Palmatine antioxidant and anti-acetylcholinesterase activities: A pre-clinical assessment.

There is evidence that palmatine (PA), an alkaloid isolated from the Guatteria friesiana plant, has some important biological activities, including anti-inflammatory and antidepressant effects. In this study, the antioxidant and anti-acetylcholinesterase (AChE) effects of PA were assessed. The antioxidant capacity was evaluated in vitro and in vivo through 7 distinct assays, and the anti-AChE activity was determined in vitro. The standards, trolox and ascorbic acid were used for the in vitro antioxidant test, while hydrogen peroxide was selected as a stressor for the Saccharomyces cerevisiae test. Additionally, PA was also combined with trolox and ascorbic acid to determine the likelihood of synergistic effects occurrence to what concerns to antioxidant potential. PA exhibited a potent and concentration-dependent antioxidant potential, although a stronger antioxidant activity was stated using the PA + trolox combination. PA was also found to inhibit AChE activity when compared to the negative control. Thus, PA may be viewed as a promissory phytotherapeutic agent to manage oxidative stress-mediated neurological diseases, especially the Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

An Insight into the Therapeutic Potential of Major Coffee Components.

BACKGROUND: The popular drink, coffee (Coffea arabica) is under the great attention of late because of its promising pharmacological potential. Caffeine (the major constituent of coffee) is known for its prominent psychoactive impact. This review aims at highlighting the therapeutic potentials of caffeine and other five coffee components viz. caffeic acid, chlorogenic acids, cafestol, ferulic acid and kahweol and their mechanisms of action. METHODS: An up-to-date search was made with selected keywords in PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, Scopus, The American Chemical Society and miscellaneous databases (e.g., Google Scholar) for the published literature on the selected topic. RESULTS: A number of pharmacological activities are attributed to these components that include anti-oxidant, antiinflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-microbial, anti-cancer, cardioprotective and neuroprotective effects. In addition, osteogenesis (kahweol), anti-diabetic (caffeine, chlorogenic acid and ferulic acid) and hepatoprotective (chlorogenic acid) activities have also been reported by some of these components in the scientific literature. Caffeine has also been noted for adverse effect on the development of the brain at early stages and reproductive systems. CONCLUSION: A more advanced pre-clinical and clinical trials are recommended to investigate the safety profiles of these coffee components before their use as possible therapeutics.

Cruciferous Vegetables as Antioxidative, Chemopreventive and Antineoplasic Functional Foods: Preclinical and Clinical Evidences of Sulforaphane Against Prostate Cancers.

BACKGROUND: Sulforaphane (SF, 1-isothiocyanato-4-(methyl-sulfinyl)-butane) is found in broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. METHODS: we performed a critical review on the antioxidative, chemopreventive and antitumor effects of SF from cruciferous vegetables against prostate cancers and molecular pathways. For a complete and reliable review, primary and secondary resources were used, including original and review articles, books and government documents published until March 2018. Articles that are in duplicity and disconnected are not considered for review. SF is derived from glucoraphanin (4-methyl-sulfinyl-butyl-glucosinate), being one of the most commonly found isothiocyanates in vegetables from Brassica spp., especially in broccoli samples. In vitro studies indicate that SF induces apoptosis in a dependent or non-dependent method of androgens by transcription of tumor suppressor genes, oxidation response and higher expression of phase II enzymes in prostate cancer cells. Sulforaphane also decreases transcription of the nuclear factor kB and antiapoptotic proteins, expression of cyclin D2 and survivin and DNA synthesis, increases Nrf2 gene activity, interferes with genome compacting by inhibition of histone deacetylases and disrupts Hsp90 complexes, which cause cell cycle arrest, mitosis interruption, activation of caspases and mitochondria depolarization. CONCLUSION: SF and cruciferous vegetables play antioxidative and chemopreventive role, delaying or blocking in vivo carcinogenesis, causing biochemical and epigenetic changes, preventing, delaying, or reversing preneoplastic or advanced prostate lesions, and frequently activating tumor cell death by intrinsic methods of apoptosis. These outcomes encourage the consumption of Brassica specimens, which could be easily achieved by the incorporation of food and vegetables rich in cruciferous isothiocyanates in the diet.