The Management of Diabetes Mellitus Using Medicinal Plants and Vitamins.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a serious chronic metabolic disease that is associated with hyperglycemia and several complications including cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease. DM is caused by high levels of blood sugar in the body associated with the disruption of insulin metabolism and homeostasis. Over time, DM can induce life-threatening health problems such as blindness, heart disease, kidney damage, and stroke. Although the cure of DM has improved over the past decades, its morbidity and mortality rates remain high. Hence, new therapeutic strategies are needed to overcome the burden of this disease. One such prevention and treatment strategy that is easily accessible to diabetic patients at low cost is the use of medicinal plants, vitamins, and essential elements. The research objective of this review article is to study DM and explore its treatment modalities based on medicinal plants and vitamins. To achieve our objective, we searched scientific databases of ongoing trials in PubMed Central, Medline databases, and Google Scholar websites. We also searched databases on World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform to collect relevant papers. Results of numerous scientific investigations revealed that phytochemicals present in medicinal plants (Allium sativum, Momordica charantia, Hibiscus sabdariffa L., and Zingiber officinale) possess anti-hypoglycemic activities and show promise for the prevention and/or control of DM. Results also revealed that intake of vitamins C, D, E, or their combination improves the health of diabetes patients by reducing blood glucose, inflammation, lipid peroxidation, and blood pressure levels. However, very limited studies have addressed the health benefits of medicinal plants and vitamins as chemo-therapeutic/preventive agents for the management of DM. This review paper aims at addressing this knowledge gap by studying DM and highlighting the biomedical significance of the most potent medicinal plants and vitamins with hypoglycemic properties that show a great potential to prevent and/or treat DM.

Pharmacological Effects of Cisplatin Combination with Natural Products in Cancer Chemotherapy.

Cisplatin and other platinum-based drugs, such as carboplatin, ormaplatin, and oxaliplatin, have been widely used to treat a multitude of human cancers. However, a considerable proportion of patients often relapse due to drug resistance and/or toxicity to multiple organs including the liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, and the cardiovascular, hematologic, and nervous systems. In this study, we sought to provide a comprehensive review of the current state of the science highlighting the use of cisplatin in cancer therapy, with a special emphasis on its molecular mechanisms of action, and treatment modalities including the combination therapy with natural products. Hence, we searched the literature using various scientific databases., such as MEDLINE, PubMed, Google Scholar, and relevant sources, to collect and review relevant publications on cisplatin, natural products, combination therapy, uses in cancer treatment, modes of action, and therapeutic strategies. Our search results revealed that new strategic approaches for cancer treatment, including the combination therapy of cisplatin and natural products, have been evaluated with some degree of success. Scientific evidence from both in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrates that many medicinal plants contain bioactive compounds that are promising candidates for the treatment of human diseases, and therefore represent an excellent source for drug discovery. In preclinical studies, it has been demonstrated that natural products not only enhance the therapeutic activity of cisplatin but also attenuate its chemotherapy-induced toxicity. Many experimental studies have also reported that natural products exert their therapeutic action by triggering apoptosis through modulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and p53 signal transduction pathways and enhancement of cisplatin chemosensitivity. Furthermore, natural products protect against cisplatin-induced organ toxicity by modulating several gene transcription factors and inducing cell death through apoptosis and/or necrosis. In addition, formulations of cisplatin with polymeric, lipid, inorganic, and carbon-based nano-drug delivery systems have been found to delay drug release, prolong half-life, and reduce systemic toxicity while other formulations, such as nanocapsules, nanogels, and hydrogels, have been reported to enhance cell penetration, target cancer cells, and inhibit tumor progression.

Vernonia calvoana Shows Promise towards the Treatment of Ovarian Cancer.

