RESUMO
Allicin is the most biologically active substance present in garlic. It can be synthesized or obtained by extraction of fresh garlic. Transformation products of allicin are also biologically active. The aim of this study was to examine the antioxidant activity of synthesized allicin and its transformation products obtained using microwaves in methanol at 55 °C as well as their effect on HeLa cells growth. The antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical) test. The effect on HeLa cells growth was determined by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide) test. For MTT test, allicin and its transformation products were dispersed in carmellose sodium solution and examined in concentrations ranging from 0.3 µg/mL to 3 mg/mL. Allicin showed stronger antioxidant activity than the transformation products. A maximum degree of neutralization of DPPH radicals, about 90%, was reached when the concentration of allicin was 2 mg/mL, with an EC50 (concentration of sample which is required for reduction of the initial concentration DPPH radicals to 50%) value of 0.37 mg/mL. In our study, allicin and its transformation products were not cytotoxic to HeLa cells under the examined conditions. The highest concentration of allicin and its transformation products had a slight antiproliferative effect, with a more pronounced effect of allicin, which reflected on the morphology of HeLa cells. The examined substances are safe to use on epithelial cells at concentrations up to 3 mg/mL when applied in carmellose sodium solution. Using carmellose sodium as a dispersing agent could be recommended as a good approach for testing liposoluble substances in liquid cell cultures.
RESUMO
The process of amygdalin extraction from plum seeds was optimized using central composite design (CCD) and multilayer perceptron (MLP). The effect of time, ethanol concentration, solid-to-liquid ratio, and temperature on the amygdalin content in the extracts was estimated using both mathematical models. The MLP 4-3-1 with exponential function in hidden layer and linear function in output layer was used for describing the extraction process. MLP model was more superior compared with CCD model due to better prediction ability. According to MLP model, the suggested optimal conditions are: time of 120 min, 100% (v/v) ethanol, solid-to liquid ratio of 1:25 (m/v) and temperature of 34.4°C. The predicted value of amygdalin content in the dried extract (25.42 g per 100 g) at these conditions was experimentally confirmed (25.30 g per 100 g of dried extract). Amygdalin (>90%) was isolated from the complex extraction mixture and structurally characterized by FT-IR, UV, and MS methods.
RESUMO
PURPOSE: To report a case of an advanced corneoscleral epithelial cyst, healed by a spontaneous marsupialization and analyzed with in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM). METHODS: A 10-year-old boy with a corneoscleral epithelial cyst, which involved the central cornea, was evaluated using IVCM (Heidelberg Retina Tomograph II with Rostock Cornea Module). RESULTS: The cyst emptied through a spontaneously formed minute opening in the anterior corneal stroma. Visual acuity, which had been fluctuating between 20/100 and hand motion, reached 20/50 and remained stable after a 7 months of follow-up. IVCM revealed a moderate haze under the apparently normal anterior stroma. The invading epithelium and highly reflective spheres, which probably are accumulation of desquamated cells and/or shed mucins, were demonstrated in the midstroma and deep stroma, reaching the depth of 125 µm from the uninvolved endothelium. CONCLUSIONS: A spontaneous collapse and healing of a corneoscleral cyst are possible. IVCM could be useful for the diagnosis and choice of the surgical treatment in the case of a recurrence.