Carotenoids Composition of Green Algae Caulerpa racemosa and Their Antidiabetic, Anti-Obesity, Antioxidant, and Anti-Inflammatory Properties.

Green alga Caulerpa racemosa is an underexploited species of macroalgae, even though it is characterized by a green color that indicates an abundance of bioactive pigments, such as chlorophyll and possibly xanthophyll. Unlike chlorophyll, which has been well explored, the composition of the carotenoids of C. racemosa and its biological activities have not been reported. Therefore, this study aims to look at the carotenoid profile and composition of C. racemose and determine their biological activities, which include antidiabetic, anti-obesity, anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxicity in vitro. The detected carotenoids were all xanthophylls, which included fucoxanthin, lutein, astaxanthin, canthaxanthin, zeaxanthin, ß-carotene, and ß-cryptoxanthin based on orbitrap-mass spectrometry (MS) and a rapid ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) diode array detector. Of the seven carotenoids observed, it should be highlighted that ß-carotene and canthaxanthin were the two most dominant carotenoids present in C. racemosa. Interestingly, the carotenoid extract of C. racemosa has good biological activity in inhibiting α-glucosidase, α-amylase, DPPH and ABTS, and the TNF-α and mTOR, as well as upregulating the AMPK, which makes it a drug candidate or functional antidiabetic food, a very promising anti-obesity and anti-inflammatory. More interestingly, the cytotoxicity value of the carotenoid extract of C. racemosa shows a level of safety in normal cells, which makes it a potential for the further development of nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals.

Multitarget protection of Pterospartum tridentatum phenolic-rich extracts against a wide range of free radical species, antidiabetic activity and effects on human colon carcinoma (Caco-2) cells.

Pterospartum tridentatum is an edible endemic plant common in Portugal. Its flowers are used in culinary and are part of the popular medicine owing to its therapeutic properties. In this study, P. tridentatum flower infusion and hydroethanolic extracts were characterized concerning their phenolic composition and biological potential. By high-performance liquid chromatography method coupled to a diode array detector analysis were detected 13 phenolics. Genistein was the major one. Concerning the biological potential, the hydroethanolic extract was the most active against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl● and also as α-glucosidase inhibitor, while the infusion proved to be a remarkable free radical scavenger. Concerning human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) cells, it was observed that both extracts displayed dose-dependent cytotoxicity on the viability of Caco-2 cells, presenting cytotoxic selectivity for these cancer cells when compared to the NHDF normal cell line. Additionally, they also showed protective effects against oxidative stress induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide on Caco-2 cells. The obtained results suggest that these extracts may be interesting to enrich nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and food industries; however, more studies need to be done for their inclusion in pharmaceutical preparations and/or food additives. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Pterospartum tridentatum is an endemic plant commonly used in folk medicine due to its depurative and hypoglycaemic properties. For this reason, we decided to determine the phenolic content of infusion and hydroethanolic extracts of P. tridentatum and their biological potential. The obtained results proved that P. tridentatum extracts are a rich source of bioactive compounds and possess great antioxidant and antidiabetic activities, ability to protect human erythrocytes against oxidative damage, inhibiting hemolysis, hemoglobin oxidation, and lipid peroxidation, and to interfere with Caco-2 cells growth and to protect these cells when subject to tert-butyl hydroperoxide oxidative stress conditions.

Chemical constituents, antioxidant and cytotoxicity properties of Leonotis leonurus used in the folklore management of neurological disorders in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

In the present study, we evaluated the phytochemical compounds and antioxidant properties of chloroform, ethanol and acetone extracts for leaves and flowers of Leonutus leonurus (L. leonurus) alongside with their cytotoxic effects on human cervical carcinoma (HeLa) cell lines. The phytochemical compounds present in the leaves and flowers of L. leonurus included; phenolics, flavonoids and alkaloids. Their radicals scavenging effects against 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl [DPPH] 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonate) [ABTS·+], hydrogen peroxide, nitric oxide as well as metal chelating activities showed dose-dependent activities. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS) analyses revealed the presence of important bioactive compounds, which are associated with antioxidant; and the extracts exhibited toxicity effect against HeLa cells. The findings from this study divulge extracts of L. leonurus as prospective sources of antioxidant and anticancer agents; and hence, further study on their neuroprotective potentials becomes imperative.

