Environmental epigenetics: Exploring phenotypic plasticity and transgenerational adaptation in fish.

Epigenetics plays a vital role in the interaction between living organisms and their environment by regulating biological functions and phenotypic plasticity. Considering that most aquaculture activities take place in open or natural habitats that are vulnerable to environmental changes. Promising findings from recent research conducted on various aquaculture species have provided preliminary evidence suggesting a link between epigenetic mechanisms and economically valuable characteristics. Environmental stressors, including climate changes (thermal stress, hypoxia, and water salinity), anthropogenic impacts such as (pesticides, crude oil pollution, nutritional impacts, and heavy metal) and abiotic factors (infectious diseases), can directly trigger epigenetic modifications in fish. While experiments have confirmed that many epigenetic alterations caused by environmental factors have plastic responses, some can be permanently integrated into the genome through genetic integration and promoting rapid transgenerational adaptation in fish. These environmental factors might cause irregular DNA methylation patterns in genes related to many biological events leading to organs dysfunction by inducing alterations in genes related to oxidative stress or apoptosis. Moreover, these environmental issues alter DNA/histone methylation leading to decreased reproductive competence. This review emphasizes the importance of understanding the effects of environmentally relevant issues on the epigenetic regulation of phenotypic variations in fish. The goal is to expand our knowledge of how epigenetics can either facilitate or hinder species' adaptation to these adverse conditions. Furthermore, this review outlines the areas that warrant further investigation in understanding epigenetic reactions to various environmental issues.

Fabrication and optimization of naringin-loaded MOF-5 encapsulated by liponiosomes as smart drug delivery, cytotoxicity, and apoptotic on breast cancer cells.

INTRODUCTION: Cancers are regarded as hazardous due to their high worldwide death rate, with breast cancer (BC), which affects practically all cancer patients globally, playing a significant role in this statistic. The therapeutic approach for BC has not advanced using standard techniques, such as specialized naringin (NG) chemotherapy. Instead, a novel strategy has been utilized to enhance smart drug delivery (SDD) to tumors. SIGNIFICANCE: Herein, we established NG-loaded zinc metal-organic framework-5 (NG-MOF-5) coated with liponiosomes (LNs) to manufacture NG-MOF-5@LNs nanoparticles (NPs) for antibacterial and cancer treatment. METHODS: MOF-5, NG, and NG-MOF-5@LNs were evaluated with XRD, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), FTIR, SEM, TEM, PDI, ZP, encapsulation efficiency (EE), loading efficiency (LE), and drug release (DR) kinetics. We examined the antibacterial activity involving minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and zone of inhibition by NG, MOF-5, and NG-MOF-5@LNs. The cell viability, necrosis, and total apoptosis (late and early) were evaluated for anti-cancer activity against MCF-7 BC cells. RESULTS: TEM results demonstrated that NG-MOF-5@LNs formed monodispersed spherical-like particles with a size of 122.5 nm, PDI of 0.139, and ZP of +21 mV. The anti-microbial activity results indicated that NG-MOF-5@LNs exhibited potent antibacterial effects, as evidenced by inhibition zones and MIC values. The Higuchi model indicates an excellent fit (R2 = 0.9988). The MTT assay revealed anti-tumor activity against MCF-7 BC cells, with IC50 of 21 µg/mL for NG-MOF-5@LNs and demonstrating a total apoptosis effect of 68.2% on MCF-7 cells. CONCLUSION: NG-MOF-5@LNs is anticipated to show as an effective antimicrobial and novel long-term-release antitumor agent and might be more suitable for MCF-7 cell therapy.

Assembly of nanostructured lipid carriers loaded gefitinib and simvastatin as hybrid therapy for metastatic breast cancer: Codelivery and repurposing approach.

