Antibacterial and antibiofilm effects of Camellia oleifera seed dreg extract and its application in cosmetics.

BACKGROUND: Cosmetic care products contain a high proportion of water and nutrients. Therefore, preventing bacterial growth is an important issue to ensure product quality and safety. The application of antibacterial natural ingredients derived from plants is considered to have the potential to maintain product quality and reduce the use of chemicals in formulations. Additionally, chemically synthesized antiseptic and antibacterial agents are widely used in the industry at present. However, some preservative ingredients have been reported that may cause skin irritation, redness, allergies, and even dermatitis. AIMS: This study aimed to prepare extract from Camellia oleifera tea seed dregs (CTSD), investigate the antibacterial effects on two pathogenic bacteria and evaluate the product preservative ability. METHODS: Ethanol extraction was prepared and subjected to characterize their triterpenoid contents. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC) were determined for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. The product's stability and preservative qualities, along with its ability to scavenge free radicals through antioxidant activity, were also assessed. RESULTS: The gram-positive S. aureus showed greater susceptibility to the treatment. In additional, CTSD possessed significant free radical scavenging activity in vitro and cultured normal human skin fibroblast CCD-966SK cells under nontoxic concentration. The challenge test and accelerated storage test confirmed the CTSD containing formulated emulsion is eligible for commercialization. CONCLUSIONS: CTSD has the potential to be developed as an alternative agent to control microbial biofilm formation, or can be used as an adjuvant compound for infectious disease control.

Tea Seed Kaempferol Triglycoside Attenuates LPS-Induced Systemic Inflammation and Ameliorates Cognitive Impairments in a Mouse Model.

(1) Background: The current research intended to obtain functional compounds from agricultural by-products. A functional tea seed flavonoid, kaempferol-3-O-[2-O-ß-d-xylopyranosyl-6-O-α-L-rhanmopyranosyl]-ß-d-glucopyranoside (KXRG), was isolated from tea seed dregs. We further determined its chemical structure and evaluated the protective effects of KXRG against local and systemic inflammation in vivo; (2) Methods: First, cytotoxicity and proinflammatory cytokine release were examined in a cell-culture system. The biological activities of KXRG were investigated in a mouse model of ear edema, and from inflammatory damage to organs as demonstrated by histologic examination, in addition to brain function evaluation using the Y-maze test. Serum biochemical analysis and western blotting were utilized to explore the related cellular factors; (3) Results: KXRG inhibited IL-6 in RAW264.7 cells at a non-toxic concentration. Further experiments confirmed that KXRG exerted a stronger effect than indomethacin in terms of the prevention of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol acetate (TPA)-induced ear inflammation in a mouse model. KXRG feeding significantly prevented LPS-induced small intestine, liver, and kidney inflammatory damage, as demonstrated by histologic examination. KXRG also significantly improved LPS-induced cognitive impairments. Serum biochemical analysis showed that KXRG elevated antioxidant capacity and reduced levels of proinflammatory cytokines. Western blotting revealed that KXRG reduced the COX-2 expression induced by LPS in mouse tissues; (4) Conclusions: KXRG can be purified from agricultural waste, and hence it is inexpensive, with large amounts of raw materials available. Thus, KXRG has strong potential for further development as a wide-use anti-systemic inflammation drug to prevent human disease.

Potentiation of Differentiation and Apoptosis in a Human Promyelocytic Leukemia Cell Line by Garlic Essential Oil and Its Organosulfur Compounds.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The clinical course of acute leukemia is complicated, and it is often necessary to combine or change treatment methods due to the rapid increase and spread of malignant cells. In this study, the potential anti-leukemia activities of prepared garlic essential oil (GEO) and some organosulfur compounds contained therein were examined. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Garlic essential oil component identification by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). MTT assay evaluated cytotoxicity of tested samples. Leukemia cell differentiation was determined by NBT assay. Apoptosis and related mechanisms were investigated by western blotting. RESULTS: GC-MS analysis confirmed that the two most abundant constituents, diallyl disulfide (DADS) and diallyl trisulfide (DATriS), constituted 80% of the composition. GEO and DADS exhibited the best effects in terms of significant production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), induction apoptosis and potentiation differentiation of human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60 cells. The GEO-mediated apoptosis was alleviated by the free radical scavenger N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC). CONCLUSION: The anti-leukemia activity of GEO and organosulfur compound DADS through the action of ROS elevation was herein confirmed.

Norcucurbitane triterpenoids from the fruits of Momordica charantia var. abbreviata.

Two new 27-norcucurbitane triterpenoids, 27-nor-3beta-hydroxy-7beta-methoxycucurbita-5,23(E)-dien-25-one (1) and 27-nor-3beta-hydroxy-5beta,19-epoxycucurbita-6,23(E)-dien-25-one (2), together with two known cucurbitane triterpenes, 23(E)-7beta-methoxycucurbita-5,23,25-trien-3beta-ol (3) and 5beta,19-epoxy-25-methoxycucurbita-6,23(E)-dien-3beta-ol (4), were isolated from the fruits of Momordica charantia var. abbreviata. Their structures were determined by analysis of spectroscopic data and comparison with the data of known analogues.

Cucurbitane-type triterpenoids from the fruit pulp of Momordica charantia.

Three new cucurbitane-type triterpenoids, 5beta,19-epoxy-23(R)-methoxycucurbita-6,24-dien-3beta-ol (1), 5beta,19-epoxy-23(S)-methoxycucurbita-6,24-dien-3beta-ol (2), and 3beta-hydroxy-23(R)-methoxycucurbita-6,24-dien-5beta,19-olide (3), were isolated from the fruit pulp of Momordica charantia. Their structures were established on the basis of extensive NMR (1H, 13C, COSY, HMQC, HMBC, and NOESY) and EI-MS studies. Compound 1 exhibited cytotoxic activity against the SK-Hep 1 cell line.