Oregano demonstrates distinct tumour-suppressive effects in the breast carcinoma model.

PURPOSE: There has been a considerable interest in the identification of natural plant foods for developing effective agents against cancer. Thus, the anti-tumour effects of oregano in the in vivo and in vitro breast cancer model were evaluated. METHODS: Lyophilized oregano (ORE) was administered at two concentrations of 0.3 and 3 % through diet. The experiment was terminated 14 weeks after carcinogen administration. At autopsy, mammary tumours were removed and prepared for histopathological and immunohistochemical analysis. Moreover, in vitro evaluation in MCF-7 cells was carried out. RESULTS: Low-dose ORE suppressed tumour frequency by 55.5 %, tumour incidence by 44 %, and tumour volume by 44.5 % compared to control animals. Analysis of rat tumour cells showed Ki67, VEGFR-2, CD24, and EpCAM expression decrease and caspase-3 expression increase after low-dose ORE treatment. High-dose ORE lengthened tumour latency by 12.5 days; moreover, Bcl-2, VEGFR-2, CD24, and EpCAM expression decrease and caspase-3 expression increase in carcinoma cells were observed. Histopathological analysis revealed a decrease in the ratio of high-/low-grade carcinomas in both treated groups. In vitro studies showed that ORE decreased survival and proliferation of MCF-7 cells. In ORE-treated MCF-7 cells, an increase in cells expressing sub-G 0/G 1 DNA content and an increase in the percentage of annexin V/PI positive MCF-7 cells were observed. In vitro, both caspase-dependent and possible non-caspase-dependent apoptotic pathways were found. The deactivation of anti-apoptotic activity of Bcl-2, a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential, and the activation of mitochondrial apoptosis pathway were observed in the ORE-treated MCF-7 cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate, for the first time, a distinct tumour-suppressive effect of oregano in the breast cancer model.

On-line coupled capillary isotachophoresis-capillary zone electrophoresis in hydrodynamically closed separation system hyphenated with laser induced fluorescence detection.

An analytical method, based on a column coupling capillary ITP and CZE in a hydrodynamically closed separation mode hyphenated with the detection in the modular arrangement, was developed in this work. Analytical possibilities of this approach are demonstrated on the direct and ultrasensitive quantitative determination of quinine (QUI) in diluted real multicomponent ionic matrices (beverages, urine). The detection cell interface, with the rectangular arrangement of the optical channels inside, connected the separation capillary with the LIF detector via optical fibers in the on-column detection arrangement. ITP enabled the direct large volume (30 µL) injections of the diluted real matrices with an on-line sample pretreatment (preseparation, preconcentration) so that no external sample preparation (except for the dilution) was necessary for the separation of the analyte in the multicomponent ionic matrices. Due to the ITP sample preconcentration and intrinsic sensitivity of the LIF detection, very low concentration LOD (as low as 77 pg/mL), were reached at the same time. This was ca. two orders lower than the corresponding LOD achieved by the same 2D separation system with UV absorbance detection. Compared to the single column CE-LIF methods applied for this model analyte and matrix, this method was found to be superior in terms of concentration LOD, with acceptable selectivity and benefits of the on-line sample preparation. A food control and bioanalytical application clearly illustrates great practical possibilities and routine use of the proposed modular ITP-CZE-LIF technique.

Multidrug analysis of pharmaceutical and urine matrices by on-line coupled capillary electrophoresis and triple quadrupole mass spectrometry.

The present work illustrates potentialities of CE hyphenated with MS/MS for the simultaneous determination and identification of a mixture of simultaneously acting drugs in pharmaceutical and biological matrices. Here, the hyphenation was provided by ESI interface, while the MS/MS technique was based on the triple quadrupole configuration. Three drugs, namely pheniramine, phenylephrine, and paracetamol were determined and identified with high reliability due to their characterization in three different dimensions, i.e. electrophoresis and MS/MS, that prevented practically any interference. Appropriately selected transitions of the analytes (parent ion-quantifier product ion-qualifier product ion) provided their selective determination at maximum S/N. The proposed CE-MS/MS method was validated (LOD/LOQ, linearity, precision, recovery, accuracy) and applied for (i) the multidrug composition pharmaceuticals, namely Theraflu®, and (ii) human urine taken after per-oral administration of the same pharmaceutical preparation. The method was applied also for the investigation of potential weak associates of the drugs and monitoring of predicted (bio)degradation products of the drugs. Successful validation and application of the proposed method suggest its routine use in highly effective and reliable advanced drug control and biomedical research.

[Determination of varenicline in the preparation Champix® with the use of two-dimensional capillary electrophoresis in connection with UV detection]. / Stanovenie vareniklínu v lieku Champix® dvojdimenzionálnou kapilárnou elektroforézou v spojení s UV detekciou.