Breast cancer represents a life-threatening problem globally. The major challenge in the clinical setting is the management of cancer resistance and metastasis. Hybrid therapy can affect several cellular targets involved in carcinogenesis with a lessening of adverse effects. Therefore, the current study aims to assemble, and optimize a hybrid of gefitinib (GFT) and simvastatin (SIM)-loaded nanostructured lipid carrier (GFT/SIM-NLC) to combat metastatic and drug-resistant breast cancer. GFT/SIM-NLC cargos were prepared using design of experiments to investigate the impact of poloxamer-188 and fatty acids concentrations on the physicochemical and pharmaceutical behavior properties of NLC. Additionally, the biosafety of the prepared GFT/SIM-NLC was studied using a fresh blood sample. Afterward, the optimized formulation was subjected to an MTT assay to study the cytotoxic activity of GFT/SIM-NLC compared to free GFT/SIM using an MCF-7 cell line as a surrogate model for breast cancer. The present results revealed that the particle size of the prepared NLC ranged from (209 to 410 nm) with a negative zeta potential value ranging from (-17.2 to -23.9 mV). Moreover, the optimized GFT/SIM-NLC formulation showed favorable physicochemical properties and promising lymphatic delivery cargos. A biosafety study indicates that the prepared NLC has a gentle effect on erythrocyte hemolysis. Cytotoxicity studies revealed that GFT/SIM-NLC enhanced the killing of the MCF-7 cell line compared to free GFT/SIM. This study concluded that the hybrid therapy of GFT/SIM-NLC is a potential approach to combat metastatic and drug-resistant breast cancer.

Assessment of the Anticancer Effect of Chlorojanerin Isolated from Centaurothamnus maximus on A549 Lung Cancer Cells.

The goal of this study was to assess the anticancer efficacy of chlorojanerin against various cancer cells. The effects of chlorojanerin on cell cytotoxicity, cell cycle arrest, and cell apoptosis were examined using MTT assay, propidium iodide staining, and FITC Annexin V assay. RT-PCR was employed to determine the expression levels of apoptosis-related genes. Furthermore, docking simulations were utilized to further elucidate the binding preferences of chlorojanerin with Bcl-2. According to MTT assay, chlorojanerin inhibited the proliferation of all tested cells in a dose-dependent manner with a promising effect against A549 lung cancer cells with an IC50 of 10 µM. Cell growth inhibition by chlorojanerin was linked with G2/M phase cell cycle arrest in A549 treated cells. Flow cytometry analysis indicated that the proliferation inhibition effect of chlorojanerin was associated with apoptosis induction in A549 cells. Remarkably, chlorojanerin altered the expression of many genes involved in apoptosis initiation. Moreover, we determined that chlorojanerin fit into the active site of Bcl-2 according to the molecular docking study. Collectively, our results demonstrate that chlorojanerin mediated an anticancer effect involving cell cycle arrest and apoptotic cell death and, therefore, could potentially serve as a therapeutic agent in lung cancer treatment.

Superparamagnetic Iron-Oxide Nanoparticles Synthesized via Green Chemistry for the Potential Treatment of Breast Cancer.

In the emerging field of nanomedicine, nanoparticles have been widely considered as drug carriers and are now used in various clinically approved products. Therefore, in this study, we synthesized superparamagnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) via green chemistry, and the SPIONs were further coated with tamoxifen-conjugated bovine serum albumin (BSA-SPIONs-TMX). The BSA-SPIONs-TMX were within the nanometric hydrodynamic size (117 ± 4 nm), with a small poly dispersity index (0.28 ± 0.02) and zeta potential of -30.2 ± 0.09 mV. FTIR, DSC, X-RD, and elemental analysis confirmed that BSA-SPIONs-TMX were successfully prepared. The saturation magnetization (Ms) of BSA-SPIONs-TMX was found to be ~8.31 emu/g, indicating that BSA-SPIONs-TMX possess superparamagnetic properties for theragnostic applications. In addition, BSA-SPIONs-TMX were efficiently internalized into breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and T47D) and were effective in reducing cell proliferation of breast cancer cells, with IC50 values of 4.97 ± 0.42 µM and 6.29 ± 0.21 µM in MCF-7 and T47D cells, respectively. Furthermore, an acute toxicity study on rats confirmed that these BSA-SPIONs-TMX are safe for use in drug delivery systems. In conclusion, green synthesized superparamagnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles have the potential to be used as drug delivery carriers and may also have diagnostic applications.

Chemical Composition, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities and Acute Toxicity of Cedrus atlantica, Chenopodium ambrosioides and Eucalyptus camaldulensis Essential Oils.

