Antioxidant and anticancer activities of high pressure-assisted extract of longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) fruit pericarp

Longan fruit pericarp was extracted with 50% ethanol employing high pressure (500 MPa) and conventional extraction methods. Total phenolic contents of high pressure-assisted extract of longan (HPEL) and conventional extract of longan (CEL) were 20.8 and 14.6 mg gallic acid equivalents/g dry weight, respectively. Subsequently, the antioxidant activities of these extracts were analyzed employing various antioxidant model systems including 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, superoxide anion radical scavenging activity, total antioxidant capacity, and lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity. In addition, anticancer activity was also tested using HepG2, A549, and SGC 7901 cancer cell lines. HPEL showed excellent antioxidant and anticancer activities and were higher than CEL. Three phenolic compounds, namely gallic acid, corilagin, and ellagic acid, were identified and quantified by external standard methods. Compared with CEL, HPEL exhibited higher extraction effectiveness in terms of higher extraction yield, higher phenolic content, and higher antioxidant and anticancer activity with shorter extraction time.

Industrial relevance

This study was focused to evaluate the antioxidant and anticancer activity of longan fruit pericarp by high-pressure treatment. The high-pressure treatment provided a better way of utilizing longan fruit pericarp as a readily accessible source of the natural anticancer and antioxidant in food and pharmaceutical industry.     

Synergistic anticancer effect of green synthesized nickel nanoparticles and quercetin extracted from Ocimum sanctum leaf extract

Leaf extract of medicinally important plant Ocimum sanctum(O. sanctum) has been used for the synthesis of nickel nanoparticles(Ni Gs) and extraction of quercetin(Qu). Qu has been conjugated with Ni Gs for enhanced anticancer effect on human breast cancer MCF–7 cells. Extracted Qu was conjugated with polyethylene glycol(PEG) coated Ni Gs(Qu–PEG–Ni Gs) which was used as carriers for breast cancer treatment. Anticancer activity of Qu–PEG–Ni Gs was evaluated by assessing cell viability, reactive oxygen species(ROS) production, caspase activity, mitochondrial membrane potential(MMP) and changes in nuclear morphology(staining methods). 0.85 mg of quercetin was extracted from 1 g of leaves with retention time(R_t) of 2.914 min. Loading and encapsulation efficiency of quercetin onto PEG–Ni Gs was 15.04% and 82% respectively and Qu–PEG–Ni Gs has shown a sustained release of Qu of about 84% after 48 h. Qu and Qu–PEG–Ni Gs showed dose dependent(1.56–50 μg/m L) anticancer effect against MCF–7 cells with IC50 values of 50 and 6.25 μg/m L respectively which was mediated by oxidative stress due to ROS over-production that induced loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, capsase-9,-7 activities leading to apoptosis. The present study validates that Qu–PEG–Ni Gs can be used as a potential anticancer agent for cancer therapy.     

第三代铂抗癌药物研究评论

本文评论顺铂和卡铂之后的第三代铂抗癌药物的研究状况。报道其配合物的抗肿瘤活性、限量毒性、交叉耐药性和其中四种配合物的Ⅱ期临床结果。这些配合物的总体水平并不优于顺铂和卡铂。研究抗癌机理与顺铂和卡铂不同的新型铂配合物是增加该类药物的抗肿瘤活性和克服交叉耐药性的途径之一。     

Effect of lemon juice on microstructure,phase changes,and magnetic performance of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles and their use on release of anti-cancer drugs

Cobalt ferrite magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized and developed by a modified Pechini method using iron nitrate, cobalt nitrate, ethylene glycol (EG), and sucrose with different volumes of lemon juice (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 ml) as the source of chelating agent as well as nonmagnetic elements such as Ca and Mg ions. The XRD patterns confirmed that all samples synthesized by different contents of extracted lemon juice had a cubic crystal structure with single-phase spinel. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that cobalt ferrite nanoparticles had a semi-spherical morphology. Also, the vibrating sample magnetometer indicated that the saturation magnetization of CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles prepared with different values of extracted lemon juice increased from 18.6 emu/g for 10 ml extracted lemon juice to 75.7 emu/g for 50 ml extracted lemon juice, after which the saturation magnetization diminished. Afterwards, the CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles were coated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and doxorubicin (DOX) drugs, whereby drug delivery was detected at different pH levels. The CoFe₂O₄-PEG-DOX nanocomposite could release doxorubicin by more than 42% at pH = 5.4 in 75 h.     