This paper deals with an analytical method based on two dimensional capillary electrophoresis (CITP-CZE coupling) with simple UV-detection for the determination of a highly effective drug - varenicline. The method was elaborated with the possibility of its future connection with an advanced detection ending - mass spectrometry. The electrolytes for the CITP (LE = 10 mM NH4Ac + 5 mM HAc + 0,05% m-HEC; TE = 10 mM HAc) and CZE (BGE = 20 mM HAc) separation of varenicline were selected considering such requirements. The UV detector was set at the constant wavelength of 237 nm. The presented CITP-CZE-UV combination enabled rapid and effective evaluation of varenicline in the dosage forms with LOD 5.92 ng/ml.

Determination of quinine in beverages by online coupling capillary isotachophoresis to capillary zone electrophoresis with UV spectrophotometric detection.

The present study illustrates the possibilities of capillary isotachophoresis (CITP) online coupled with capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and hyphenated with fiber-based spectrophotometric diode array detection (DAD) for the direct, highly reliable, and ultrasensitive determination of quinine (QUI) in real multicomponent ionic matrices (beverages). Here, the CITP provided an effective online sample pretreatment (preseparation and preconcentration) prior to the CZE separation. Due to the CITP sample preconcentration, a simple UV-visible absorbance spectrophotometric detection was sufficient for obtaining very low concentration limits of detection (~2.3 ng/mL). Enhanced separation selectivity due to the combination of different separation mechanisms (CITP vs. CZE) enabled to obtain a pure analyte zone, suitable for its detection and quantitation in the directly injected real samples. The spectrophotometric DAD, unlike single wavelength UV detection, enabled to characterize the purity (i.e. spectral homogeneity) of the analyte zone and preliminary data indicate structurally related compounds via characteristic spectra recorded in the interval of 200-600 nm. The proposed CITP-CZE-DAD method was characterized by favorable performance parameters (sensitivity, linearity, precision, recovery, accuracy, robustness, and selectivity) and successfully applied to the control of QUI and potential QUI impurities in commercial beverages. This method is proposed as a routine automatized method for the highly reliable quality food control.

Monastrol analogs: a synthesis of pyrazolopyridine, benzopyranopyrazolopyridine, and oxygen-bridged azolopyrimidine derivatives and their biological screening.

A synthesis of novel pyrazolopyridine, benzopyranopyrazolopyridine, and oxygen-bridged pyrazolo-, tetrazolo-, benzimidazo-, and thiazolopyrimidines via Hantzsch- and Biginelli-like condensations has been developed. The ability of these compounds to inhibit Eg5 activity has been examined. The results indicate that synthetic manipulations in the monastrol thiourea moiety are inefficient.

rac-2-Methyl-3,4,5,6-tetra-hydro-2H-2,6-methano-1,3-benzoxazocin-4-one.

The title compound, C(12)H(13)NO(2), represents a conformationally restricted 2-pyridone analogue of 1,4-dihydro-pyridine-type calcium antagonists and was selected for a crystal structure determination in order to explore some aspects of drug-receptor inter-action. In the mol-ecule, two stereogenic centres are of opposite chirality, whereas a racemate occurs in the crystal. It was found that the formally aminic N atom of the heterocycle is essentially sp(2)-hybridized with the lone-pair electrons partially delocalized through conjugation with the adjacent carbonyl bond. As a result, the central pyridone ring assumes an unsymmetrical half-chair conformation. The critical 4-phenyl ring is fixed in a pseudo-axial and perpendicular orientation [dihedral angle 85.8 (1)°] with respect to the pyridone ring via an oxygen bridge. In the crystal a pair of centrosymmetric N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds connect mol-ecules of opposite chirality into a dimer. The dimers are packed by hydrophobic van der Waals inter-actions.

(5R*,11R*)-5-Methyl-1,2-dihydro-5,11-methano-5H,11H-1,3-thia-zolo[2,3-d][1,3,5]benzoxadiazo-cine.

The title compound, C(13)H(14)N(2)OS, crystallizes as a racemate in a non-chiral space group. It represents a conformationally restricted analogue of so-called Biginelli compounds known to exhibit multiple pharmacological activities and was selected for a single-crystal X-ray analysis in order to probe the chemical and spatial requirements of some kinds of activity. It was found that the state of hybridization of the formally aminic nitro-gen of the heterocycle is between sp(2) and sp(3) with the lone-pair electrons partially delocalized through conjugation with the sulfur atom rather than the double bond of the pyrimidine nucleus. As a result, the thia-zolo ring adopts a flat-envelope conformation and the puckering of the central pyrimidine ring is close to a half-chair. The critical phenyl ring is fixed in a pseudo-axial and perpendicular [dihedral angle 84.6 (1)°] orientation with respect to the pyrimidine ring via an oxygen bridge.