The essential oils yield of Cedrus atlantica, Chenopodium ambrosioides and Eucalyptus camaldulensis was different. C. ambrosioides gave a relatively higher yield (2.1 ± 0.1%), while that of C. atlantica was low (1.0 ± 0.1%) and that of E. camaldulensis was lower (0.75 ± 0.1% of dry matter). The active ingredients of the essential oils and some of their biological effects were also determined. The characterization of their chemical compositions showed that the three essences have different chemical profiles: C. atlantica was richer in sesquiterpenes (ß-Himachalene (54.21%) and γ -Himachalene (15.54%)), C. ambrosioides was very rich in monoterpene peroxides and monoterpenes (α-Terpinene (53.4%), ascaridole (17.7%) and ρ-Cymene (12.1%)) and E. camaldulensis was very rich in monoterpene compounds and monoterpenols (p-cymene (35.11%), γ-Eudesmol (11.9%), L-linalool (11.51%) and piperitone (10.28%)). The in vitro measurement of antioxidant activity by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) reduction assay showed a significant performance of the eucalyptus oil and average performance of the other two (C. atlantica and C. ambrosioides). The in vitro bio-test for their antimicrobial effects showed that the antibacterial activity differed depending on the essential oil and the concentration used, and that their bactericidal efficacy was similar or superior to that of synthetic antibiotics. The toxicity test on rats revealed that the LD50 of the three essential oils was 500 mg/kg body weight, which classifies them as category four cytotoxic natural products at high doses.

Exploring Medicinal Herbs' Therapeutic Potential and Molecular Docking Analysis for Compounds as Potential Inhibitors of Human Acetylcholinesterase in Alzheimer's Disease Treatment.

Background and Objectives: Alzheimer's disease (AD) stands as a pervasive neurodegenerative ailment of global concern, necessitating a relentless pursuit of remedies. This study aims to furnish a comprehensive exposition, delving into the intricate mechanistic actions of medicinal herbs and phytochemicals. Furthermore, we assess the potential of these compounds in inhibiting human acetylcholinesterase through molecular docking, presenting encouraging avenues for AD therapeutics. Materials and Methods: Our approach entailed a systematic exploration of phytochemicals like curcumin, gedunin, quercetin, resveratrol, nobiletin, fisetin, and berberine, targeting their capability as human acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors, leveraging the PubChem database. Diverse bioinformatics techniques were harnessed to scrutinize molecular docking, ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity), and adherence to Lipinski's rule of five. Results: Results notably underscored the substantial binding affinities of all ligands with specific amino acid residues within AChE. Remarkably, gedunin exhibited a superior binding affinity (-8.7 kcal/mol) compared to the reference standard. Conclusions: These outcomes accentuate the potential of these seven compounds as viable candidates for oral medication in AD treatment. Notably, both resveratrol and berberine demonstrated the capacity to traverse the blood-brain barrier (BBB), signaling their aptitude for central nervous system targeting. Consequently, these seven molecules are considered orally druggable, potentially surpassing the efficacy of the conventional drug, donepezil, in managing neurodegenerative disorders.

Chemical profile, antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic activities of essential oils of Pulicaria arabica against A549 lung cancer cell line.

Pulicaria arabica has been traditionally utilized in folk medicine for various purposes such as ulcer treatments as well as antidiarrheal agent. Herein, the chemical profiles of Pulicaria arabica essential oils (PAEOs) and the in vitro antiproliferative effect of PAEOs were investigated. Hydrodistillation was employed to prepare PAEOs which were then characterized by GC/MS, while the antiproliferative effects were investigated by MTT assay as well as flow cytometric and RT-PCR analysis. Sixty-four (99.99 %) constituents were recognized from PAEOs. Carvotanacetone (36.97 %), (-)-carvomenthone (27.20 %) and benzene, 2-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-1,4-dimethoxy- (6.92 %) were the main components. PAEOs displayed IC50 values ranging from 30 to 50 µg/mL. DNA content analysis revealed that A549 cells exposed to PAEOs exhibited an increase in G1 cells population. The flow cytometry analysis results also showed that the PAEOs antiproliferative effect was mediated via apoptosis induction. Furthermore, a modulation in the pro-apoptotic markers (caspase-3 and Bax) and anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2) was also observed. In conclusion, PAEOs exhibited a moderate anti-proliferative effect on A549 cells through modulating the cell cycle progression and apoptosis initiation. These findings could offer a potential therapeutic use of PAEOs in lung cancer treatment.

