Preparation of Galipea officinalis Hancock type tetrahydroquinoline alkaloid analogues as anti-tumour agents.

The preparation of chiral tetrahydroquinolines using Ir-catalysed asymmetric hydrogenation and their possible cytotoxic potential anti-cancer activity were reported. Both of the in vitro cytotoxicity assay on a series of human cancer cell lines including A549 small cell lung cancer, MDA-MB-231 breast cancer, SaoS2 sacroma, SKHep-1 hepatoma and Hep3B hepatocellular carcinoma as well as in vivo animal model using Hep3B hepatocellular tumour xenograft on athymic nude mice suggest that 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquin-8-ol is a potential anti-tumour alkaloid which may be further developed as a novel cancer chemotherapeutic agent.

A novel green gelatin-agar microencapsulation system with P. urinaria as an improved anti-A. niger model.

In this study, a novel green microencapsulation system was used to develop Phyllanthus urinaria (PU) extract containing microcapsules. Agar was used with gelatin as the wall matrix materials of microcapsules to prevent the use of toxic crosslinker formaldehyde. Microencapsulated PU extract was developed to improve the potential antifungal activities of PU water extracts. The active components and surface morphology of PU extract containing microcapsules were analyzed by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The in vitro release study demonstrated that approximately 80% of drug was released after 120 h. PU loaded microcapsules were shown to have a stronger anti-Aspergillus niger activity than the free drug.

Thrombophilia among Chinese women with venous thromboembolism during pregnancy.

AIMS: To assess the prevalence of thrombophilia among Chinese women with venous thromboembolism (VTE) developed during pregnancy. METHODS: Based on information from a tertiary teaching unit, all recorded cases of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) during pregnancy diagnosed between 1997 and 2005, were assessed for prevalence of thrombophilia. Fifty-five healthy women, who had at least one normal pregnancy but without any previous history of VTE, were recruited as controls. RESULTS: A total of 44 subjects completed thrombophilia screening, of whom 5 (11%) were confirmed to have thrombophilia [protein C (PC) deficiency (2), protein S (PS) deficiency (1), combined PC & PS deficiency (1) and antithrombin III deficiency (1)]. Homozygous 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (C677T) gene mutation was found in 6 (14%) subjects but not in the controls. There was no antiphospholipid syndrome, activated PC resistance, factor V Leiden or prothrombin gene mutations. CONCLUSION: In the Chinese population, PS and PC deficiencies are common thrombophilia for VTE during pregnancy and thrombophilia screening should be recommended in all pregnant women who suffer from VTE.

Development of hydrocortisone succinic acid/and 5-fluorouracil/chitosan microcapsules for oral and topical drug deliveries.

Recently, we demonstrated the safety use of calendula oil/chitosan microcapsules as a carrier for both oral and topical deliveries. We also reported the improved biological activity towards skin cells and Staphylococcus aureus of phyllanthin containing chitosan microcapsules. However, the possibility of both oral and topical applications was still necessary to be further studied. Here we investigated that both oral and topical applications of chitosan-based microcapsules were tested using hydrocortisone succinic acid (HSA) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), respectively. The drug loading efficiency, particle size, surface morphology and chemical compositions of both drug loaded microcapsules were confirmed by UV-vis spectrophotometer, particle size analyzer, scanning electron microscope and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The in vitro release studies revealed that both HSA and 5-FU could be released form chitosan microcapsules. The mean adrenocorticotropic hormone concentration in HSA loaded microcapsule mice plasma was detected to be lower than that of water control. One hundred micrograms per milliliter of 5-FU containing microcapsules exhibited a stronger growth inhibition towards skin keratinocytes than that of free 5-FU. In vitro drug delivery model demonstrated the delivery of 5-FU from microcapsule treated textiles into nude mice skin. Further uses of the drug loaded microcapsules may provide an efficiency deliverable tool for both oral and topical applications.

In vivo anti-tumour activity of corilagin on Hep3B hepatocellular carcinoma.

