Morinda citrifolia fruit extract enhances the resistance of Penaeus vannamei to Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a gram-negative facultative anaerobic bacterium implicated as the causative agent of several shrimp diseases. As part of the effort to provide biocontrol and cost-effective treatments, this research was designed to elucidate the effect of Morinda citrifolia fruit extract on the immunity of Penaeus vannamei postlarvae (PL) to V. parahaemolyticus. The methanol extract of M. citrifolia was vacuum evaporated, and the bioactive compounds were detected using gas chromatography‒mass spectrometry (GC‒MS). Thereafter, P. vannamei PL diets were supplemented with M. citrifolia at different concentrations (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 mg/g) and administered for 30 days before 24 h of exposure to the bacterium V. parahaemolyticus. A total of 45 bioactive compounds were detected in the methanol extract of M. citrifolia, with cyclononasiloxane and octadecamethyl being the most abundant. The survival of P. vannamei PLs fed the extract supplement was better than that of the control group (7.1-26.7% survival greater than that of the control group) following V. parahaemolyticus infection. Shrimp fed 50 mg/g M. citrifolia had the highest recorded survival. The activities of digestive and antioxidant enzymes as well as hepatopancreatic cells were significantly reduced, except for those of lipase and hepatopancreatic E-cells, which increased following challenge with V. parahaemolyticus. Histological assessment of the hepatopancreas cells revealed reduced cell degeneration following the administration of the plant extracts (expecially those fed 50 mg/g M. citrifolia) compared to that in the control group. Therefore, the enhanced immunity against V. parahaemolyticus infection in P. vannamei could be associated with the improved hepatopancreas health associated with M. citrifolia fruit extract supplementation.

Breast Cancer: A Global Concern, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Perspectives, Mechanistic Targets in Drug Development.

Cancer is a complex multifactorial process, unchecked and abrupt division, and cell growth-conventional chemotherapy, along with radiotherapy, is used to treat breast cancer. Due to reduce efficacy and less survival rate, there is a particular need for the discovery of new active anticancer agents. Natural resources such as terrestrial/marine plants or organisms are a promising source for the generation of new therapeutics with improving efficacy. The screening of natural plant extracts and fractions, isolations of phytochemicals, and mechanistic study of those potential compounds play a remarkable role in the development of new therapeutic drugs with increased efficacy. Cancer is a multistage disease with complex signaling cascades. The initial study of screening whole extracts or fractions and later the isolation of secondary compounds and their mechanism of action study gives a clue of potential therapeutic agents for future drug development. The phytochemicals present in extracts/fractions produce remarkable effects due to synergistically targeting multiple signals. In this review, the molecular targets of extracts/ fractions and isolated compounds highlighted. The therapeutic agent's mechanistic targets in drug development focused involves; i) Induction of Apoptosis, ii) modulating cell cycle arrest, iii) Inhibition or suppression of invasion and metastasis and iv) various other pro-survival signaling pathways. The phytochemicals and their modified analogs identified as future potential candidates for anticancer chemotherapy.

Xylocarpus Moluccensis Induces Cytotoxicity in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma HepG2 Cell Line via Activation of the Extrinsic Pathway.