The treatment for ovarian cancers includes chemotherapies which use drugs such as cisplatin, paclitaxel, carboplatin, platinum, taxanes, or their combination, and other molecular target therapies. However, these current therapies are often accompanied with side effects. Vernonia calvoana (VC) is a valuable edible medicinal plant that is widespread in West Africa. In vitro data in our lab demonstrated that VC crude extract inhibits human ovarian cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting its antitumor activity. From the VC crude extract, we have generated 10 fractions and VC fraction 7 (F7) appears to show the highest antitumor activity towards ovarian cancer cells. However, the mechanisms by which VC F7 exerts its antitumor activity in cancer cells remain largely unknown. We hypothesized that VC F7 inhibits cell proliferation and induces DNA damage and cell cycle arrest in ovarian cells through oxidative stress. To test our hypothesis, we extracted and fractionated VC leaves. The effects of VC F7 were tested in OVCAR-3 cells. Viability was assessed by the means of MTS assay. Cell morphology was analyzed by acridine orange and propidium iodide (AO/PI) dye using a fluorescent microscope. Oxidative stress biomarkers were evaluated by the means of lipid peroxidation, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase assays, respectively. The degree of DNA damage was assessed by comet assay. Cell cycle distribution was assessed by flow cytometry. Data generated from the MTS assay demonstrated that VC F7 inhibits the growth of OVCAR-3 cells in a dose-dependent manner, showing a gradual increase in the loss of viability in VC F7-treated cells. Data obtained from the AO/PI dye assessment revealed morphological alterations and exhibited characteristics such as loss of cellular membrane integrity, cell shrinkage, cell membrane damage, organelle breakdown, and detachment from the culture plate. We observed a significant increase (p < 0.05) in the levels of malondialdhyde (MDA) production in treated cells compared to the control. A gradual decrease in both catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities were observed in the treated cells compared to the control. Data obtained from the comet assay showed a significant increase (p < 0.05) in the percentages of DNA cleavage and comet tail length. The results of the flow cytometry analysis indicated VC F7 treatment caused cell cycle arrest at the S-phase checkpoint. Taken together, our results demonstrate that VC F7 exerts its anticancer activity by inhibiting cell proliferation, inducing DNA damage, and causing cell cycle arrest through oxidative stress in OVAR-3 cells. This finding suggests that VC F7 may be a potential alternative dietary agent for the prevention and/or treatment of ovarian cancer.

Health and Racial Disparity in Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer is the most common noncutaneous malignancy and the second most lethal form of cancer among women in the United States. It currently affects more than one in ten women worldwide. The chance for a female to be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime has significantly increased from 1 in 11 women in 1975 to 1 in 8 women (Altekruse, SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2007. National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, 2010). This chance for a female of being diagnosed with cancer generally increases with age (Howlader et al, SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2010. National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, 2013). Fortunately, the mortality rate from breast cancer has decreased in recent years due to increased emphasis on early detection and more effective treatments in the White population. Although the mortality rates have declined in some ethnic populations, the overall cancer incidence among African American and Hispanic population has continued to grow. The goal of the work presented in this book chapter is to highlight similarities and differences in breast cancer morbidity and mortality rates among non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black populations. This book chapter also provides an overview of breast cancer, racial/ethnic disparities in breast cancer, breast cancer incidence and mortality rate linked to hereditary, major risk factors of breast cancer among minority population, breast cancer treatment, and health disparity. A considerable amount of breast cancer treatment research have been conducted, but with limited success for African Americans compared to other ethnic groups. Therefore, new strategies and approaches are needed to promote breast cancer prevention, improve survival rates, reduce breast cancer mortality, and ultimately improve the health outcomes of racial/ethnic minorities. In addition, it is vital that leaders and medical professionals from minority population groups be represented in decision-making in research so that racial disparity in breast cancer can be well-studied, fully addressed, and ultimately eliminated in breast cancer.

State of the science review of the health effects of inorganic arsenic: Perspectives for future research.

Human exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs) is a global health issue. Although there is strong evidence for iAs-induced toxicity at higher levels of exposure, many epidemiological studies evaluating its effects at low exposure levels have reported mixed results. We comprehensively reviewed the literature and evaluated the scientific knowledge on human exposure to arsenic, mechanisms of action, systemic and carcinogenic effects, risk characterization, and regulatory guidelines. We identified areas where additional research is needed. These priority areas include: (1) further development of animal models of iAs carcinogenicity to identify molecular events involved in iAs carcinogenicity; (2) characterization of underlying mechanisms of iAs toxicity; (3) assessment of gender-specific susceptibilities and other factors that modulate arsenic metabolism; (4) sufficiently powered epidemiological studies to ascertain relationship between iAs exposure and reproductive/developmental effects; (5) evaluation of genetic/epigenetic determinants of iAs effects in children; and (6) epidemiological studies of people chronically exposed to low iAs concentrations.

Therapeutic Mechanisms of Vernonia amygdalina Delile in the Treatment of Prostate Cancer.