We have investigated the potential in vivo anti-tumour activity of corilagin using the Hep3B hepatocellular carcinoma cell line and an athymic nude mice xenograft model. The purity of corilagin was confirmed by high performance liquid chromatographic analysis. Corilagin was administrated intraperitoneally for a continuous period of 7 days at a concentration of 15 mg/kg of body weight per day. A significant inhibition of tumour growth was observed when treated mice are compared with control groups. Furthermore, analysis of enzymes markers of liver function, including alanine aminotransferase and asparate aminotransferase, suggested that current therapeutic dosage of corilagin did not exert adverse effect on liver. Our observations support the view that corilagin is considerably effective to retard the in vivo growth of xenografted Hep3B hepatocellular carcinoma.

Novel use of silymarin as delayed therapy for acetaminophen-induced acute hepatic injury.

AIM: Recently, we have demonstrated that silymarin has a comparable pharmaceutical activity as Phyllanthus urinaria extract when used to rescue mice from acetaminophen-induced acute liver injury. In the present study, we further compared the therapeutic action of silymarin with N-acetyl cysteine (commonly used in clinical practice for emergency treatments) as a rescuer in mice after administering a lethal dose of acetaminophen for 24 h. METHODS: Acute liver injury was induced in the treatment groups by intraperitoneally administered acetaminophen at a dose of 550 mg/kg body weight on day 1. The control group received an equal volume of physiological saline intraperitoneally. From day 2 to 4, the treatment groups received various doses of silymarin or N-acetyl cysteine orally once daily, while the control group and the acetaminophen group received an equal volume of water orally. The mortality rate was recorded in all groups. On day 5, all mice were sacrificed for examination. RESULTS: Silymarin greatly improved the counteracting effects on mortality rate as compared to N-acetyl cysteine. CONCLUSION: Silymarin should be further considered as an antidote for patients with acetaminopheninduced acute hepatic injury and delayed treatment.

The preparation of bi-functional organophosphine oxides as potential antitumor agents.

Following our previously reported pyridinyl phosphine oxides as antitumor agents, we targeted the commercially available C(2)-axial chiral organophosphine ligand catalysts, such as 2,2'-bis(diphenylphosphino)-1,1'-binaphthyl (BINAP) 1 and 2,2',6,6'-tetramethoxy-4,4'-bis(diphenylphosphino)-3,3'-bipyridine (P-Phos) 2 as a convenient source for producing organophosphine oxides as antitumor leads. Their corresponding chiral and racemic bi-phosphine oxides 3 and 4 can be obtained easily through a simple oxidation step with hydrogen peroxide, and their antitumor activities towards human hepatocellular carcinoma Hep3B cell line were reported. We found out that compound 3 shows stronger antitumor activity than that of 4, where axial chirality cannot improve their activity. Further athymic nude mice Hep3B xenograft model demonstrates the attractive in vivo antitumor potential of 3.

Synthesis, characterization and preliminary analysis of in vivo biological activity of chitosan/celecoxib microcapsules.

The use of chitosan as the wall of microcapsule designed for delivery of encapsulated celecoxib is reported. Microcapsules were characterised with respect to size and encapsulation efficiency of celecoxib. In vivo animals demonstrated that both free celecoxib administration and chitosan/celecoxib microcapsules administration lead to a significant inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 protein expression in the hepatocytes when compared with vehicle control mice. Interestingly, microcapsule containing celecoxib showed a better inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 protein expression when compared with a simple oral administration of free celecoxib. Gas-chromatography-mass-spectrometry analysis showed that in mice treated with free celecoxib or chitosan/celecoxib microcapsules, their plasma concentration of celecoxib was similar. Microcapsules-based biomaterials as oral drug delivery vehicles may help to improve the absorption efficiency of therapeutic drugs.

Synthesis of 9,9-dialkyl-4,5-diazafluorene derivatives and their structure-activity relationships toward human carcinoma cell lines.

