cells), 396.24 (Vero E6 cells), and 362.86 (Balb/C peritoneal cells). The results of this research suggest that natural extracts of E. cardamomum and C. longa possess anti-inflammatory effects and no cytotoxic activity against HeLa, J774A.1, Vero E6, and Balb/C peritoneal cell lines. Finally, it was observed that the extracts also decreased nitric oxide (NO) production in peritoneal macrophages.