Potential use of N-carboxyethylchitosan in biomedical applications: Preparation, characterization, biological properties.

N-carboxyethylchitosan (CECS) was successfully prepared via Michael addition reaction of chitosan (CS) with acrylic acid in water. The structure of CECS was characterized by Fourier transform Infra-Red spectrometry (FT-IR), 1HNMR, elemental analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Antibacterial activity of CECS was evaluated against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) by using minimum inhibition concentration (MIC). The results showed that the prepared CECS soluble in water at wide range of pH values. In addition, it has amorphous character improve its chemical reactivity than CS itself, in addition it has been showed stronger antibacterial activity than chitosan itself due to the presence of both -COOH and -NH2 groups and the CECS shows higher antibacterial activity towards S. aureus than E. coli. Finally, the cytotoxicity of CECS has been evaluated through Cell viability assay, which confirm that CECS is non-toxic and tissue compatible like CS.

Preparation and Characterization of Magnetic Fe3O4/CdWO4 and Fe3O4/CdWO4/PrVO4 Nanoparticles and Investigation of Their Photocatalytic and Anticancer Properties on PANC1 Cells.

Fe3O4/CdWO4 and Fe3O4/CdWO4/PrVO4 magnetic nanoparticles were prepared at different molar ratios of PrVO4 to previous layers (Fe3O4/CdWO4) via the co-precipitation method assisted by a sonochemical procedure, in order to investigate the photocatalytic performance of these systems and their cytotoxicity properties. The physico-chemical properties of these magnetic nanoparticles were determined via several experimental methods: X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy and ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflection spectroscopy, using a vibrating sample magnetometer and a scanning electron microscope. The average sizes of these nanoparticles were found to be in the range of 60-100 nm. The photocatalytic efficiency of the prepared nanostructures was measured by methylene blue degradation under visible light (assisted by H2O2). The magnetic nanosystem with a 1:2:1 ratio of three oxide components showed the best performance by the degradation of ca. 70% after 120 min of exposure to visible light irradiation. Afterwards, this sample was used for the photodegradation of methyl orange, methyl violet, fenitrothion, and rhodamine-B pollutants. Finally, the mechanism of the photocatalytic reaction was examined by releasing ˙OH under UV light in a system including terephthalic acid, as well as O2-, OH, and hole scavengers. Additionally, the cytotoxicity of each synthesized sample was assessed using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay against the human cell line PANC1 (cancer), and its IC50 was approximately 125 mg/L.

UV induced surface modification on improving the cytocompatibility of metallocene polyethylene

ABSTRACT Demand for medical implants is rising day by day as the world becomes the place for more diseased and older people. Accordingly, in this research, metallocene polyethylene (mPE), a commonly used polymer was treated with UV rays for improving its biocompatibility. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images confirmed the formation of crests and troughs, which depicts the improvement of surface roughness of mPE substrates caused by UV etching. Accordingly, the contact angle measurements revealed that the wettability of mPE-2.5 J/cm2 (68.09º) and mPE-5 J/cm2 (57.93º) samples were found to be increased compared to untreated mPE (86.84º) indicating better hydrophilicity. Further, the UV treated surface exhibited enhanced blood compatibility as determined in APTT (untreated mPE- 55.3 ± 2.5 s, mPE-2.5 J/cm2 - 76.7 ± 4.1 s and mPE-5 J/cm2 - 112.3 ± 2 s) and PT (untreated mPE - 24.7 ± 1.5 s, mPE- 2.5 J/cm2 - 34.3 ± 1.1 s and mPE-5 J/cm2 - 43 ± 2 s) assay. Moreover, the treated mPE-2.5 J/cm2 (4.88%) and mPE-5 J/cm2 (1.79%) showed decreased hemolytic percentage compared to untreated mPE (15.40%) indicating better safety to red blood cells. Interestingly, the changes in physicochemical properties of mPE are directly proportional to the dosage of the UV rays. UV modified mPE surfaces were found to be more compatible as identified through MTT assay, photomicrograph and SEM images of the seeded 3T3 cell population. Hence UV-modified surface of mPE may be successfully exploited for medical implants.