A homologous set of 9,9-dialkyl-4,5-diazafluorene compounds were prepared by alkylation of 4,5-diazafluorene with the appropriate alkyl bromide and under basic conditions. The structures of these simple organic compounds were confirmed by spectroscopic techniques (FTIR, NMR, and FABMS). Their biological effects toward a panel of human carcinoma cells, including Hep3B hepatocellular carcinoma, MDAMB-231 breast carcinoma, and SKHep-1 hepatoma cells, were investigated; a structure-activity correlation was established with respect to the length of the alkyl chain and the fluorene ring structure. The relationship between the mean potency [log(1/IC(50))] and alkyl chain length was systematically studied. The results show that compounds with butyl, hexyl, and octyl chains exhibit good growth inhibitory effects toward these three human carcinoma cell lines, and the 9,9-dihexyl-4,5-diazafluorene further exhibits antitumor activity in athymic nude mice Hep3B xenograft models. For the structurally related dialkylfluorenes that lack the diaza functionality, in vitro cytotoxicity was not observed at clinically relevant concentrations.

Antitumor activity of diethynylfluorene derivatives of gold(I).

A list of diethynylfluorenes and their gold(I) derivatives have been studied for their antitumor activity as a function of their structure-activity relationships. End-capping the fluoren-9-one unit with gold(I) moieties could significantly strengthen the cytotoxic activity in vitro on three human cancer cell lines with induction of reactive oxygen species generation on Hep3B hepatocellular carcinoma cells and exhibit attractive antitumor activity from in vivo nude mice Hep3B xenograft model with limited adverse effects on vital organs including liver and kidney.

Phyllanthus urinaria extract attenuates acetaminophen induced hepatotoxicity: involvement of cytochrome P450 CYP2E1.

Acetaminophen is a commonly used drug for the treatment of patients with common cold and influenza. However, an overdose of acetaminophen may be fatal. In this study we investigated whether mice, administered intraperitoneally with a lethal dose of acetaminophen, when followed by oral administration of Phyllanthus urinaria extract, may be prevented from death. Histopathological analysis of mouse liver sections showed that Phyllanthus urinaria extract may protect the hepatocytes from acetaminophen-induced necrosis. Therapeutic dose of Phyllanthus urinaria extract did not show any toxicological phenomenon on mice. Immunohistochemical staining with the cytochrome P450 CYP2E1 antibody revealed that Phyllanthus urinaria extract reduced the cytochrome P450 CYP2E1 protein level in mice pre-treated with a lethal dose of acetaminophen. Phyllanthus urinaria extract also inhibited the cytochrome P450 CYP2E1 enzymatic activity in vitro. Heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium, mercury and lead, as well as herbicide residues were not found above their detection limits. High performance liquid chromatography identified corilagin and gallic acid as the major components of the Phyllanthus urinaria extract. We conclude that Phyllanthus urinaria extract is effective in attenuating the acetaminophen induced hepatotoxicity, and inhibition of cytochrome P450 CYP2E1 enzyme may be an important factor for its therapeutic mechanism.

The preparation of 2,6-disubstituted pyridinyl phosphine oxides as novel anti-cancer agents.

A series of 2,6-dimethoxylpyridinyl phosphine oxides have been synthesized and examined for their antitumor activity. 2,6-Dimethoxy-3-phenyl-4-diphenylphosphinoylpyridine 2 has been employed as the lead compound for this study. We found out that the presence of phosphine oxide on the 2,6-dimethoxylpyridine ring is important for the antitumor activity; the presence of bromine on this core leads to a further enhancement of its antitumor activity. This is the first reported work on the antitumor activity of the 2,6-dimethoxy-3,5-dibromopyridinyl phosphine oxide 5b towards MDAMB-231 breast cancer and SKHep-1 hepatoma cell lines.

The preparation and in vitro antiproliferative activity of phthalimide based ketones on MDAMB-231 and SKHep-1 human carcinoma cell lines.

