Phytochemical screening, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer activities on cervical cancer cell lines and aero-digestive extract of Moringa oleifera.

The phytochemical screening showed that the Moringa oleifera (MO) extract contained many compounds such as polyphenols, polyterpenes, sterols, reducing sugars, and hydrolysates tannins. The MICs of MO extract for microbial strains is 0.73 mg/ml for Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 7.5 mg/ml for Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus and 0.5 mg/ml for Candida albicans. The MO extract has an IC50 of 3.403 mg/ml has an antioxidant activity by DPPH radical scavenging. The cytotoxic activity of MO extract was evaluated by determining the content of lactate dehydrogenase released by the lysed cells. MO extract exhibited cytotoxic activity against HeLa and FaDu cell lines with an identical IC50 value of 25 µg/ml. We did not observe any remarkable decrease cytotoxic activity when these lines were exposed to the MO extract after 48 h. Our findings help to support the promising role of MO as anticancer agent and open a new challenge for studying DNA fragmentation.

Green Synthesis and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Silver Nanoparticles Based on Leaves Extract of Aphania senegalensis.

This study focuses on the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using the extract of Aphania senegalensis leaves. The extraction was done using maceration at room temperature in water for 48 h. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by IR, XRD, TEM, and SEM. The thermal stability of these nanoparticles was studied by TGA. The zeta potential was used to define the size, charge distribution, and stability of the nanoparticles. Optimization reactions were carried out based on reaction time, pH, and temperature. The nanoparticles obtained from optimal conditions were evaluated on induced inflammation. The determination of the average diameters and geometry of nanoparticles was carried out by XRD by calculating the lattice constants, and they are between 18.11 and 50 nm. The evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity showed that the nanoparticles are 10 times more active than the extract of Aphania senegalensis leaves. Minimum doses of 10 mg/kg orally and 3 mg/kg were obtained for the plant extract, respectively. These results are promising for the possibility of AgNPs to be used for the treatment of inflammation.

Effects of plant extracts and derivatives on cardiac K+, Nav, and Cav channels: a review.

Natural products (NPs) are endless sources of compounds for fighting against several pathologies. Many dysfunctions, including cardiovascular disorders, such as cardiac arrhythmias have their modes of action regulation of the concentration of electrolytes inside and outside the cell targeting ion channels. Here, we highlight plant extracts and secondary metabolites' effects on the treatment of related cardiac pathologies on hERG, Nav, and Cav of cardiomyocytes. The natural product's pharmacology of expressed receptors like alpha-adrenergic receptors causes an influx of Ca2+ ions through receptor-operated Ca2+ ion channels. We also examine the NPs associated with cardiac contractions such as myocardial contractility by reducing the L-type calcium current and decreasing the intracellular calcium transient, inhibiting the K+ induced contractions, decreasing amplitude of myocyte shortening and showed negative ionotropic and chronotropic effects due to decreasing cytosolic Ca2+. We examine whether the NPs block potassium channels, particular the hERG channel and regulatory effects on Nav1.7.

Potential of several triazene derivatives against DENGUE viruses.

Dengue fever is an infectious disease caused by the dengue virus (DENV), an RNA Flavivirus transmitted by the mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus widespread in tropical, subtropical and also temperate regions. Symptoms range from a simple cold to a severe, life-threatening haemorrhagic fever. According to the WHO, it affects around 390 million people per year. No antiviral treatment for DENV is available, and the Dengvaxia vaccine is only intended for people over 9 years of age who have contracted dengue one time in the past, and shows serotype-specific effectiveness. There is therefore a crying need to discover new molecules with antiviral power against flaviviruses. The present study was carried out to evaluate the anti-DENV activities and cytotoxicity of triazenes obtained by diazocopulation. Some triazenes were highly cytotoxic (16, and 25) to hepatocarcinoma Huh7 cells, whereas others displayed strong anti-DENV potential. The antiviral activity ranged from EC50 = 7.82 µM to 48.12 µM in cellulo, with a selectivity index (CC50/EC50) greater than 9 for two of the compounds (10, and 20). In conclusion, these new triazenes could serve as a lead to develop and optimize drugs against DENV.

