Isolation, characterization and anti-inflammatory activity of compounds from the Vernonia amygdalina.

The need to explore the abundance of natural products cannot be overemphasized particularly in the management of various disease conditions. In traditional medical practice, Vernonia amygdalina has been widely adopted in the management of various inflammatory disorders. The objective of this investigation was to isolate the bioactive principles from the stem-bark and root of V. amygdalina and assess the anti-inflammatory (in vitro) activity of both the crude extracts and the isolated compounds. Following extraction with the methanol, the extract was subjected to gravity column chromatography and the resultant fractions was further purified to obtained pure compounds. The structural elucidation of the compounds were based on data obtained from 1H to 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopies as well as fourier transform infrared (FT-IR). Using diclofenac as a control drug, the albumin denaturation assay was used to determine the in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of the extracts and isolates. Three distinct compounds characterized are vernoamyoside D, luteolin-7-α-o-glucuronide, and vernotolaside, a new glycoside. When compared to diclofenac, which has an IC50 of 167.8 µg/mL, luteolin-7-α-o-glucuronide, vernoamyoside D, and vernotolaside all showed significant inhibitions with respective IC50 values 549.8, 379.5, and 201.7 µg/mL. Vernotolaside is reported for the first time from the root. The assertion that the plant is used in traditional medicine for the management of inflammatory disorder is somewhat validated by the confirmation of the existence of the compounds with the biochemical actions. Further validation of the isolated compounds would be required in animal studies.

Therapeutic potential of tocotrienols as chemosensitizers in cancer therapy.

Chemoresistance is the adaptation of cancer cells against therapeutic agents. When exhibited by cancer cells, chemoresistance helps them to avoid apoptosis, cause relapse, and metastasize, making it challenging for chemotherapeutic agents to treat cancer. Various strategies like dosage modification of drugs, nanoparticle-based delivery of chemotherapeutics, antibody-drug conjugates, and so on are being used to target and reverse chemoresistance, one among such is combination therapy. It uses the combination of two or more therapeutic agents to reverse multidrug resistance and improve the effects of chemotherapy. Phytochemicals are known to exhibit chemosensitizing properties and are found to be effective against various cancers. Tocotrienols (T3) and tocopherols (T) are natural bioactive analogs of vitamin E, which exhibit important medicinal value and potential curative properties apart from serving as an antioxidant and nutrient supplement. Notably, T3 exhibits a variety of pharmacological activities like anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, and so on. The chemosensitizing property of tocotrienol is exhibited by modulating several signaling pathways and molecular targets involved in cancer cell survival, proliferation, invasion, migration, and metastasis like NF-κB, STATs, Akt/mTOR, Bax/Bcl-2, Wnt/ß-catenin, and many more. T3 sensitizes cancer cells to chemotherapeutic drugs including cisplatin, doxorubicin, and paclitaxel increasing drug concentration and cytotoxicity. Discussed herewith are the chemosensitizing properties of tocotrienols on various cancer cell types when combined with various drugs and biological molecules.

Oroxylin A: A Promising Flavonoid for Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Diseases.

There have been magnificent advancements in the understanding of molecular mechanisms of chronic diseases over the past several years, but these diseases continue to be a considerable cause of death worldwide. Most of the approved medications available for the prevention and treatment of these diseases target only a single gene/protein/pathway and are known to cause severe side effects and are less effective than they are anticipated. Consequently, the development of finer therapeutics that outshine the existing ones is far-reaching. Natural compounds have enormous applications in curbing several disastrous and fatal diseases. Oroxylin A (OA) is a flavonoid obtained from the plants Oroxylum indicum, Scutellaria baicalensis, and S. lateriflora, which have distinctive pharmacological properties. OA modulates the important signaling pathways, including NF-κB, MAPK, ERK1/2, Wnt/ß-catenin, PTEN/PI3K/Akt, and signaling molecules, such as TNF-α, TGF-ß, MMPs, VEGF, interleukins, Bcl-2, caspases, HIF-1α, EMT proteins, Nrf-2, etc., which play a pivotal role in the molecular mechanism of chronic diseases. Overwhelming pieces of evidence expound on the anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-cancer potentials of this flavonoid, which makes it an engrossing compound for research. Numerous preclinical and clinical studies also displayed the promising potential of OA against cancer, cardiovascular diseases, inflammation, neurological disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, etc. Therefore, the current review focuses on delineating the role of OA in combating different chronic diseases and highlighting the intrinsic molecular mechanisms of its action.

