Antiproliferative activity of synthesized some new benzimidazole carboxamidines against MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells.

Breast cancer is the most endemic cause of cancer among women in both developed and developing countries. Benzimidazole derivatives exemplify one of the chemical classes that show strong cytotoxic activity especially against breast cancer cells (MCF-7). Aromatic amidine derivatives are known as a group of DNA interactive compounds that bind minor groove of the genome, especially A-T base pairs, and show significant in vitro and in vivo toxicity toward cancer cells. In light of these studies, some new mono/dicationic amidino benzimidazole derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for cytotoxic activity on cultured MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Some of these compounds have strongly inhibited MCF-7 cell viability in a dose-dependent manner compared with clinically used reference compounds, imatinib mesylate and docetaxel. Among them, 4-[(5(6)-bromo-1H-benzimidazole-2-yl)amino]benzene-1-carboxamidine (30) showed the best inhibitory activity with IC50 value of 4.6 nM.

Comparative Evaluation of Nimesulide-Loaded Nanoparticles for Anticancer Activity Against Breast Cancer Cells.

Recent clinical and epidemiological researches have declared that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents may display as antineoplastic agents and indicate pro-apoptotic and antiproliferative effects on cancer cells. The major purpose of this research was to develop a novel poly(ethyleneglycol)-block-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PEG-b-PCL) nano-sized particles encapsulated with nimesulide (NMS), a selective COX-2 inhibitor, and to evaluate its anticancer activity against MCF-7 breast cancer cells. NMS-encapsulated PEG-b-PCL nanoparticles were fabricated using three different production techniques: (i) by emulsion-solvent evaporation using a high shear homogenizer, (ii) by emulsion-solvent evaporation using an ultrasonicator, and (iii) by nanoprecipitation. Nanoparticles were evaluated with respect to the entrapment efficiency, size characteristics, drug release rates, thermal behavior, cell viability assays, and apoptosis. The resulting nanoparticles were found to be spherical shapes with negative surface charges. The average diameter of all nanoparticles ranged between 148.5 and 307.2 nm. In vitro release profiles showed that all nanoparticles exhibited a biphasic release pattern. NMS-loaded PEG-b-PCL nanoparticles demonstrated significant anticancer activity against MCF-7 breast cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner, and the effects of nanoparticles on cell proliferation were significantly affected by the preparation techniques. The nanoparticles developed in this work displayed higher potential for the NMS delivery against breast cancer treatment for the future.

Evaluation of Antioxidant Activities and Phenolic Compounds of Scorzonera latifolia (Fisch. & Mey.) DC. Collected from Different Geographic Origins in Turkey.

OBJECTIVES: The chemical composition of plants is considered to be affected by many parameters. Therefore, the region where the samples are collected is likely to have an influence on the composition of phenolic compounds, so that their biological activities. In the present study, evaluation of antioxidant activity potentials of Scorzonera latifolia (Fisch. & Mey.) DC. aerial parts and roots, which were collected from different regions of Turkey, was aimed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging method and measurement of malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were used for determining antioxidant capacities of the tested extracts. In order to observe variations in the chemical composition of the investigated samples qualitatively as well as quantitatively, high performance liquid chromatography analyses were performed. RESULTS: Quantitative analysis showed that the amounts of chlorogenic acid and hyperoside in plants vary according to the regions where the samples were collected. As a result aerial parts of the S. latifolia collected from the Kars region have found to contain higher amount of chlorogenic acid (1246.78±3.20 µg/g) as well as hyperoside (652.32±2.48 µg/g) than other samples. The highest DPPH radical scavenging activity was determined with the IC50 value of 1.036 mg/mL for S. latifolia aerial parts of Kayseri sample. MDA level was detected as the lowest with treatment of S. latifolia Bayburt root sample (4.41 nmol/mL). CONCLUSION: According to the antioxidant activity results, no significant difference was observed in the antioxidant potential between the samples collected from different locations except for S. latifolia collected from the Kars region.

The Effects of 1,3,5-trisubstituted Indole Derivatives on Cell Growth, Apoptosis and MMP-2/9 mRNA Expression of MCF-7 Human Breast Cancer Cells.

