Antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Artemisia absinthium and Citrus paradisi extracts repress viability of aggressive liver cancer cell line.

BACKGROUND: Numerous reports show that herbal medicines can be utilized in the treatment of different liver disorders. In this study, antioxidant, antibacterial, and anticancer activities of individual as well as combined 80% ethanolic extracts of Artemisia absinthium leaves and Citrus paradisi peels were investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS: Values of total phenolic contents (TPC), total flavonoid contents (TFC), DPPH-radical scavenging activity, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were measured to explore the antioxidant capacity. To assess antibacterial activity, four bacterial strains (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica, and Klebsiella pneumoniae) were used. Anticancer activity was assessed on Huh-7 (liver cancer) and Vero (non-cancerous) cell lines. FRAP activity of combined plants extract was higher as compared to their individual effect; the trend did not hold in the case of DPPH-radical scavenging activity. Antibacterial activity of combined extracts by disk diffusion method was observed only against E.coli. MTT results indicated that both plants had a cytotoxic effect on Huh-7 cell line but did not show any effect on Vero cell line. Our data showed a strong negative correlation between the amount of TPC, TFC, & DPPH radicals-scavenging activity and viability of Huh-7 cell line.However, no effect was shown on the non-cancerous cell line. CONCLUSION: The ethanolic extracts of Artemisia absinthium leaves and Citrus paradisi peels can be used against liver cancer because of their antioxidant, antibacterial, and anticancer activities.

Synthesis, characterization, and pharmacological evaluation of zinc oxide nanoparticles formulation.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) are being used extensively in manufacturing skin lotions and food products and in various biological and pharmaceutical industries because of their immunomodulatory and antimicrobial properties. In this study, ZnONPs were synthesized by a precipitation method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy to investigate their structural, morphological, and optical properties. For in vivo evaluation, 40 healthy albino mice were randomly allocated to four equal groups among which the first one was the control group, while the second, third, and fourth were treated with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), a blend of CCl4 and ZnONPs, and ZnONPs alone, respectively, for 21 days. The XRD analysis confirmed hexagonal wurtzite type structures having an average crystallite size of 41.54 nm. The morphology of ZnONPs analyzed through SEM showed uniform distribution of the grains and shape of the synthesized oxide. The energy band gap of the ZnONPs was found to be 3.498 eV. Hepatic and renal damage following CCl4 administration was apparent after 14 days and was increased at the 21st day, showing nodular fibrotic masses in the liver and bumpy surfaces in the kidney as observed by gross and histological examination. Coadministration of ZnONPs (15 mg/kg b.w. intragastrically 5 days a week) significantly prevented the CCl4-dependent increases in alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, creatinine, and urea levels, suggesting a protective potential of ZnONPs.

Nanotechnology: An Emerging Therapeutic Option for Breast Cancer.

The pharmacological application of nanodevices and systems is a rapidly emerging nanotechnology that is raising new possibilities in the diagnosis and therapy of different diseases. Nanotechnology has been providing promising tools for chemotherapy especially in cancer treatment. Nanotechnology deals with physical and biochemical properties of nanoparticles in the clinical application of drugs. Targeted nanoparticle drug delivery is intended to reduce the side effects of anticancer drugs with both decreases in consumption and treatment expenses, which are the major hurdles in conventional cancer treatment. The characteristic small size and special coating of nanoparticles facilitates the delivery of hydrophobic anticancer drugs to specific sites with reduced opsonization by defense mechanisms of the body. One of the vast applications of nanotechnology is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of breast cancers. Breast cancer is associated with high morbidity and mortality and is the second leading cause of death in Western countries. A large number of nanoparticles have been developed, specifically targeting metastasized tumors of the breast. The present review focuses on the application of different types of nanoparticles including gold, polymeric, and magnetic nanoparticles in the treatment of breast cancer.

Protective potential of trachyspermum ammi seeds in gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity in rabbit model / Potencial de protección de las semillas trachyspermum ammi en la nefrotoxicidad inducida por la gentamicina en modelo de conejo

Nephrotoxicity is one of the most important side effects and therapeutic limitations of aminoglycoside antibiotics, especially gentamicin. Gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity involves free radical generation, reduction in antioxidant defense mechanism and renal dysfunction. A number of crude herbal extracts have potential to ameliorate gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity due to presence of various antioxidant compounds. Therefore the goal of current study was to evaluate the protective activity of T. ammi seeds aqueous extract against gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity in albino rabbits. The results showed that gentamicin caused severe alterations in serum biochemical parameters and kidney markers along with severe alterations in kidney tissues. However, T. ammi extract, when given along with gentamicin, reversed the severity of gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity by normalizing the indicators of kidney function e.g. serum urea, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, albumin and serum electrolyte parameters indicating the nephroprotective potential of T. ammi. Similarly the extract has ability to augment the endogenous antioxidant enzymatic machinery by increasing the activity of antioxidant enzyme catalase and by reducing the total oxidant status. Nephroprotective potential was further confirmed by the histopathological examination. Nephroprotective potential might be due to the presence of antioxidative polyphenolic compounds in aqueous extract of T. ammi seeds.

La nefrotoxicidad es uno de los efectos secundarios más importantes limitaciones terapéuticas de los antibióticos aminoglucósidos, especialmente gentamicina. La nefrotoxicidad inducida por gentamicina implica generación de radicales libres, la reducción en el mecanismo de defensa antioxidante y la disfunción renal. Una serie de extractos de hierbas crudas tienen potencial para mejorar la nefrotoxicidad inducida por gentamicina debido a la presencia de varios compuestos antioxidantes. Por lo tanto, el objetivo del presente estudio fue evaluar la actividad protectora del extracto acuoso semillas de T. ammi contra la nefrotoxicidad inducida por gentamicina en conejos albinos. Los resultados mostraron que la gentamicina causó graves alteraciones en los parámetros bioquímicos séricos y los marcadores de riñón, junto con alteraciones severas en los tejidos renales. Sin embargo, el extracto de T. ammi, cuando se administra junto con la gentamicina, invierte la gravedad de la nefrotoxicidad inducida por gentamicina por la normalización de los indicadores de la función renal, por ejemplo, urea sérica, creatinina, nitrógeno ureico en sangre, albúmina y los parámetros de electrolitos séricos que indican el potencial nefroprotector de T. ammi. Del mismo modo, el extracto tiene la capacidad para aumentar la maquinaria enzimática antioxidante endógena mediante un aumento de la actividad de la enzima antioxidante catalasa y reduciendo el estado total de oxidante. El potencial nefroprotector fue confirmado por el examen histopatológico. El potencial nefroprotector podría ser debido a la presencia de compuestos polifenólicos antioxidantes en el extracto acuoso de semillas de T. Ammi.