Prostate cancer patients have been suffering from limited treatment options due to late diagnosis, poor drug tolerance, and multi-drug resistance to almost all the current drug treatments. Therefore, it is important to seek a new alternative therapeutic medicine that can effectively prevent the disease and even eradicate the progression and metastasis of prostate cancer. Vernonia amygdalina Delile (VAD) is a common edible vegetable in Cameroon that has been used as a traditional medicine for some human diseases. However, to the best of our knowledge, no previous reports have explored its therapeutic efficacy against human prostate cancer. The objective of the present study was to assess the anticancer activities of VAD methanolic extracts in the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer using human androgen-independent prostate cancer (PC-3) cells as a test model. To achieve our objective, PC-3 cells were treated with various doses of VAD for 48 h. Data generated from the trypan blue test and MTT assay demonstrated that VAD extracts exhibited significant growth-inhibitory effects on PC-3 cells. Collectively, we established for the first time the antiproliferative effects of VAD on PC-3 cells, with an IC50 value of about 196.6 µg/mL. Further experiments, including cell morphology, lipid peroxidation and comet assays, and apoptosis analysis showed that VAD caused growth-inhibitory effects on PC-3 cells through the induction of cell growth arrest, DNA damage, apoptosis, and necrosis in vitro and may provide protection from oxidative stress diseases as a result of its high antioxidant content. These results provide useful data on the anticancer activities of VAD for prostate cancer and demonstrate the novel possibilities of this medicinal plant for developing prostate cancer therapies.

Basic apoptotic and necrotic cell death in human liver carcinoma (HepG2 ) cells induced by synthetic azamacrocycle.

Treatment of diseases with synthetic materials has been an aspiration of mankind since the dawn of human development. In this research, three complex compounds of azamacrocycle (TD1, TD2, and TD3) were synthesized, and experiments were conducted to determine whether their toxicity to human liver carcinoma (HepG2 ) cells is associated with apoptotic and/or necrotic cell death. Cell survival was determined by MTT assay. Apoptosis and necrosis were measured by annexin V FITC/PI assay using the flow cytometry and by propidium iodide (PI) assay using the cellometer vision. HepG2 cells were treated with different concentrations of azamacrocycles for 48 h. Results from MTT assay indicated that all the three azamacrocycles significantly (p < 0.05) reduce cell viability in a dose-dependent manner, showing 48 h-LD50 values of about 37.97, 33.60, and 19.29 µM, for TD3, TD1 and TD2, respectively. Among the three compounds tested, TD2 showed the most pronounced cytotoxic activity against HepG2 cells, being about twofold more potent than TD3. The order of toxicity was TD2 > TD1 > TD3. Because TD2 exerted the most cytotoxic activity against HepG2 cells, it was used in the subsequent apoptosis and necrosis-related experiments. The flow cytometry assessment showed a strong dose-response relationship with regard to TD2 exposure and annexin V/PI positive cells. PI assay data indicated that TD2 exposure increased the proportion of fluorescence positive cells. Overall, our results indicate that azamacrocycle toxicity to HepG2 cells is associated with apoptotic and necrotic cell death resulting from phosphatidylserine externalization and loss of membrane integrity.

Involvement of oxidative stress in methyl parathion and parathion-induced toxicity and genotoxicity to human liver carcinoma (HepG2) cells.

Methyl parathion (C8H10NO5PS) and parathion (C10H14 NO5PS) are both organophosphate insecticides (OPI) widely used for household and agricultural applications. They are known for their ability to irreversibly inhibit acetylcholinesterase which often leads to a profound effect on the nervous system of exposed organisms. Many recently published studies have indicated that human exposure to OPI may be associated with neurologic, hematopoietic, cardiovascular, and reproductive adverse effects. Studies have also linked OPI exposure to a number of degenerative diseases including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Also, oxidative stress (OS) has been reported as a possible mechanism of OPI toxicity in humans. Hence, the aim of the present investigation was to use human liver carcinoma (HepG2) cells as a test model to evaluate the role of OS in methyl parathion- and parathion-induced toxicity. To achieve this goal, we performed the MTT [3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay for cell viability, lipid peroxidation assay for malondialdehyde (MDA) production, and Comet assay for DNA damage, respectively. Results from MTT assay indicated that methyl parathion and parathion gradually reduce the viability of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner, showing 48 h-LD50 values of 26.20 mM and 23.58 mM, respectively. Lipid peroxidation assay resulted in a significant increase (P < 0.05) of MDA level in methyl parathion- and parathion-treated HepG2 cells compared with controls, suggesting that OS plays a key role in OPI-induced toxicity. Comet assay indicated a significant increase in genotoxicity at higher concentrations of OPI exposure. Overall, we found that methyl-parathion is slightly less toxic than parathion to HepG2 cells. The cytotoxic effect of these OPI was found to be associated, at least in part, with oxidative cell/tissue damage.

