Anticancer and Antibacterial Activities of Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs) Synthesized from Cucumis melo L.

The current investigation reports the structural and biological evaluation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) biosynthesized from the pericarp extract of Cucumis melo L. (muskmelon). The AgNPs were characterized by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry, XRD (X-ray diffraction), SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and EDAX (energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy). The XRD analysis showed that biosynthesized AgNPs were having FCC (face centered cubic) crystalline structures. Further, the SEM and EDAX showed spherically shaped AgNPs having an average size of 25 nm. The AgNPs effectively inhibited the growth of Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. Moreover, the cytotoxic assay of AgNPs revealed effective cytotoxicity against different cancer cells, such as HeLa, HCT-116, PC-3 and Jurkat in a dose reliant way. The cell viability was noticed to range from 50% to 60% with IC50 values ranging from 150 µg/mL to 224 µg/mL. The lower cell viability indicates the toxic effects of biosynthesized AgNPs against these malignant cells. Thus, the current study shows that these biosynthesized AgNPs could be utilized in various medical applications in near future.

D-Ring-Modified Analogues of Luotonin A with Reduced Planarity: Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Their Topoisomerase Inhibition-Associated Cytotoxicity.

A- and D-ring-modified luotonin-inspired heterocycles have been synthesized and were evaluated for their activity against the viability of four cancer cell lines in vitro, namely, MCF7, HCT116, JURKAT, and NCI-H460. The analysis of results indicated that two of the synthesized derivatives displayed good inhibition against the growth of the human colon cancer HCT116 cell line, with potencies lower than but in the same order of magnitude as camptothecin (CPT). These two luotonin analogues also showed an activity similar to that of the highly potent alkaloid CPT as inhibitors of topoisomerase I and also inhibited topoisomerase II. These results show that complete planarity is not a strict requirement for topoisomerase inhibition by luotonin-related compounds, paving the way to the design of analogues with improved solubility.

Antitumor and antioxidant status of Terminalia catappa against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma in Swiss albino mice.

OBJECTIVE: The present study was undertaken to evaluate the antitumor and antioxidant status of ethanol extract of Terminalia catappa leaves against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) in Swiss albino mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The leaves powder was extracted with Soxhlet apparatus and subjected to hot continuous percolation using ethanol (95% v/v). Tumor bearing animals was treated with 50 and 200 mg/kg of ethanol extract. EAC induced in mice by intraperitoneal injection of EAC cells 1 × 10(6) cells/mice. The study was assed using life span of EAC-bearing hosts, hematological parameters, volume of solid tumor mass and status of antioxidant enzymes such as lipid peroxidation (LPO), reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities. Total phenolics and flavonoids contents from the leaves extract were also determined. RESULTS: Total phenolics and flavonoids contents from the leaves extract were found 354.02 and 51.67 mg/g extract. Oral administration of ethanol extract of T. catappa (50 and 200 mg/kg) increased the life span (27.82% and 60.59%), increased peritoneal cell count (8.85 ± 0.20 and 10.37 ± 0.26) and significantly decreased solid tumor mass (1.16 ± 0.14 cm(2)) at 200 mg/kg as compared with EAC-tumor bearing mice (P < 0.01). Hematological profile including red blood cell count, white blood cell count, hemoglobin (11.91 ± 0.47 % g) and protein estimation were found to be nearly normal levels in extract-treated mice compared with tumor bearing control mice. Treatment with T. catappa significantly decreased levels of LPO and GSH, and increased levels of SOD and CAT activity (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: T. catappa exhibited antitumor effect by modulating LPO and augmenting antioxidant defense systems in EAC bearing mice. The phenolic and flavonoid components in this extract may be responsible for antitumor activity.