Impact of Nano-Micronutrients as Foliar Fertilization on Yield and Quality of Sugar Beet Roots.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Nanotechnology is one of the new technologies that entered almost all sides of our lives and were used in agriculture production. Nowadays, nanotechnology has expanded horizons in all fields of science. The study was aimed to investigate the response of yield and quality of sugar beet cv. Farida to foliar application of nano-microelements mixtures (Fe, Mn, Zn and B) with/without urea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two field experiments were carried out in the experimental farm of the Etsa region in Fayoum Governorate, Egypt, during the two successive seasons (2015/16 and 2016/17). Fourteen treatments of four microelements as nano form sole and in combination with urea were applied and twelve traits were studied, growth traits, Juice quality traits and yield. RESULTS: showed that the best results were found when sugar beet plants were treated with nano-microelements 200 mg L-1+ urea 1% and was ranked as the first favorable treatments for root length and diameter, dry matter per plant as root, top and sugar yields in both seasons, followed by the treatment of Nano-microelements 160 mg L-1+urea 1% for most of the traits studied. From the obtained results, Conclusion: it could be concluded that the application of nano-microelements 200 mg L-1+urea 1% treatment for significantly produced higher yields associated with improving the quality traits of sugar beet and saving the plants' needs from micronutrient and nitrogen fertilizers if this fertilizer rate has been added in the form of nanoparticles.

An efficient in vitro propagation protocol of cocoyam [Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L) Schott].

Sprouted corm sections of "South Dade" white cocoyam were potted and maintained in a greenhouse for 8 weeks. Shoot tips of 3-5 mm comprising the apical meristem with 4-6 leaf primordial, and approximately 0.5 mm of corm tissue at the base. These explants were treated to be used into the culture medium. A modified Gamborg's B5 mineral salts supplemented with 0.05 µM 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) were used throughout the study. Thidiazuron (TDZ) solution containing 0.01% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was used. Erlenmeyer flasks and test tubes were used for growing cultures. The effect of different media substrate, thidiazuron, and the interaction between TDZ and Benzylaminopurine (BAP) on cocoyam culture were tested. Results indicated that cocoyam can be successfully micropropagated in vitro through various procedures. All concentrations tested (5-20 µM BAP and 1-4 µM TDZ) produced more axillary shoots per shoot tip than the control without cytokinins. Greater proliferation rates were obtained through the use of 20 µM BAP and 2 µM TDZ, respectively, 12 weeks from initiation. Shoots produced with BAP were larger and more normal in appearance than those produced with TDZ, which were small, compressed, and stunted. The use of stationary liquid media is recommended for economic reasons.

The effects of condensed tannins extracted from different plant species on egg hatching and larval development of Teladorsagia circumcincta (Nematoda: Trichostrongylidae).

The effects of condensed tannins (CTs) extracted from five species of plants on egg hatching and larval development of Teladorsagia circumcincta (Stadelmann, 1894) (syn. Ostertagia circumcincta) were evaluated using in vitro bioassays. The extracts of CTs were obtained from Lotus pedunculatus (LP), Lotus corniculatus (LC), Dorycnium pentaphyllum (DP), Dorycnium rectum (DR) and Rumex obtusifolius (RO). The results of egg hatching assay showed that about 53%, 68%, 51%, 60% and 46% of the eggs hatched when in vitro incubations contained 900 microg/ml of CTs from LP, LC, DP, DR and RO, respectively (P < 0.001 relative to control incubation), while in control incubations (no CT added) 87% of the eggs hatched. In the larval development assay, development was allowed to proceed for 7 days, by which time 89% of the hatched larvae in control wells (no CTs) had reached the infective third stage (L3). In incubations containing 200 microg CT from LP, LC, DP, DR and RO/ml, about 8%, 15%, 14%, 8% and 4% of the eggs attained full development to L3 larvae, respectively (P < 0.001 relative to control incubation). Only 1% of the eggs were able to develop to L3 larvae in incubations containing 400 microg CT extracted from LC/ml, whilst in the incubations containing the same concentration of other CTs the eggs were not able to develop to L3 larvae. It seems that CTs are not only slowing down the larval development but also kill the undeveloped larvae. At 400 microg/ml, for example, CT from LP, LC, DP, DR and RO killed 67%, 48%, 68%, 93% and 91% of first-stage (L1) and second-stage (L2) larvae, respectively. This study shows that CTs are able to disrupt the life cycle of nematodes.