Methyl 6-methoxy-carbonyl-methyl-2-oxo-4-phenyl-1,2,3,4-tetra-hydro-pyrimidine-5-carboxyl-ate.

The title compound, C(15)H(16)N(2)O(5), belongs to the class of monastrol-type anti--cancer agents and was selected for crystal structure determination in order to determine the conformational details needed for subsequent structure-activity relationship studies. The central tetra-hydro-pyrimidine ring has a flat-envelope conformation. The 4-phenyl group occupies a pseudo-axial position and is inclined at an angle of ca 90° to the mean plane of the heterocyclic ring. Of the two methyl ester groups, one (in the 5-position) is in a coplanar and the other (in the 6-position) in a perpendicular orientation with respect to the heterocyclic plane. The coplanar 5-ester group has its carbonyl bond oriented cis with respect to the pyrimidine C=C double bond. By comparison of the structural results for the present compound with those determined previously for its diethyl analogue, we have identified the mol-ecular factors which control the dual course of the Biginelli reaction with salicylaldehyde. The crystal structure is dominated by two hydrogen bonds which link the mol-ecules into chains of dimers.

Ethyl 6-ethoxy-carbonyl-methyl-4-(2-hydroxy-phen-yl)-2-oxo-1,2,3,4-tetra-hydro-pyrimidine-5-carboxyl-ate.

The title compound, C(17)H(20)N(2)O(6), belongs to the monastrol-type of anti-cancer agents and was selected for crystal structure determination in order to confirm its mol-ecular structure and explore some aspects of its structure-activity relationships. The central tetra-hydro-pyrimidine ring has a flat-envelope conformation. The 4-hydroxy-phenyl group occupies a pseudo-axial position and is inclined at an angle of 87.7 (2)° to the mean plane of the heterocyclic ring. Of the two ethyl ester groups, one (in the 5-position) is in a coplanar and the other (in the 6-position) is in a perpendicular orientation with respect to the heterocyclic plane. There is a three-dimensional hydrogen-bonding network in which all hydrogen-bond donors and acceptors are involved.

Lycopus europaeus: phenolic fingerprint, antioxidant activity and antimicrobial effect on clinical Staphylococcus aureus strains.

Lycopus europaeus L. leaves water extract (LEL) was subjected to phytochemical analysis, and evaluated for its antibacterial and antioxidant effects. Antibacterial activity testing was performed on Staphylococcus aureus clinical strains from catheter-related and skin infections by broth microdilution test. LEL showed bactericidal activity at concentrations from 2500 to 5000 µg/mL against all, including methicillin resistant and polyresistant nosocomial, strains. Antioxidant activity was examined using DPPH and ABTS (11.3 and 9.8 µg/mL, respectively) and by ferric reducing ability of the plasma method (891 µmol AAE/g dry extract). Phytochemical analysis of LEL was performed by LC-DAD-MS/MS. Ten phenolic compounds were identified; two minor compounds (glucopyranosyl rosmarinic acid and sagerinig acid) have not been described in Lycopus yet. The major compounds, considered to be responsible for biological activities detected in the study, were determined as rosmarinic acid (76 mg/g) and luteolin-7-O-glucuronide (23 mg/g). L. europaeus arises from our study as a promising source of antibacterial agent for topical usage.

Water Extract of Mentha x villosa: Phenolic Fingerprint and Effect on Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.

Qualitative analysis of the water extract of Mentha x villosa Huds. leaves was performed by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and quantitative analysis was made by reverse-phase liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detection (LC-DAD). Sixteen phenolic compounds were identified and quantified consisting of 8 phenolic acids/derivatives and 8 flavonoid glycosides (quinic acid, chlorogenic acid, coumaroyl-hexoside, caffeic acid, coumaroylquinic acid, lithospermic acid, rosmarinic acid, salvianolic acid A, luteolin-7-O-glucuronide, luteolin-7-O-glucoside, luteolin-7-O-rutinoside, eriodictyol-7-O-rutinoside, apigenin-7-O-glucuronide, kaempferol-3-O-glucuronide, chrysoeriol-7-O-rutinoside, and hesperetin-7-O-rutinoside). Luteolin-7- O-rutinoside (25.6 ± 0.7 mg/g dry extract) and rosmarinic acid (17.9 ± 0.4 mg/g dry extract) were the most abundant. High antioxidant activity of this phenolic-rich water extract was confirmed in vitro by DPPH and ABTS tests and ex vivo in the ischemia-reperfusion injured rat superior mesenteric artery. Thus, the water extract of M. x villosa leaves seems to be a promising agent in prevention of tissue injury caused by oxidative stress.