Novel sulphonamide-bearing methoxyquinazolinone derivatives as anticancer and apoptosis inducers: synthesis, biological evaluation and in silico studies.

We synthesised a new series of sulphonamide-bearing quinazolinone derivatives 5-18 and evaluated their in vitro cytotoxicity in various cancer cell lines (A549, HepG-2, LoVo and MCF-7) and in normal human cells (HUVEC). Compounds 6 and 10 exhibited the higher activity against all the cancer cell lines compared with 5-flourourcil as positive control. The ability of the most promising compounds 6 and 10 to induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in breast cancer (MCF-7) cells was evaluated by flow cytometry. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were used to evaluate the expression of apoptosis-related markers. We found that the 2-tolylthioacetamide derivative 6 and the 3-ethyl phenyl thioacetamide derivative 10 exhibited cytotoxic activity comparable to that of 5-fluorouracil as reference drug in MCF-7 and LoVo colon cancer cells. Cell cycle analysis showed a concentration-dependent accumulation of cells in the sub-G1 phase upon treatment with both compounds. The Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide assay showed that the compounds 6 and 10 increased the early and late apoptosis cell death modes in a dose-dependent manner. These compounds downregulated the expression of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), while increasing that of p53, Bcl-2-like protein 4, and caspase-7, at the mRNA and protein levels. Molecular docking of compounds 6 and 10 with Bcl-2 predicted them to show moderate - high binding affinity (6: -7.5 kcal/mol, 10: -7.9 kcal/mol) and interactions with key central substrate cavity residues. Overall, compounds 6 and 10 were found to be promising anticancer and apoptosis-inducing agents.

Cytotoxicity of Newly Synthesized Quinazoline-Sulfonamide Derivatives in Human Leukemia Cell Lines and Their Effect on Hematopoiesis in Zebrafish Embryos.

Many quinazoline derivatives with pharmacological properties, such as anticancer activity, have been synthesized. Fourteen quinazoline derivatives bearing a substituted sulfonamide moiety (4a-n) were previously synthesized and fully characterized. These compounds exerted antiproliferative activity against cell lines derived from solid tumors. Herein, the antileukemic activities of these compounds (4a-n) against two different leukemia cell lines (Jurkat acute T cell and THP-1 acute monocytic) were investigated. Our investigation included examining their activity in vivo in a zebrafish embryo model. Remarkably, compounds 4a and 4d were the most potent in suppressing cell proliferation, with an IC50 value range of 4-6.5 µM. Flow cytometry analysis indicated that both compounds halted cell progression at the G2/M phase and induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. RT-PCR and Western blot analyses also showed that both compounds effectively induced apoptosis by upregulating the expression of proapoptotic factors while downregulating that of antiapoptotic factors. In vivo animal toxicity assays performed in zebrafish embryos indicated that compound 4d was more toxic than compound 4a, with compound 4d inducing multiple levels of teratogenic phenotypes in zebrafish embryos at a sublethal concentration. Moreover, both compounds perturbed the hematopoiesis process in developing zebrafish embryos. Collectively, our data suggest that compounds 4a and 4d have the potential to be used as antileukemic agents.

The Antiproliferative and Apoptotic Effects of a Novel Quinazoline Carrying Substituted-Sulfonamides: In Vitro and Molecular Docking Study.

In order to investigate for a new effective and safe anticancer drug, we synthesized a novel series of quinazoline containing biologically active substituted-sulfonamide moiety at 3- position 4a-n. The structure of the newly prepared compounds was proved by microanalysis, IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and mass spectral data. All the synthesized compounds were evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxic activity in numerous cancer cell lines including A549, HepG-2, LoVo and MCF-7 and normal HUVEC cell line. The two most active compounds 4d and 4f were then tested for their apoptosis induction using DNA content and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining. Moreover, apoptosis initiation was also confirmed using RT-PCR and Western blot. To further understand the binding preferences of quinazoline sulfonamides, docking simulations were used. Among the fourteen new synthesized compounds, we found that compounds 4d and 4f exerted the strongest cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cells with an IC50 value of 2.5 and 5 µM, respectively. Flow cytometry data revealed the ability of compounds 4d and 4f to mediate apoptosis and arrest cell cycle growth at G1 phase. Furthermore, RT-PCR and Western blot results suggested that both 4d and 4f activates apoptotic cell death pathway in MCF-7 cells. Molecular docking assessments indicated that compounds 4d and 4f fit perfectly into Bcl2's active site. Based on the biological properties, we conclude that both compounds 4d and 4f could be used as a new type of anticancer agent, which provides a scientific basis for further research into the treatment of cancer.