OBJECTIVE: Liver cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer death, with reduced survival rates. The development of new chemotherapeutic agents is essential to find effective cytotoxic drugs that give minimum side effects to the surrounding healthy tissues. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the cytotoxic effects and mechanism of cell death induced by the crude and diethyl ether extract of Xylocarpus mouccensis on the human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line. METHODS: The cytotoxicity activity was measured using the MTS assay. The mode of cell death determined by the apoptosis study, DNA fragmentation analysis done by using the TUNEL system. The pathway study or mechanism of apoptosis observed by study caspases 8, 9, 3/7 Glo-caspases method. RESULTS: In this study, the methanol extracts prepared from leaf Xylocarpus mouccensis leaf produced cytotoxicity effect with IC50 (72hr) < 30µg/ml. The IC50 value at 72 hours exerted by diethyl ether extract of Xylocarpus moluccensis leaf was 0.22 µg/ml, which was more cytotoxic than to that of crude methanol extract. The results obtained by the colorimetric TUNEL system suggest that methanol crude extract of Xylocarpus moluccensis (leaf), diethyl ether extract of Xylocarpus moluccensis (leaf) and methanol extract of Xylocarpus granatum (bark) induced DNA fragmentation in the HepG2 cell line. Besides, the caspase-Glo assay demonstrated that diethyl ether leaf extract of Xylocarpus moluccensis triggered apoptotic cell death via activation of caspases -8, and -3/7 However, no visible activation was noticed for caspase -9. Furthermore, TLC indicates the presence of potential metabolites in an extract of Xylocarpus moluccensis. CONCLUSION: Thus, the present study suggests the remarkable potential of active metabolites in the extract of Xylocarpus moluccensis as a future therapeutic agent for the treatment of cancer.
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Pandanus tectorius fruit extract promotes Hsp70 accumulation, immune-related genes expression and Vibrio parahaemolyticus tolerance in the white-leg shrimp Penaeus vannamei.

Plants and herbal extracts are indispensable for controlling the spread of disease-causing bacteria, including those that infect aquatic organisms used in aquaculture. The use of plant or herbal extract is expected to be safe for aquatic animals and less harmful to the environment, as opposed to conventional therapeutic alternatives such as antibiotics that promote the occurrence of potential antibiotic-resistant bacteria when used improperly. The efficacy of Pandanus tectorius fruit extract in the regulation of Hsp70 expression, pro-phenoloxidase (ProPO), peroxinectin, penaeidin, crustin and transglutaminase, all immune peptides essential for Vibrio tolerance in white leg shrimp, Penaeus vannamei, was investigated in this study, which included the determination of the safety levels of the extract. Tolerance of shrimp against Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a pathogenic bacteria that causes Acute Hepatopancreas Necrosis Disease (AHPND), was assessed on the basis of median lethal dose challenge survival (LD50 = 106 cells/ml). Mortality was not observed 24 h after exposure of 0.5-6 g/L of the fruit extract, indicating that P. tectorius was not toxic to shrimp at these concentrations. A 24-h incubation of 2-6 g/L of the fruit extract increased shrimp tolerance to V. parahaemolyticus, with survival doubled when the maximum dose tested in this study was used. Concomitant with a rise in survival was the increase in immune-related proteins, with Hsp70, ProPO, peroxinectin, penaeidin, crustin and transglutaminase increased 10, 11, 11, 0.4, 8 and 13-fold respectively. Histological examination of the hepatopancreas and muscle tissues of Vibrio-infected shrimp primed with P. tectorius extract revealed reduced signs of histopathological degeneration, possibly due to the accumulation of Hsp70, a molecular chaperone crucial to cellular protein folding, tissue repair and immune response of living organisms, including Penaeid shrimp.

Antihypercholesterolemic and antiatherosclerotic potencies of Pandanus tectorius fruits via increasing scavenger receptor-B1 genes expression and inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase activity.

Atherosclerosis is a leading cause of death worldwide. The adverse side effects of currently available drugs urge to find more effective and safe remedial agents. Alternative candidates from natural resources are of great consequence in the emerging of new drugs. Pandanus tectorius (Pandanaceae) was traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine to cure certain diseases. Thus, the current study conducted to elucidate the potency of P. tectorius fruit as antiatherosclerosis and antihypercholesterolemia agents through the regulation of high density lipoprotein (HDL) receptor (scavenger receptor [SR]-B1) gene expression and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase reductase (HMGCR) in vitro, respectively. The P. tectorius fruit was noncytotoxic against the HepG2 cell line confirmed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) 2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay. The P. tectorius fruit successfully upregulates the SR-B1 gene expression and downregulate the HMGCR. Moreover, an in vivo study showed that P. tectorius has good activity on the upregulation of HDL and subsequently downregulation of total cholesterol level. Moreover, P. tectorius fruit did not show any increase in toxicity biomarkers serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase and serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase in vivo. These results found that P. tectorius fruits have potency as the preventive agent for hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis via SR-B1 and HMGCR mechanisms of action.