Health Promotion and Racial Disparity in COVID-19 Mortality Among African American Populations.

COVID-19, known as Coronavirus Disease 2019, is a major health issue resulting from novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Its emergence has posed a significant menace to the global medical community and healthcare system across the world. Notably, on December 12, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the utilization of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. As of July 31, 2022, the United Stated has witnessed over 91.3 million cases of COVID-19 and nearly 1.03 million fatalities. An intriguing observation is the recent reduction in the mortality rate of COVID-19, attributed to an augmented focus on early detection, comprehensive screening, and widespread vaccination. Despite this positive trend in some demographics, it is noteworthy that the overall incidence rates of COVID-19 among African American and Hispanic populations have continued to escalate, even as mortality rates have decreased. Therefore, the objective of this research study is to present an overview of COVID-19, spotlighting the disparities among different racial and ethnic groups. It also delves into the management of COVID-19 within the minority populations. To reach our research objective, we used a publicly available COVID-19 dataset from kaggle:https://www.kaggle.com/datasets/paultimothymooney/covid19-cases-and-deaths-by-race. In addition, we obtained COVID-19 datasets from 10 different states with the highest proportion of African American populations. Many considerable strikes have been made in COVID-19. However, success rate of treatment in the African American population remains relatively limited when compared to other ethnic groups. Hence, there arises a pressing need for novel strategies and innovative approaches to not only encourage prevention measures against COVID-19, but also to increase survival rates, diminish mortality rates, and ultimately improve the health outcomes of ethnic and racial minorities.

Vernonia amygdalina Delile Induces Apoptotic Effects of PC3 Cells: Implication in the Prevention of Prostate Cancer.

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the common cancers in males and its incidence keeps increasing globally. Approximately 81% of PCa is diagnosed during the early stage of the disease. The treatment options for prostate care include surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, but these treatments often have side effects that may lead to issues such as impotence or decreased bowel function. Our central goal is to test the apoptotic effects of Vernonia amygdalina Delile (an edible medicinal plant that is relatively inexpensive, nontoxic, and virtually without side effects) for the prevention of PCa using human adenocarcinoma (PC-3) cells as a test model. Methods: To address our central goal, PC-3 cells were treated with Vernonia amygdalina Delile (VAD). Cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis were evaluated by Flow Cytometry assessment. Nucleosomal DNA fragmentation was detected by agarose gel electrophoresis. Results: Flow cytometry data showed that VAD induced cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 checkpoint and significantly upregulated caspase-3 in treated cells compared to the control cells. Agarose gel electrophoresis resulted in the formation of DNA ladders in VAD-treated cells. Conclusions: These results suggest that inhibition of cancer cell growth, induction of cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis through caspase-3 activation and nucleosomal DNA fragmentation are involved in the therapeutic mechanisms of VAD as a candidate drug towards the prevention and/or treatment of PCa.

Improving Invasive Breast Cancer Care Using Machine Learning Technology.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy in women worldwide. In the United States, the lifetime risk of developing an invasive form of breast cancer is 12.5% among women. BC arises in the lining cells (epithelium) of the ducts or lobules in the glandular tissue of the breast. The goal of the present study was to use machine learning (ML) as a novel technology to assess and compare the invasive forms of BC including, infiltrating ductal carcinoma, infiltrating lobular carcinoma, and mucinous carcinoma. To achieve this goal, we used ML algorithms and collected a dataset of 334 BC patients available at https://www.kaggle.com/amandam1/breastcancerdataset and interpreted this dataset based on the form of BC, age, sex, tumor stages, surgery type, and survival rate. Among the 334 patients, 70% were diagnosed with infiltrating ductal carcinoma, 27% with infiltrating lobular carcinoma, and 3% with mucinous carcinoma. Overall, out of 334 BC patients: 64 (19.16%) were in stage I, 189 (56.59%) in stage II, and 81 (24.25%) in stage III. Sixty-six, 67, 96, and 105 patients underwent lumpectomy, simple mastectomy, modified radical mastectomy, and other types of surgery, respectively. The survival rates were 83.4% for stage I, 79.1% for stage II, and 77% for stage III. Findings from the present study demonstrated that ML provides an important tool to curate large amount of BC data, as well as a scientific means to improve BC outcomes.