BACKGROUND: Matrix metalloproteinases are known as extracellular matrix degrading enzymes and have important role on tumor progression. OBJECTIVE: This study reports the effects of 1,3,5-trisubstituted indole derivatives on cytotoxicity, apoptosis and MMP- 2/MMP-9 mRNA expression of MCF-7 human breast carcinoma cells. METHOD: The cytotoxic effects of the compounds on MCF-7 cells were performed by MTT test, and cell proliferation was determined via BrdU incorporation. The apoptotic effects were observed by cell death detection elisa. The effects of the compounds on MMP-2/-9 enzyme activity and mRNA expression were also performed. RESULTS: The compounds inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells significantly in a dose dependent manner. All compounds were able to induce DNA fragmentation, especially compound 1. The IC50 values of compound 2 and 4 for MMP-2 were 0.42 µM and 1.88 µM, respectively. MMP-2 mRNA expression results were correlated with the inhibition of enzyme activity, such compound 4 inhibited MMP-2 mRNA expression at all treated concentrations. Docking simulation has also been performed to analyze the binding mode of compounds and the results showed that compound 2, the most active compound, formed a hydrogen bond with Glu202 for binding to the MMP-2 active site. In addition, the hydrophobic parts of compound 2 are in contact with nonpolar surface areas of MMP-2, such as His201, His211, Tyr223 and Tyr193. CONCLUSION: According to the molecular docking results along with the biological assay data, it is suggested that compound 2 might be used for further design and development of MMP-2 inhibitors.

Neopterin and hsCRP are not correlated in gestational diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: To determine serum neopterin and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels in patients with and without gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). METHODS: Neopterin and hsCRP levels were quantified in 28 women with GDM and 20 pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance (NGT). Postpartum neopterin and hsCRP levels were measured in a follow-up study. RESULTS: Neopterin levels were significantly higher in women with GDM than in women with NGT (15.89 ± 8.19 nmol/L versus 10.4 ± 3.8 nmol/L, p < 0.008, respectively), however the levels significantly decreased after delivery in GDM group (15.89 ± 8.19 nmol/L versus 11.63 ± 5.96 nmol/L, p < 0.001). hsCRP levels were not different between women with and without GDM (5.74 ± 3.91 versus 5.73 ± 3.34, p = 0.9, respectively). In contrast, hsCRP levels decreased after delivery in patients with GDM (5.74 ± 3.91 versus 3.78 ± 2.78, p < 0.01). Neopterin levels were correlated with maternal age (r = 0.3, p = 0.02) and fasting glucose (r = 0.4, p = 0.004), postprandial glucose (r = 0.3, p = 0.01), HbA1c (r = 0.3, p = 0.02), whereas hsCRP levels were correlated with pre-pregnancy (r = 0.3, p = 0.04) and pregnancy body mass index (r = 0.4, p = 0.008). No correlation between serum neopterin and hsCRP levels was found (p = 0.9). CONCLUSION: Neopterin levels increased in patients with GDM; hence, it may be related to inflammation. However, the lack of correlation between neopterin and hsCRP suggests the role of different attitudes of these two parameters in the course of pregnancy and GDM.

Cucurbitacin B Enhances the Anticancer Effect of Imatinib Mesylate Through Inhibition of MMP-2 Expression in MCF-7 and SW480 Tumor Cell Lines.

The combination of medicinal plant extracts with known chemotherapeutics offers significant potential for the development of novel therapies in cancer disease. Cucurbitacin B (CuB) is one of the most potent and widely used members of cucurbitacin family and it is known to have important effects on several diseases including cancer. To determine whether CuB can enhance chemosensitivity to imatinib mesylate (IM), in the present study, the combined effects of CuB with IM on MCF-7 and SW480 cells were investigated. The cells were treated with CuB alone or in combination with IM and the results showed that the combination treatment synergistically inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. Furthermore, the combined effect of CuB and IM on matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) gene expression, a member of MMP family which is responsible for the degradation of extracellular matrix was also evaluated. CuB increased the inhibitory effect of IM on MMP-2 expression synergistically in a dose dependent manner. The results suggest that CuB in combination with IM may serve as a potentially useful therapeutic strategy for patients with breast and colorectal cancer.