The 'one pot' condensation reaction for the synthesis and potent antiproliferative inhibition of alpha-phthalimide based ketones is reported here. 2-Phthalimide-1-(4-fluoro-phenyl)ethanone (5) showed the best growth inhibition on human MDAMB-231 breast carcinoma and SKHep-1 hepatoma cell lines. Preliminary studies showed that the reported bioactivity may be due to the presence of strong electronegative fluorine group at the para-position of the aryl ring.

In vitro cytotoxicity of (-)-EGCG octaacetate on MDAMB-231 and SKHep-1 human carcinoma cells: a pharmacological consideration on prodrug design.

Esterification of acetate with generic pharmaceutical compound has been commonly employed to produce ester prodrug for improving its potency when compared with the mother compound. Acetate, on the other hand, has been recognized to have inhibitory effect on the respiratory biochemistry. Here we demonstrate that acetate at a concentration of 400 microM exhibited significant growth inhibitory activity on two human cancer cell lines, the MDAMB-231 breast cancer and the SKHep-1 hepatoma cell lines. To establish the ester prodrug with multi-acetate ester conjugates as our experimental model, one molecule of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate was required to conjugate with eight molecules of acetate forming the corresponding (-)-epigallocatechin gallate octaacetate prodrug. Chemical structure of this epigallocatechin gallate octaacetate ester prodrug was confirmed by both 13C and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectra and mass spectrometry. Further cytotoxic assay using both MDAMB-231 and SKHep-1 human carcinoma cell lines showed that acetate at a concentration of 400 microM exhibits an additional cytotoxic effect with (-)-epigallocatechin gallate at a concentration of 50 microM, although the additional effect was not as high as (-)-epigallocatechin gallate octaacetate ester prodrug alone at a concentration of 50 microM. Our results thus raise a pharmacological consideration of using multi-acetate conjugate as the ester prodrug where the release of free acetate by esterase could be part of the explanation for the improved in vitro cytotoxicity.

Synthesis and anti-cancer activity of benzothiazole containing phthalimide on human carcinoma cell lines.

Phthalic anhydride is a highly toxic substance, facing, however, the problem of hydrolysis. In fact, it is rapidly hydrolyzed in aqueous medium, generating phthalic acid as the final product, which is almost harmless to viable cells. Here we describe the 'one pot' condensation reaction for the synthesis of phthalic imide derivative (benzothiazole containing phthalimide), exhibiting in vitro cytotoxic potential on human cancer cell lines. We further demonstrated that both caspase-dependent and -independent pathways are involved in our novel benzothiazole containing phthalimide induced apoptosis on cancer cells.

Paradoxical proliferative potential of iron (II) sulphate on cancer cells after the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) assay.

There are several scientific approaches for the determination of cellular growth influences of known or novel substances under in vitro conditions, among which colourimetric absorption measurement is considered to be one of the convenient methods. [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium] (MTS) assay is one of the commonly used colourimetric absorption assays based on the ability of dehydrogenase from viable cells to produce the brown soluble formazan detectable at 490 nm. Here we have tested the possible growth influence of iron (II) sulphate on two human cancer cell lines, the K562 chronic myelogenous leukaemia and T47D breast carcinoma cells, based on the MTS assay. We found that iron (II) sulphate possessed an inhibitory effect when added at 16- to 125-microM concentrations, but iron (II) sulphate became growth stimulatory when its concentration was further increased to 1000 microM. In addition, a dose-dependent increase in absorbance at the same wavelength was observed when we repeated the experiments without the addition of MTS and phenazine methosulfate. When we further repeated the cell growth determinations using adenosine triphosphate content assay for K562 and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay for T47D, iron (II) sulphate showed a consistent dose-dependent growth inhibitory effect. Morphological investigation after methylene blue staining clearly demonstrated that iron (II) sulphate, at a concentration of 1000 microM, is cytotoxic to T47D cells. Interestingly, a consistent increment for the absorbance at 490 nm was further observed with increased iron (II) sulphate concentration either in the presence or absence of MTS even in a cell-free environment. Thus we conclude that iron (II) sulphate is actually growth inhibitory and even cytotoxic at high concentrations towards the K562 and T47D cancer cells and the paradoxical proliferative activity of iron (II) sulphate on these two cancer cell lines using the MTS assay was solely due to the oxidation of initial pale green iron (II) to brownish iron (III) during incubation in the aqueous condition.