On-line column coupled isotachophoresis-capillary zone electrophoresis hyphenated with tandem mass spectrometry in drug analysis: varenicline and its metabolite in human urine.

A new highly advanced analytical approach, based on two-dimensional column coupled CE (ITP-CZE) hyphenated with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS, here triple quadrupole, QqQ) was developed, evaluated and applied in biomedical field in the present work. Capillary isotachophoresis (ITP) coupled on-line with capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) used in hydrodynamically closed separation system was favorable for increasing the sample load capacity, increasing the analyte concentration, and removing the deteriorative highly conductive major matrix constituents. These factors considerably reduced the concentration limits of detection (cLOD) and external sample preparation (comparing to single column CZE), and, by that, provided favorable conditions for the mass spectrometry (enhanced signal to noise ratio, reproducibility of measurements, working life of MS). Here, the CZE-ESI combination provided more effective interfacing than ITP-ESI resulting in both a higher obtainable intensity of MS detection signal of the analyte as well as reproducibility of measurements of the analyte's peak area. The optimized ITP-CZE-ESI-QqQ method was successfully evaluated as for its performance parameters (LOD, LOQ, linearity, precision, recovery/accuracy) and applied for the direct identification and ultratrace (pgmL(-1)) determination of varenicline and, in addition, identification of its targeted metabolite, 2-hydroxy-varenicline, in unpretreated/diluted human urine. This application example demonstrated the real analytical potential of this new analytical approach and, at the same time, served as currently the most effective routine clinical method for varenicline.

Selective inhibitory action of Biginelli-type dihydropyrimidines on depolarization-induced arterial smooth muscle contraction.

OBJECTIVES: Dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers have some disadvantages such as light sensitivity and relatively short plasma half-lives. Stability of dihydropyrimidines analogues could be of advantage, yet they remain less well characterized. We aimed to test four newly synthesized Biginelli-type dihydropyrimidines for their calcium channel blocking activity on rat isolated aorta. METHODS: Dihydropyrimidines (compounds A-D) were prepared by the Biginelli-like three-component condensation of benzaldehydes with urea/thiourea and dimethyl or diethyl acetone-1,3-dicarboxylate, and their physicochemical properties and effects on depolarization-induced and noradrenaline-induced contractions of rat isolated aorta were evaluated. KEY FINDINGS: Dihydropyrimidines A and C blocked KCl-induced contraction only weakly (-log(IC50)=5.03 and 3.73, respectively), while dihydropyrimidine D (-log(IC50)=7.03) was almost as potent as nifedipine (-log(IC50)=8.14). Washout experiments revealed that dihydropyrimidine D may bind strongly to the L-type calcium channel or remains bound to membrane. All tested dihydropyrimidines only marginally inhibited noradrenaline-induced contractions of rat isolated aorta (20% reduction of noradrenaline E(max) ), indicating a more selective action on L-type calcium channel than nifedipine with 75% inhibition of noradrenaline E(max) at 10(-4) m nifedipine). CONCLUSIONS: Compounds A and, particularly, D are potent calcium channel blockers in vitro, with a better selectivity in inhibiting depolarization-induced arterial smooth muscle contraction than nifedipine.

2D capillary electrophoresis hyphenated with spectral detection for the determination of quinine in human urine.

The possibilities of a column coupling two-dimensional capillary electrophoresis (2D CE) combined with fiber-based diode array detection (DAD) for the direct, highly reliable and ultrasensitive quantitative determination of quinine in real multicomponent ionic matrices (human urine) are demonstrated in this work. The capillary isotachophoresis (CITP) stage provided an on-line sample pretreatment (elimination of interfering matrix constituents, preseparation and preconcentration of the analyte) before the capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) separation. Due to the large volume (30 µL) sample injection and CITP sample preconcentration, a simple absorbance photometric detection was sufficient for obtaining very low concentration limits of detection (∼8.6 ng/mL). The combination of the different separation mechanisms (CITP and CZE) resulted in enhanced separation selectivity. This enabled us to obtain a pure analyte zone in the directly injected real samples suitable for qualitative and quantitative evaluation. The spectral DAD allowed (i) characterization of the purity (i.e., spectral homogeneity) of the analyte zone; and (ii) preliminary indication of structurally related compounds (i.e., potential biodegradation products of quinine), via characteristic spectra recorded in intervals of 200-800 nm. The CITP-CZE-DAD method was characterized by favorable performance parameters that are suitable for its routine biomedical use. One of the primary benefits of the CITP-CZE-DAD method is the possibility of performing direct injections of real biological samples while avoiding external sample preparation procedures and, therefore, enhancing the reliability and applicability of analyses and the potential for method automatization and miniaturization.