Enhancement of the dissolution and in-vitro activity of a new antineoplastic agent.

The cell-surface molecule CD44 plays a major role in the regulation of cancer stem cells. The CD44 inhibitor compound N'-(1-dimethylaminomethyl-2-oxoindolin-3-ylidene)-2-(benzyloxy)benzohydrazide (OYB), anticancer agent is practically insoluble in water. Hence, the solid dispersion (SD) technique was used for enhancing the dissolution of OYB. The SD of OYB was achieved using OYB:poloxamer 188 (1:7) via the fusion method. The anticancer activities of the free-OYB solution and the SD formulation (OYB-SD) were investigated in-vitro. The dissolution rate of OYB-SD (1:7) increased by 2-fold compared with the untreated drug (51.52-100% at pH 1.2 and 8.25-19.15% at pH 7 buffer). In addition, OYB-SD afforded 3-folds cytotoxic effect, against LoVo cells, compared to the untreated compound (IC50 4.72 ± 0.57 and 13.97 ± 0.90 µg/ml, respectively) and against HepG2 (∼3-fold) (4.98 ± 0.368 and 13.85 ± 1.82 µg/ml, respectively) and MCF-7 (1.4-fold) cells (15.20 ± 0.20 and 21.12 ± 0.51 µg/ml, respectively), and enhanced the apoptotic potential in LoVo cells compared with free-OYB. The improved cytotoxic activity of the drug might be attributable to the enhanced dissolution of OYB.

Engineered Nanoscale Lipid-Based Formulation as Potential Enhancer of Gefitinib Lymphatic Delivery: Cytotoxicity and Apoptotic Studies Against the A549 Cell Line.

The present study aimed to engineer a nanoscale lipid-based lymphatic drug delivery system with D-α-Tocopherol polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate to combat the lymphatic metastasis of lung cancer. The nanoscale lipid-based systems including GEF-SLN, GEF-NLC, and GEF-LE were prepared and pharmaceutically characterized. In addition, the most stable formulation (GEF-NLC) was subjected to an in vitro release study. Afterward, the optimized GEF-NLC was engineered with TPGS (GEF-TPGS-NLC) and subjected to in vitro cytotoxicity, and apoptotic studies using the A549 cells line as a surrogate model for lung cancer. The present results revealed that particle size and polydispersity index of freshly prepared formulations were ranging from 198 to 280 nm and 0.106 to 0.240, respectively, with negative zeta potential ranging from - 14 to - 27.6.mV. An in vitro release study showed that sustained drug release was attained from GEF-NLC containing a high concentration of lipid. In addition, GEF-NLC and GEF-TPGS-NLC showed remarkable entrapment efficiency above 89% and exhibited sustained release profiles. Cytotoxicity showed that IC50 of pure GEF was 11.15 µg/ml which decreased to 7.05 µg/ml for GEF-TPGS-NLC. The apoptotic study revealed that GEF-TPGS-NLC significantly decreased the number of living cells from 67 to 58% when compared with pure GEF. The present results revealed that the nanoscale and lipid composition of the fabricated SLN, NLC, and LE could mediate the lymphatic uptake of GEF to combat the lymphatic tumor metastasis. Particularly, GEF-TPGS-NLC is a promising LDDS to increase the therapeutic outcomes of GEF during the treatment of metastatic lung cancer.

Antiproliferative Illudalane Sesquiterpenes from the Marine Sediment Ascomycete Aspergillus oryzae.