Synthesis and structure evaluation of a novel cantharimide and its cytotoxicity on SK-Hep-1 hepatoma cells.

A remarkable control of the potency of cantharimide is described based on the electronic properties of functional group and it exhibits a relatively less toxic effect to the non-malignant hematological disorder bone marrow cells.

Apoptogenic activity of a synthetic cantharimide in leukaemia: implication on its structural activity relationship.

Cantharidin isolated from Mylabris caraganae and other insects has been used as an anti-cancer drug in China for many years. However, its toxicity on the renal system and suppression effect on bone marrow limits its usage clinically. A synthetic analogue of cantharidin (CAN 037) has been shown to have cytotoxic effect on the SK-Hep 1 hepatoma cell line but its underlying working principle remains undefined. Here we further report the action of CAN 037 on an acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML) cell line, KG1a. [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium] (MTS) assay was used to demonstrate the cytotoxicity of CAN 037 on KG1a cells. Morphological changes of CAN 037-treated leukaemia cells were recorded under an inverted microscope. Possible activation of caspase 3, 8 and 9 from KG1a cells was also investigated. KG1a AML cells were sensitive to CAN 037. Morphological changes including cell shrinkage and loss of colony formation ability were observed. Caspase 3, 8 and 9 activity was elevated, whereas pre-incubating the KG1a cells with the generic caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk could only partially reverse the CAN 037-induced cell death. In addition to the SK-Hep-1 hepatoma cell line, CAN 037 is also effective in inducing the death of KG1a AML cells in vitro. Apoptosis is involved in the action of CAN 037 including the activation of the caspase family. Caspase-dependent cell death pathway may be necessary but not essential in CAN 037-induced apoptosis of KG1a cells. Further consideration of the structural activity relationship of CAN 037 may provide opportunities to improve its therapeutic value.

Antiproliferative ability of a combination regimen of crocodile egg extract, wild radix ginseng and natural Ganoderma lucidum on acute myelogenous leukemia.

Chinese practitioners have employed the use of traditional Chinese medicine as an anti-cancer agent since the ancient period. Different combinations have been formulated for various purposes. Some have been claimed for post-chemotherapy use but their direct actions on cancer cells may not be significantly reported. In the present study, we have tested the possible anti-leukemia potential of a combination regimen including crocodile egg extract, wild radix ginseng and natural Ganoderma lucidum (CGG extract) on acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) in vitro. A water soluble CGG extract was prepared and its antiproliferative activity was tested on the KG1a AML cell line and two freshly prepared bone marrow aspirate samples isolated from patients with de novo AML during presentation by a MTS/PMS assay. Furthermore, the possible activity of the CGG extract on the regeneration potential of KG1a cells was also investigated using a semi-solid methyl-cellulose colony formation assay. Lastly, the acute toxicity of CGG extract was further examined by a single high-dose oral feeding to rats. We found that the CGG extract could possess significant antiproliferative activity on AML cells. A strong colony formation inhibition was further demonstrated on KG1a cells. After feeding the rats with an excessive dose of CGG extract, we observed no development of acute toxicity. We concluded that the CGG extract has growth inhibitory potential on KG1a cells and AML bone marrow samples in vitro. An in vivo toxicity test revealed that no acute toxicity was observed after feeding the rats a high dosage of the CGG extract. Further animal model tests are necessary to investigate the possible chronic toxicity of the CGG extract.