Biological effects and phytochemical study of the underground part of Iris scariosa Willd. ex Link extract: A new source of bioactive constituents.

The expected toxicity and resistance of chemotherapeutic agents necessitate and encourage for the use of natural chemotherapeutic sources of plant origin in the clinical stage of cancer therapy. Plants of the genus Iris (Iridaceae) used by local populations for the treatment of cancer, bacterial and viral infections. In this study, an ethanol extract of rhizomes of I. scariosa was prepared and tested for the cytotoxicity using the MTT assay. The extract exhibited the most potent cytotoxicity against the breast cancer cell line MCF7 (IC50 = 9.28 ± 0.49 µg/ml, selectively index ˃5), and induced apoptosis in MCF7 lines. Notably, the extract significantly inhibited the colony formation of MCF7 and HepG2 cancer cells at a concentration range from 10.6 to 85.0 µg/ml, including non-toxic concentrations for HepG2 cells. The ethanol extract was analyzed by HPLC, revealed the identification of 5 secondary metabolites (quercetin, rutin, myricetin, apigenin, artemisetin), the content of which was shown to reach around 15% of the extract. The petroleum ether (PE) part of the extract (yield 2.62%) was analyzed by GC-MS. The composition of tert-butyl methyl ether (TBME) part of the extract (yield 23.72%) was studied. Total of 15 individual compounds: two benzophenones, eight isoflavones, four flavones and a (2R)-flavanone were isolated. The pentamethoxyflavone artemisetin and flavanone pinocembrin were isolated for the first from Iris sp. The readily available isoflavones from the TBME part of extract (irilone, iriflogenin, irigenin and tectorigenin) may serve as new leads for the discovery of anticancer drugs.

Salvia dumetorum essential oil: GC-MS analysis, antibacterial activity and effect on the formation of Streptococcus mutans biofilms.

Salvia dumetorum essential oil (SDEO) was obtained using a Clevenger apparatus by hydrodistillation approach. The chemical composition of the essential oil was determined by GC-MS analysis. In this study SDEO was screened for its antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans and the amount of biofilm formed by Streptococcus mutans bacteria. For the first time the chemical composition of SDEO growing in Central Kazakhstan was established. The results obtained from GC-MS showed the predominance of sesquiterpenoids (54.15%). The antibacterial study results showed that SDEO exhibited strong antibacterial activity against B. subtilis and S. aureus in vitro and also demonstrated an inhibitory effect on S. mutans biofilm formation on 1% sucrose medium. During the study, no antibacterial activity was detected against E. coli and C. albicans. These results demonstrated that SDEO can be used in the development of new antibacterial and anti-caries therapeutic dental products.

Investigation of CO2 Extract of Portulaca oleracea for Antioxidant Activity from Raw Material Cultivated in Kazakhstan.

Medicinal plants remain as an important resource in the fight against many diseases, especially in developing countries. Antioxidants are substances capable of delaying, retarding, and preventing the oxidation of lipids or substances that delay or prevent free radical reactions during lipid oxidation. Natural antioxidants such as ascorbic acid, tocopherol, phenolic compounds, and flavonoids are a safe alternative to chemical antioxidants. In present work, results of antioxidant activity of raw materials from the cultivated plant Portulaca oleracea are presented. The extraction time was optimized to 780 minutes; the yield of extractive substances was 1.25% in the production of CO2 extract under subcritical conditions. For the first time, the antioxidant activity of Portulaca oleracea CO2 extract was determined by the amperometric method. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) chemical analysis of Portulaca oleracea CO2 extract dissolved in hexane revealed 37 components, including a complex mixture of aldehydes, alkanes, alkenes, esters, diterpenes, steroids, vitamin E, and carbohydrates. The investigation results showed that the Portulaca oleracea CO2 extract was promising for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries and had great potential for the prevention and treatment of diseases caused by oxidative stress.

Component Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of CO2 Extract of Portulaca oleracea, Growing in the Territory of Kazakhstan.

In the medicine of many countries, the use of herbal healing agents included a significant contribution to improving human health and well-being. Many antibiotics have been widely used to treat infectious diseases caused by various pathogenic bacteria. However, increased multidrug resistance has led to increased severity of diseases caused by bacterial pathogens. Bacteria remain the main causative agents of diseases that cause human death, even in the present day. This cause prompted scientists to investigate alternative new molecules against bacterial strains. The significant interest for the study is Portulaca oleracea L. (family Portulacaceae), a widespread annual plant used in folk medicine. Thus, the production and study of CO2 extract of Portulaca oleracea is an actual problem. Methods. Raw materials were collected from Almaty and Zhambyl regions (Southeast and South Kazakhstan) in phase flowering. Portulaca oleracea herb's CO2 extract was obtained by subcritical carbon dioxide extraction (installation of carbon dioxide flow-through extraction- 5L). The Wiley 7th edition and NIST'02 library were used to identify the mass spectra obtained. The antimicrobial activity study was conducted by the micromethod of serial dilution and disco-diffuse method. Standard test strains of microorganisms were used: Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538-P, Candida albicans ATCC 10231, and Escherichia coli ATCC 8739. Results. The use of carbon dioxide extraction (further CO2 extract) is a promising direction of obtaining total medicinal substances containing biologically active substances, from fractions of volatile esters of various composition and functional purpose until a fraction of fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins. In the current study, we obtained CO2 extract at subcritical conditions from aboveground organs of Portulaca oleracea and investigated the component composition for the first time. From 41 to 66 components were identified in the composition of Portulaca oleracea's CO2 extract. Studies of antimicrobial activity showed that CO2 extract of Portulaca oleracea had the expressed effect against clinically significant microorganisms such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, and Candida albicans. Conclusions. This study showed that CO2 extract of Portulaca oleracea's raw material contained biological active compounds exhibiting a significant antimicrobial effect.

Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and VDR Gene Expression in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Leukemia Patients and Healthy Subjects in Central Kazakhstan.

Low blood levels of the vitamin D metabolite 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] have been associated with an increased risk and poorer outcomes of various cancers, including hematological malignancies. The Central Kazakhstan area has a relatively high incidence rate of leukemia. However, the relationship between vitamin D status and leukemia or other types of cancer in Kazakhstan has not yet been addressed. Therefore, in this first pilot single-center study conducted in Central Kazakhstan, we compared plasma levels of 25(OH)D and the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene expression levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with leukemia and demographically matching healthy volunteers. The levels of 25(OH)D in patients were found to be significantly lower (10.8 ± 7.0 ng/mL; n = 31) than in healthy subjects (21.6 ± 7.8 ng/mL; n = 34; p < 0.0001). A similar difference was observed in both younger (<60 years old) and older (>60 years old) participants, though there was no association between 25(OH)D concentration and age within the patient group. In female patients, 25(OH)D levels were significantly lower than in male patients (p = 0.04). No significant seasonal variations of 25(OH)D were observed in either the patient or the control group. VDR gene expression levels appeared to be similar in leukemia patients and healthy subjects, and no correlation between the cellular VDR expression and plasma 25(OH)D concentrations was observed in either group of participants. We did not observe a significant association of 25(OH)D or VDR levels and overall survival of leukemia patients. This observational study conducted for the first time in Kazakhstan supports previous findings demonstrating reduced blood 25(OH)D levels in cancer (leukemia) patients. Larger studies are required to determine whether low 25(OH)D plasma concentrations represent a risk factor for leukemia development and/or progression.