Application of Machine Learning Algorithms in Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Classification.

Breast cancer continues to be the most frequent cancer in females, affecting about one in 8 women and causing the highest number of cancer-related deaths in females worldwide despite remarkable progress in early diagnosis, screening, and patient management. All breast lesions are not malignant, and all the benign lesions do not progress to cancer. However, the accuracy of diagnosis can be increased by a combination or preoperative tests such as physical examination, mammography, fine-needle aspiration cytology, and core needle biopsy. Despite some limitations, these procedures are more accurate, reliable, and acceptable, when compared with a single adopted diagnostic procedure. Recent studies have shown that breast cancer can be accurately predicted and diagnosed using machine learning (ML) technology. The objective of this study was to explore the application of ML approaches to classify breast cancer based on feature values generated from a digitized image of a fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of a breast mass. To achieve this objective, we used ML algorithms, collected a scientific dataset of 569 breast cancer patients from Kaggle (https://www.kaggle.com/uciml/breast-cancer-wisconsin-data), analyze and interpreted the data based on ten real-valued features of a breast mass FNA including the radius, texture, perimeter, area, smoothness, compactness, concavity, concave points, symmetry, and fractal dimension. Among the 569 patients tested, 63% were diagnosed with benign breast cancer and 37% were diagnosed with malignant breast cancer. Benign tumors grow slowly and do not spread while malignant tumors grow rapidly and spread to other parts of the body.

Pharmacological Effects of Selected Medicinal Plants and Vitamins Against COVID-19.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). It is a serious disease that has caused multiple deaths in various countries in the world. Globally, as of May 23, 2021, the total confirmed cases of COVID-19 have reach 166,346,635 with a total of 3,449,117 deaths. Several recent scientific studies have shown that medicinal plants and vitamins can benefit and improve the health of COVID-19 patients. However, the benefits of medicinal plants and vitamins in the treatment of COVID-19 remain unproven. Therefore, the objective of this article is to expounds the benefits of using medicinal plants (Allium sativum, curcumin, Nigella sativa, Zingiber officitale) and vitamins (vitamin C and vitamin D) that possess the antiviral properties for the prevention and/or control of COVID-19. To reach our objective, we searched scientific databases of ongoing trials in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention websites, PubMed Central, Medline databases, and Google Scholar websites. We also searched databases on World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform to collect relevant papers. We found that all of the selected medicinal plants and vitamins possess antiviral activities, and their individual intake shows promise for the prevention and/or control of COVID-19. We conclude that, the selected medicinal plants and vitamins possess anti-viral properties that are more likely to prevent and/or disrupt the SARS-CoV-2 replication cycle, enhance the human immune system and promote good health.

Chemo-Preventive Effect of Vegetables and Fruits Consumption on the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a new disease caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It is a global pandemic that has claimed the death of 1,536,957 human beings worldwide including 287,842 deaths in the United States as of December 3, 2020. It has become a major threat to the medical community and the entire healthcare system in every part of the world. Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the emergency use of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on December 12, 2020. However, there are concern about the new COVID-19 vaccine safety, efficacy, and immunity after the vaccination. In addition, both coronavirus and COVID-19 vaccine are new at this point and there is no scientific evidence to know whether people who are vaccinated can still carry the COVID 19 pathogens and pass them along to others. Therefore, many people all over the world have an increased interest in consuming more VF for the purpose of maintaining their health and boosting their immune system. Identifying novel antiviral agents for COVID-19 is of critical importance, and VF is an excellent source for drug discovery and therapeutic development. The objective of this study is to test the hypothesis that a high intake of vegetables and/or fruits prevents COVID-19 incidence and reduces the mortality rate. To achieve this objective, we collected the diet data of COVID-19 from Kaggle (https://www.kaggle.com/mariaren/covid19-healthy-diet-dataset), and used a machine-learning algorithm to examine the effects of different food types on COVID-19 incidences and deaths. Specifically, we used the feature selection method to identify the factors (e.g., diet-related factors) that contribute to COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. Data generated from the study demonstrated that VF intake can help to combat the SARS-CoV-2. Taken together, VF may be potential chemopreventive agents for COVID-19 due to their antiviral properties and their ability to boost the human body immune system.