Chemical Constituents and Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Essential Oil from Dried Seeds of Xylopia aethiopica.

The study aimed to investigate the chemical composition and antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the essential oil from dried seeds of Xylopia aethiopica. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC/FID and GC/MS. The essential oil yield was 1.35%. Forty-nine compounds were identified in the essential oil with 1,8-cineole (16.3%), ß-pinene (14.8%), trans-pinocarveol (9.1%), myrtenol (8.3%), α-pinene (5.9%), and terpinen-4-ol (5.6%) as major components. The antimicrobial activity of this essential oil was studied using disk diffusion and broth microdilution methods on four bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and one fungus (Candida albicans). The essential oil exhibited excellent activity against S. aureus, E. faecalis, and C. albicans and moderate activity against E. coli. Among all strains tested, C. albicans showed the best sensitivity with a MIC of 50 mg/mL. The antioxidant activity was examined using a DPPH-free radical scavenging assay. The essential oil of X. aethiopica showed low antioxidant activity (IC50 = 784.604 ± 0.320 mg/mL) compared to that of ascorbic acid and the reference compound (IC50 = 0.163 ± 0.003 mg/mL). The results indicate that consumption of X. aethiopica seeds can reduce the virulence of food-borne pathogens and their resistance to antibiotics.

Syntheses and crystal structure of 4-[(pyridin-3-yl)diazen-yl]morpholine and 1-[(pyridin-3-yl)diazen-yl]-1,2,3,4-tetra-hydro-quinoline.

Two new heterocyclic 1,2,3-triazenes were synthesized by diazo-tation of 3-amino-pyridine following respectively by coupling with morpholine or 1,2,3,4-tetra-hydro-quinoline. 4-[(Pyridin-3-yl)diazen-yl]morpholine (I), C9H12N4O, has monoclinic P21/c symmetry at 100 K, while 1-[(pyridin-3-yl)diazen-yl]-1,2,3,4-tetra-hydro-quinoline (II), C14H14N4, has monoclinic P21/n symmetry at 100 K. These 1,2,3-triazene derivatives were synthesized by the organic medium method by coupling reactions of 3-amino-pyridine with morpholine and 1,2,3,4-tetra-hydro-quinoline, respectively, and characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, IR, mass spectrometry, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The mol-ecule of compound I consists of pyridine and morpholine rings connected by an azo moiety (-N=N-). In the mol-ecule of II, the pyridine ring and the 1,2,3,4-tetra-hydro-quinoline unit are also connected by an azo moiety. The double- and single-bond distances in the triazene chain are comparable for the two compounds. In both crystal structures, the mol-ecules are connected by C-H⋯N inter-actions, forming infinite chains for I and layers parallel to the bc plane for II.

A Novel HPLC Method for Direct Detection of Nitric Oxide Scavengers from Complex Plant Matrices and Its Application to Aloysia triphylla Leaves.

The present study aimed at developing an original pre-column HPLC assay allowing rapid characterization of nitric oxide (NO) scavengers from complex plant extracts. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP) was employed as a NO donor and spiked with an aqueous extract from Aloysia triphylla leaves prior to HPLC analysis. Relying on the ability of radical scavenging constituents to be oxidized upon reaction with radicals, this assay successfully allowed direct identification of three potential NO scavengers, including verbascoside, isoverbascoside, and luteolin-7-O-diglucuronide. These three phenolics were also individually assessed for their NO scavenging activities by using a Griess colorimetric assay. With respective IC50 values of 56 ± 4, 51 ± 3, and 69 ± 5 µg/mL, verbascoside, isoverbascoside, and luteolin-7-O-diglucuronide were all reported as potent NO scavenging compounds, confirming the efficiency of the SNP spiking HPLC assay. The present method can, thus, be considered as a valuable and effective approach for speeding up the discovery of NO scavenging constituents.