Synthesis, Biological, and Computational Evaluation of Novel 1,3,5-Substituted Indolin-2-one Derivatives as Inhibitors of Src Tyrosine Kinase.

Several substituted indolin-2-one derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their activities against Src kinase. Several compounds showed activity against Src, with IC50 values in the low micromolar range. Among them, compound 2f showed the most significant activity with an IC50 value of 1.02 µM. Molecular docking studies have been performed for evaluation of the binding modes of compound 2f into the Src active site. The docking structure of compound 2f disclosed that the indole NH forms a hydrogen bond with the carbonyl of Met341. These results suggest that our novel compound 2f is a promising compound for the further development of indole-based drugs targeting Src kinase.

Gold nanoparticle-lignan complexes inhibited MCF-7 cell proliferation in vitro: a novel conjugation for cancer therapy.

Nanoparticles, including gold nanoparticles (AuNP), have been used in imaging in cancer treatment and as therapeutic agents and drug delivery vehicles. Particularly lignans, also called phytoestrogens, have strong effects on the treatment of carcinomas due to their antiestrogenic, antiangiogenic and proapoptotic mechanism. The aim of this study is to investigate the antiproliferative effects of three lignans-AuNP conjugates, pinoresinol (PINO), lariciresinol (LARI) and secoisolariciresinol (SECO), on the MCF-7 cell lines. For this purpose, first, thiolated ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD) was synthesized to achieve a surface modification of AuNP, and then the ß-CD modified AuNP was characterized using the transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-Visible and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Then, the selected lignans were conjugated to the ß-CD-modified AuNP, and the antiproliferative effect of these conjugates was monitored. The results suggest that when compared to their non-conjugated forms, the AuNP-bound lignan conjugates prevented the proliferation of the MCF-7 cells significantly. Therefore, these AuNP-conjugated derivatives can be new candidate agents for breast cancer therapy.

Colchicine levels in chronic kidney diseases and kidney transplant recipients using tacrolimus.

BACKGROUND: Tacrolimus is a CYP3A4 inhibitor and can alter colchicine metabolism. In this study, we aimed to evaluate plasma colchicine levels in different stages of kidney disease as well as in kidney transplant (KTx) recipients using tacrolimus. METHOD: This study included six familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) patients with normal glomerular filtration rate (GFR) as controls, three patients with low GFR, six FMF patients on hemodialysis (HD), and six FMF patients who were KTx recipients using tacrolimus. After a three-d washout period, plasma colchicine levels were measured at 0 (pre-dose), one, two, four, eight, and 24 h post-dose of 1 mg oral colchicine. Area under the curve 0-24 h (AUC0-24 ) and maximum concentration (Cmax ) were evaluated and compared between the groups. RESULTS: Colchicine AUC0-24 was six-fold higher in HD (p < 0.001) and three-fold higher in KTx recipients (p < 0.001) when compared to the control. The low GFR group had mildly higher AUC0-24 than the control group. Cmax levels were also higher in HD (p = 0.011) and KTx recipient (p = 0.06) groups and mildly elevated in low GFR patients in comparison with controls. CONCLUSION: Colchicine AUC0-24 and Cmax were significantly increased in HD patients and KTx recipients using tacrolimus. Therefore, dose adjustments are needed to avoid toxicity in both circumstances.

The effect of vascular endothelial growth factor overexpression in experimental necrotizing enterocolitis.

PURPOSE: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a serious condition, predominantly observed in premature infants. We used an experimental NEC model to investigate the effects of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) cloned into a plasmid. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-four newborn Wistar albino rats were randomized equally into three groups as follows: control, NEC and NEC+VEGF. NEC was induced by hyperosmolar enteral formula feeding, exposure to hypoxia/reoxygenation and cold stress. In the NEC+VEGF group, VEGF (1 µg) incorporated into plasmid (2 µg) was administered subcutaneously once daily for a total of 3 days starting on the first day of the NEC procedure. All rats were sacrificed on the 4th day of life, and the specimens were harvested for histopathological and biochemical examinations [including tissue oxidative stress (malondialdehyde and nitric oxide), inflammation (myeloperoxidase, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha) and apoptosis (caspase-3 activity) parameters]. RESULTS: In the NEC+VEGF group, tissue malondialdehyde, nitric oxide, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha levels and caspase-3 activity were significantly decreased. In addition, the myeloperoxidase level was increased compared to that of the NEC group (p < 0.05). Histopathologically, VEGF overexpression enhanced angiogenesis, alleviated villous atrophy and tissue edema (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: VEGF overexpression with plasmids seems to be a promising approach in the management of NEC.