N-acetyl-cysteine protects against DNA damage associated with lead toxicity in HepG2 cells.

Lead toxicity has been associated with its ability to interact and damage DNA. However, its molecular mechanisms of action are not fully understood. In vitro studies in our laboratory indicated that lead nitrate (PbNO3) induces cytotoxicity and oxidative stress to human liver carcinoma (HepG2) cells in a dose-dependent manner. In this research, we hypothesized that n-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), a known antioxidant compound, affords protection against lead-induced cell death associated with genotoxic damage. To test this hypothesis, HepG2 cells were treated either with a physiologic dose of NAC, NAC plus PbNO3, or PbNO3 alone, followed by incubation in humidified 5% CO2 incubator at 37 degrees C for 48 hr. The cell viability was determined by trypan blue exclusion test. The degree of DNA damage was detected by micro gel electrophoresis (comet) assay. Our results showed that lead exposure induces a substantial cytotoxicity as well as a significant genotoxicity to HepG2 cells. However, co-treatment with a physiologic dose (500 microM) of NAC slightly increases cell viability, and significantly reduced (P < .05) the degree of DNA damage. Hence, NAC treatment may be a promising therapeutic candidate for chemoprevention against lead toxicity, based on its ability to scavenge free radicals.

Malathion-induced oxidative stress, cytotoxicity, and genotoxicity in human liver carcinoma (HepG2) cells.

Malathion is an organophosphate pesticide that is known for its high toxicity to insects and low to moderate potency to humans and other mammals. Its toxicity has been associated with the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase activity, leading to the interference with the transmission of nerve impulse, accumulation of acetylcholine at synaptic junctions, and subsequent induction of adverse health effects including headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, bradycardia, and miosis. Oxidative stress (OS) has been reported as a possible mechanism of malathion toxicity in humans. Hence, the aim of this study was to examine the role of OS in malathion-induced cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. To achieve this goal, MTT, lipid peroxidation, and single cell gel electrophoresis (Comet) assays were performed, respectively, to evaluate the levels of cell viability, malondialdehyde (MDA) production, and DNA damage in human liver carcinoma (HepG(2)) cells. Study results indicated that malathion is mitogenic at lower levels of exposure, and cytotoxic at higher levels of exposure. Upon 48 h of exposure, the average percentages of cell viability were 100% +/- 11%, 117% +/- 15%, 86% +/- 15%, 35% +/- 9%, and 27% +/- 7% for 0, 6, 12, 18, and 24 mM, respectively. In the lipid peroxidation assay, the concentrations of MDA produced were 12.55 +/- 0.16, 20.65 +/- 0.27, 31.1 +/- 0.40, 34.75 +/- 0.45, and 15.1 +/- 0.20 muM in 0, 6, 12, 18, and 24 mM malathion, respectively. The Comet assay showed a significant increase in DNA damage at the 24 mM malathion exposure. Taken together, our results indicate that malathion exposure at higher concentrations induces cytotoxic and genotoxic effects in HepG(2) cells, and its toxicity may be mediated through OS as evidenced by a significant production of MDA, an end product of lipid peroxidation.

Therapeutic strategies and potential implications of silver nanoparticles in the management of skin cancer.

Skin cancer (SC) is the most common carcinoma affecting 3 million people annually in the United States and millions of people worldwide. It is classified as melanoma SC (MSC) and non-melanoma SC (NMSC). NMSC represents approximately 80% of SC and includes squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma. MSC, however, has a higher mortality rate than SC because of its ability to metastasize. SC is a major health problem in the United States with significant morbidity and mortality in the Caucasian population. Treatment options for SC include cryotherapy, excisional surgery, Mohs surgery, curettage and electrodessication, radiation therapy, photodynamic therapy, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy. Treatment is chosen based on the type of SC and the potential for side effects. Novel targeted therapies are being used with increased frequency for large tumors and for metastatic disease. A scoping literature search on PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cancer Registry websites revealed that traditional chemotherapeutic drugs have little effect against SC after the cancer has metastasized. Following an overview of SC biology, epidemiology, and treatment options, this review focuses on the mechanisms of advanced technologies that use silver nanoparticles in SC treatment regimens.

Impact of Gene-Environment Interactions on Cancer Development.