The new asperorlactone (1), along with the known illudalane sesquiterpene echinolactone D (2), two known pyrones, 4-(hydroxymethyl)-5-hydroxy-2H-pyran-2-one (3) and its acetate 4, and 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (5), were isolated from a culture of Aspergillus oryzae, collected from Red Sea marine sediments. The structure of asperorlactone (1) was elucidated by HR-ESIMS, 1D, and 2D NMR, and a comparison between experimental and DFT calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra. This is the first report of illudalane sesquiterpenoids from Aspergillus fungi and, more in general, from ascomycetes. Asperorlactone (1) exhibited antiproliferative activity against human lung, liver, and breast carcinoma cell lines, with IC50 values < 100 µM. All the isolated compounds were also evaluated for their toxicity using the zebrafish embryo model.

Janerin Induces Cell Cycle Arrest at the G2/M Phase and Promotes Apoptosis Involving the MAPK Pathway in THP-1, Leukemic Cell Line.

Janerin is a cytotoxic sesquiterpene lactone that has been isolated and characterized from different species of the Centaurea genus. In this study, janerin was isolated form Centaurothamnus maximus, and its cytotoxic molecular mechanism was studied in THP-1 human leukemic cells. Janerin inhibited the proliferation of THP-1 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Janerin caused the cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase by decreasing the CDK1/Cyclin-B complex. Subsequently, we found that janerin promoted THP-1 cell death through apoptosis as indicated by flow cytometry. Moreover, apoptosis induction was confirmed by the upregulation of Bax, cleaved PARP-1, and cleaved caspase 3 and the downregulation of an anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 biomarker. In addition, immunoblotting indicated a dose dependent upregulation of P38-MAPK and ERK1/2 phosphorylation during janerin treatment. In conclusion, we have demonstrated for the first time that janerin may be capable of inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis through the MAPK pathway, which would be one of the mechanisms underlying its anticancer activity. As a result, janerin has the potential to be used as a therapeutic agent for leukemia.

In Vitro Alpha-Amylase and Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibitory Activity and In Vivo Antidiabetic Activity of Withania frutescens L. Foliar Extract.

Withania frutescens L. is a wild perennial woody plant used by the local population for diverse therapeutic purposes. This work aims to study for the first time the potential inhibitory effect of this plant hydroethanolic extract on α-amylase and α-glucosidase activities using in vitro methods and its antidiabetic and antihyperglycemic activities using alloxan-induced diabetic mice as a model for experimental diabetes. Two doses were selected for the in vivo study (200 and 400 mg/kg) and glibenclamide, a well-known antidiabetic drug (positive control) in a subacute study (28 days) where the antihyperglycemic activity was also assessed over a period of 12 h on diabetic mice. The continuous treatment of diabetic mice with the extract of Withania frutescens for 4 weeks succeeded to slowly manage their high fasting blood glucose levels (after two weeks), while the antihyperglycemic test result revealed that the extract of this plant did not control hyperglycemia in the short term. No toxicity signs or death were noted for the groups treated with the plant extract, and it shows a protective effect on the liver and kidney. The in vitro assays demonstrated that the inhibition of alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase might be one of the mechanisms of action exhibited by the extract of this plant to control and prevent postprandial hyperglycemia. This work indicates that W. frutescens have an important long term antidiabetic effect that can be well established to treat diabetes.

Determination of Phenolic Compounds in Various Propolis Samples Collected from an African and an Asian Region and Their Impact on Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities.

The biological activities of propolis samples are the result of many bioactive compounds present in the propolis. The aim of the present study was to determine the various chemical compounds of some selected propolis samples collected from Palestine and Morocco by the High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Photodiode Array Detection (HPLC-PDA) method, as well as the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of this bee product. The chemical analysis of propolis samples by HPLC-PDA shows the cinnamic acid content in the Palestinian sample is higher compared to that in Moroccan propolis. The results of antioxidant activity demonstrated an important free radical scavenging activity (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH); 2,2'-azino-bis 3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) and reducing power assays) with EC50 values ranging between 0.02 ± 0.001 and 0.14 ± 0.01 mg/mL. Additionally, all tested propolis samples possessed a moderate antibacterial activity against bacterial strains. Notably, Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) values ranged from 0.31 to 2.50 mg/mL for Gram-negative bacterial strains and from 0.09 to 0.125 mg/mL for Gram-positive bacterial strains. The S2 sample from Morocco and the S4 sample from Palestine had the highest content of polyphenol level. Thus, the strong antioxidant and antibacterial properties were apparently due to the high total phenolic and flavone/flavonol contents in the samples. As a conclusion, the activities of propolis samples collected from both countries are similar, while the cinnamic acid in the Palestinian samples was more than that of the Moroccan samples.