Annexin V expression and anti-annexin V antibodies in type 1 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Annexin V (AnxV) has potent anticoagulant properties and regulatory functions for apoptosis and inflammation. Antibodies against annexin V (anti-AnxVs) may inhibit AnxV functions, leading to thrombosis during autoimmune diseases. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease and related with an ongoing autoimmune inflammation and thrombotic complications. There is no study evaluating anti-AnxVs/AnxV in a disease setting. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the status of AnxV and anti-AnxVs in patients with type 1 diabetes. METHODS: One hundred twenty-one patients with type 1 diabetes and 92 healthy controls were included in this study. Serum levels of AnxV and anti-AnxVs and expression of the AnxV gene and its common polymorphism in Kozak sequence (-1C>T) were studied. As a functional assay, the binding capacity of AnxV to platelets was evaluated. RESULTS: As compared with controls, type 1 diabetic patients had significantly low serum AnxV levels and AnxV gene expression. The number of anti-AnxV positivity and their serum levels were significantly higher in type 1 diabetic patients than controls. AnxV binding to platelets were significantly decreased in the type 1 diabetic patients. The frequencies of the -1C>T polymorphism of AnxV gene did not differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the significant changes in AnxV levels and its function in type 1 diabetic patients. These results support the hypothesis that the defective AnxV system may have a role in ongoing autoimmune activity and the development of thrombotic complications in type 1 diabetes. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the clinical impact of anti-AnxVs and dysregulated AnxV function in type 1 diabetes.

Synthesis of new indole-2-carboxamide and 3-acetamide derivatives and evaluation their antioxidant properties.

In recent years, antioxidant compounds play an important role as a health-protecting factor. Antioxidants protect cells against the damaging effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS). An imbalance between antioxidants and ROS results in oxidative stress, which leads to cellular damage and it is linked to many vital diseases. It was shown that heme oxygenase (HO) provides efficient cytoprotection against oxidative stress. In this study, a series of indole-2-carboxamide and 3-acetamide derivatives was tested for in vitro effects on HO activity and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) inhibition. Among the synthesized compounds, N-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]-1H-indole-2-carboxamide 3 was found as the most activator of HO and N-(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl)-2-(1H-indol-3-yl)acetamide 8 was found the most potent inhibitor for DPPH at 10(-4) M concentration.

Mutations in the gene encoding the RER protein FKBP65 cause autosomal-recessive osteogenesis imperfecta.

Osteogenesis imperfecta is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous brittle bone disorder that results from defects in the synthesis, structure, or posttranslational modification of type I procollagen. Dominant forms of OI result from mutations in COL1A1 or COL1A2, which encode the chains of the type I procollagen heterotrimer. The mildest form of OI typically results from diminished synthesis of structurally normal type I procollagen, whereas moderately severe to lethal forms of OI usually result from structural defects in one of the type I procollagen chains. Recessively inherited OI, usually phenotypically severe, has recently been shown to result from defects in the prolyl-3-hydroxylase complex that lead to the absence of a single 3-hydroxyproline at residue 986 of the alpha1(I) triple helical domain. We studied a cohort of five consanguineous Turkish families, originating from the Black Sea region of Turkey, with moderately severe recessively inherited OI and identified a novel locus for OI on chromosome 17. In these families, and in a Mexican-American family, homozygosity for mutations in FKBP10, which encodes FKBP65, a chaperone that participates in type I procollagen folding, was identified. Further, we determined that FKBP10 mutations affect type I procollagen secretion. These findings identify a previously unrecognized mechanism in the pathogenesis of OI.