Several epidemiological and experimental studies have demonstrated that many human diseases are not only caused by specific genetic and environmental factors but also by gene-environment interactions. Although it has been widely reported that genetic polymorphisms play a critical role in human susceptibility to cancer and other chronic disease conditions, many single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are caused by somatic mutations resulting from human exposure to environmental stressors. Scientific evidence suggests that the etiology of many chronic illnesses is caused by the joint effect between genetics and the environment. Research has also pointed out that the interactions of environmental factors with specific allelic variants highly modulate the susceptibility to diseases. Hence, many scientific discoveries on gene-environment interactions have elucidated the impact of their combined effect on the incidence and/or prevalence rate of human diseases. In this review, we provide an overview of the nature of gene-environment interactions, and discuss their role in human cancers, with special emphases on lung, colorectal, bladder, breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers.

Modulation of p53, c-fos, RARE, cyclin A, and cyclin D1 expression in human leukemia (HL-60) cells exposed to arsenic trioxide.

Arsenic trioxide (As(2)O(3)) has recently been successfully used to treat all trans retinoic acid (ATRA) resistant relapsing acute promyelocytic leukemia. However, its molecular mechanisms of action are poorly understood. In the present study, we used the human leukemia (HL-60) cell line as a test model to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms of anti-cancer properties of As(2)O(3). We hypothesized that As(2)O(3)-induced expression of stress genes and related proteins may play a role in the cellular and molecular events leading to cell cycle modulation in leukemic cells. To test this hypothesis, we performed Western blot analysis to assess the expression of specific cellular response proteins including p53, c-fos, RARE, Cyclin A, and Cyclin D1. Densitometric analysis was performed to determine the relative abundance of these proteins. Western Blot and densitometric analyses demonstrated a strong dose-response relationship with regard to p53 and RARE expression within the dose-range of 0-8 microg/ml. Expression of c-fos was slightly up-regulated at 2 microg/ml, and down-regulated within the dose-range of 4-8 microg/ml. A statistically significant down-regulation of this protein was detected at the 6 and 8 microg/ml dose levels. No statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) in Cyclin D1 expression was found between As(2)O(3)-treated cells and the control. Cyclin A expression in As(2)O(3)-treated HL-60 cells was up-regulated at 6 microg/ml, suggesting that it is required for S phase and passage through G(2) phase in cell cycle progression. Taken together, these results indicate that As(2)O(3) has the potential to induce cell cycle arrest through activation of the 53-kDa tumor suppressor protein and repression of the c-fos transcription factor. Up-regulation of RARE by As(2)O(3) indicates that its cytotoxicity may be mediated through interaction/binding with the retinoic acid receptor, and subsequent inhibition of growth and differentiation.

Importance of food plants in the prevention and treatment of diabetes in Cameroon.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is a metabolic pathology that affects the human body's capacity to adequately produce and use insulin. Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes accounts for 5-10 % of diabetic patients. In Type 2 diabetes the insulin produced by the pancreatic islets is not properly used by cells due to insulin resistance. Gestational diabetes sometimes occurs in pregnant women and affects about 18 % of all pregnancies.Diabetes is one of the most important multifactorial metabolic chronic diseases with fatal complications. According to the International Diabetes Federation's estimations in 2015, 415 million people had diabetes and there will be an increase to 642 million people by 2040. Although many ethnopharmacological surveys have been carried out in several parts of the world, no ethnomedical and ethnopharmacological surveys have been done to identify plants used for the prevention and treatment of diabetes. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to collect and document information on food plants' remedies consumed for the prevention and treatment of diabetes in Cameroon. METHODS: Ethnomedical and ethnopharmacological thorough preparations were conducted with 1131 interviewees from 58 tribes, following a random distribution. Diabetic patients recorded among this sample signed the informed consent and allowed us to evaluate the effectiveness of 10 identified food plants usually used for self-medication. They were divided into two groups: Group 1 comprised of 42 diabetic patients who regularly consume certain of these food plants, and Group 2 included 58 patients who were town-dwellers and did not regularly eat these identified food plants. RESULTS: It was recorded that the onset of diabetes in patients were at about 70 years and 45 years for Group 1 and Group 2 respectively. Hence, a relationship was demonstrated between the onset of diabetes and the consumption of food plants. They contributed to the prevention and/or the delay in clinical manifestations. CONCLUSION: Further investigations and/or clinical trials involving a large number of both type 1 and type 2 diabetics are needed to describe the therapeutic action of many food plants against diabetes. However, this study provides scientific support for the use of herbal medicines in the management of diabetes.