In vitro Anticancer Activity of the Polar Fraction From the Lophocereus schottii Ethanolic Extract.

Cancer is an increasingly common disease and is considered one of the main causes of death in the world. Lophocereus schottii (L. schottii) is a cactus used in Mexico in traditional medicine for cancer treatment. This study aimed to determine the effect of the ethanolic extract and the polar and nonpolar fractions of L. schottii in murine L5178Y lymphoma cells in vitro, analyzing their effect on the proliferative activity of splenocytes, and establishing the effective concentration 50 (EC50) of the polar fraction. In addition, the secondary metabolites present in the extracts were determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS). The study establishes that the three extracts of L. schottii have a cytotoxic effect on L5178Y cells and on the splenocytes stimulated with ConA. Additionally, the polar fraction has a significantly greater effect being three times more effective than cyclophosphamide on inhibiting the viability of L5178Y cells. Secondary metabolites present are mainly flavonoids and alkaloids, but there are also some terpenoids and sterols. Ultimately, polar fraction can be considered an anticancer substance, since its EC50 of 15 µg/mL is within the parameters established by the National Cancer Institute.

Alliin, an Allium sativum Nutraceutical, ReducesMetaflammation Markers in DIO Mice.

Obesity generates a chronic low-grade inflammatory state which promotes oxidativestress and triggers comorbidities. Alliin is the main organosulfur compound in garlic and has beenshown to induce a decrease in the expression of proinflammatory cytokines; its systemic effect onmetabolic parameters and adipose tissue is not yet known, however. After nine weeks of HFD andwith obesity established in C57BL/6 mice, we observed that a daily treatment with alliin for 3.5weeks (15 mg/kg) did not affect body weight, but significantly improved insulin sensitivity andglucose tolerance, both evaluated through a blood glucose monitoring system. Once alliin treatmentwas completed, serum, adipose tissue, and organs of interest related to metabolism were removedfor further analysis. We observed that alliin significantly decreased the size of adipocytes fromepididymal adipose tissue, evaluated via microscopy. A decrease in gene expression and serumprotein levels of the adipocytokines leptin and resistin, as well as decreased serum IL-6concentration, were detected by qRT-PCR and ELISA, respectively. It did not, however, affectmRNA expression of antioxidant enzymes in the liver. Taken altogether, these results indicate thattreatment with alliin reduces metaflammation markers in DIO mice and improves some metabolicparameters without affecting others.

Phytochemicals That Influence Gut Microbiota as Prophylactics and for the Treatment of Obesity and Inflammatory Diseases.

Gut microbiota (GM) plays several crucial roles in host physiology and influences several relevant functions. In more than one respect, it can be said that you "feed your microbiota and are fed by it." GM diversity is affected by diet and influences metabolic and immune functions of the host's physiology. Consequently, an imbalance of GM, or dysbiosis, may be the cause or at least may lead to the progression of various pathologies such as infectious diseases, gastrointestinal cancers, inflammatory bowel disease, and even obesity and diabetes. Therefore, GM is an appropriate target for nutritional interventions to improve health. For this reason, phytochemicals that can influence GM have recently been studied as adjuvants for the treatment of obesity and inflammatory diseases. Phytochemicals include prebiotics and probiotics, as well as several chemical compounds such as polyphenols and derivatives, carotenoids, and thiosulfates. The largest group of these comprises polyphenols, which can be subclassified into four main groups: flavonoids (including eight subgroups), phenolic acids (such as curcumin), stilbenoids (such as resveratrol), and lignans. Consequently, in this review, we will present, organize, and discuss the most recent evidence indicating a relationship between the effects of different phytochemicals on GM that affect obesity and/or inflammation, focusing on the effect of approximately 40 different phytochemical compounds that have been chemically identified and that constitute some natural reservoir, such as potential prophylactics, as candidates for the treatment of obesity and inflammatory diseases.

Immunomodulation and anti-inflammatory effects of garlic compounds.

The benefits of garlic to health have been proclaimed for centuries; however, only recently have Allium sativum and its derivatives been proposed as promising candidates for maintaining the homeostasis of the immune system. The complex biochemistry of garlic makes it possible for variations in processing to yield different preparations with differences in final composition and compound proportion. In this review, we assess the most recent experimental results, which indicate that garlic appears to enhance the functioning of the immune system by stimulating certain cell types, such as macrophages, lymphocytes, natural killer (NK) cells, dendritic cells, and eosinophils, by mechanisms including modulation of cytokine secretion, immunoglobulin production, phagocytosis, and macrophage activation. Finally, because immune dysfunction plays an important role in the development and progress of several diseases, we critically examined immunoregulation by garlic extracts and compounds isolated, which can contribute to the treatment and prevention of pathologies such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disorders, gastric ulcer, and even cancer. We concluded that A. sativum modulates cytokine secretion and that such modulation may provide a mechanism of action for many of their therapeutic effects.

Nitric oxide donors as neuroprotective agents after an ischemic stroke-related inflammatory reaction.

Cerebral ischemia initiates a cascade of detrimental events including glutamate-associated excitotoxicity, intracellular calcium accumulation, formation of Reactive oxygen species (ROS), membrane lipid degradation, and DNA damage, which lead to the disruption of cellular homeostasis and structural damage of ischemic brain tissue. Cerebral ischemia also triggers acute inflammation, which exacerbates primary brain damage. Therefore, reducing oxidative stress (OS) and downregulating the inflammatory response are options that merit consideration as potential therapeutic targets for ischemic stroke. Consequently, agents capable of modulating both elements will constitute promising therapeutic solutions because clinically effective neuroprotectants have not yet been discovered and no specific therapy for stroke is available to date. Because of their ability to modulate both oxidative stress and the inflammatory response, much attention has been focused on the role of nitric oxide donors (NOD) as neuroprotective agents in the pathophysiology of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. Given their short therapeutic window, NOD appears to be appropriate for use during neurosurgical procedures involving transient arterial occlusions, or in very early treatment of acute ischemic stroke, and also possibly as complementary treatment for neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson or Alzheimer, where oxidative stress is an important promoter of damage. In the present paper, we focus on the role of NOD as possible neuroprotective therapeutic agents for ischemia/reperfusion treatment.