Centaurea bruguierana inhibits cell proliferation, causes cell cycle arrest, and induces apoptosis in human MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells.

Centaurea bruguierana, of the Asteraceae family, has a long history of use in traditional medicines for the treatment of various ailments. However, the anticancer activity and underlying mechanisms have not yet been assessed. The C. bruguierana was extracted with methanol and fractionated into four different fractions. Different cancer cells and one non-cancerous were used to examine the cytotoxic effects of these fractions using MTT assay. The most potent fraction, C. bruguierana ethyl acetate fraction (CB EtOAc), was explored for its effects on cell cycle progression and apoptosis induction by Hoechst staining and annexin V-PI double staining in MCF-7 cells. The expression of apoptosis-related genes was quantified by RT-PCR. Of all fractions, CB EtOAc was found to have the strongest antiproliferative activity (IC50 = 10 µg/mL) against MCF-7 cells. The antiproliferative activity of the CB EtOAc fraction against MCF-7 was correlated with arrested of cell cycle in the G1 phase, nuclear fragmentation, and the exposure of phosphatidylserine. The induction of apoptosis by CB EtOAc in MCF-7 cells was also associated with an increase in the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and higher expression of caspases. Overall, our results demonstrated that CB EtOAc showed apoptosis-inducing effects, suggesting that C. bruguierana may be a promising source for a novel chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of breast cancer.

Exploiting the 4-hydrazinobenzoic acid moiety for the development of anticancer agents: Synthesis and biological profile.

Thirteen 4-hydrazinobenzoic acid derivatives were elaborated and characterized by spectral analyses (NMR and MS). Evaluation of their in vitro cytotoxic activity showed that some of the targets demonstrated potent inhibitory effects against HCT-116 and MCF-7 cancer cells. The IC50 values ranged between 21.3 ± 4.1 and 28.3 ± 5.1 µM, respectively, whereas those of doxorubicin (reference drug) ranged between 22.6 ± 3.9 and 19.7 ± 3.1 µM, respectively. The active targets 6, 7 and 9 exhibited very weak cytotoxicity on normal cells (RPE-1) and showed higher IC50 values against HCT-116 and MCF-7 cells in comparison to doxorubicin. Furthermore, compounds 7, 9 and 10 inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 by the induction of apoptosis. The bioassay results in the regression plots generated in 3D QSAR models were in agreement and correlated with the anticancer results of the target molecules. The 4-hydazinobenzoic acid derivatives can be used as cornerstones for further structural modifications as future anticancer agents.

Cytotoxic Evaluation and Anti-Angiogenic Effects of Two Furano-Sesquiterpenoids from Commiphora myrrh Resin.

Commiphora myrrh resin (Myrrh) has been used in traditional Arabic medicine to treat various inflammatory diseases. Two furano-sesquiterpenoids, 2-methoxyfuranodiene (CM1) and 2-acetoxyfuranodiene (CM2), were isolated from the chloroform fraction of the ethanolic extract of Arabic Commiphora myrrh resin. The cytotoxicity of the compounds was evaluated using human liver carcinoma, breast cancer cells (HepG2 and MCF-7, respectively) and normal human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) cell lines. The development toxicity and anti-angiogenic activity of both compounds were also evaluated using zebrafish embryos. Cell survival assays demonstrated that both compounds were highly cytotoxic in HepG2 and MCF7 cells, with IC50 values of 3.6 and 4.4 µM, respectively. Both compounds induced apoptosis and caused cell cycle arrest in treated HepG2 cells, which was observed using flow cytometric analysis. The development toxicity in zebrafish embryos showed the chronic toxicity of both compounds. The toxicity was only seen when the embryos remained exposed to the compounds for more than three days. The compound CM2 showed a significant level of anti-angiogenic activity in transgenic zebrafish embryos at sublethal doses. Thus, we demonstrated the cytotoxic properties of both compounds, suggesting that the molecular mechanism of these compounds should be further assessed.