Water-Soluble Gold(III)–Metformin Complex Alters Mitochondrial Bioenergetics in Breast Cancer Cells

Chemical control of mitochondrial dynamics and bioenergetics can unravel fundamental biological mechanisms and therapeutics for several diseases including, diabetes and cancer. We synthesized stable, water-soluble gold(III) complexes (Auraformin) supported by biguanide metformin or phenylmetformin for efficacious inhibition of mitochondrial respiration. The new compounds were characterized following the reaction of [C N]-cyclometalated gold(III) compounds with respective biguanides. Auraformin is solution stable in a physiologically relevant environment. We show that auraformin decreases mitochondrial respiration efficiently in comparison to the clinically used metformin by 100-fold. The compound displays significant mitochondrial uptake and induces antiproliferative activity in the micromolar range. Our results shed light on the development of new scaffolds as improved inhibitors of mitochondrial respiration.     

Metal-Based Catalytic Drug Development for Next-Generation Cancer Therapy

Considering the high increase in mortality caused by cancer in recent years, cancer drugs with novel mechanisms of anticancer action are urgently needed to overcome the drawbacks of platinum-based chemotherapeutics. Recently, in the area of metal-based cancer drug development research, the concept of catalytic cancer drugs has been introduced with organometallic Ru^II, Os^II, Rh^III and Ir^III complexes. These complexes are reported as catalysts for many important biological transformations in cancer cells such as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(P)H) oxidation to NAD⁺, reduction of NAD⁺ to NADH, and reduction of pyruvate to lactate. These unnatural intracellular transformations with catalytic and nontoxic doses of metal complexes are known to severely perturb several important biochemical pathways and could be the antecedent of next-generation catalytic cancer drug development. In this concept, we delineate the prospects of such recently reported organometallic Ru^II, Os^II, Rh^III and Ir^III complexes as future catalytic cancer drugs. This new approach has the potential to deliver new cancer drug candidates.     

Controlled synthesis of (CuO-Cu2O)Cu/ZnO multi oxide nanocomposites by facile combustion route: A potential photocatalytic,antimicrobial and anticancer activity

Photocatalytic activity of (CuO-Cu₂O)Cu/ZnO hetero-junction nanocomposites along with their luminescent, biological applications in the progress of anticancer and antibacterial agents is investigated. The Cu and Zn bi-components modified (CuO-Cu₂O)Cu/ZnO nanocomposites were synthesized via facile combustion route in the presence of controlled fuel to oxidizer ratio and were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) patterns, Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), High resolution Transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), photoluminescence (PL) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. The PL and UV–Visible diffused reflectance spectral (UV–Vis-DRS) techniques were used to measure the optical sensitivity and tuning of band gap in the samples. The excellent photocatalytic degradation of Methylene Blue and industrial waste water under Sunlight irradiation depends on the mass ratios of Cu/Zn. The findings show that the addition of a certain proportion of CuO, Cu₂O, ZnO, and Cu can promote efficiency in Sunlight harvesting and separation of charge carriers. Process parameters namely catalyst quantity, dye concentration and a proposal for the mechanism of degradation pathway, experiments for trapping and enhancer are investigated. The study of photoluminescence, CIE and CCT calculations suggests that the present nanocomposite may find applications as phosphor material in warm white LEDs. The second segment of this study deals with the investigation of antibacterial performance of composites upon Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The results indicate that nanocomposites can be used in antibacterial control systems and as an important growth inhibitor in various microorganisms. The cytotoxic effect of the (CuO-Cu₂O)Cu/ZnO (CCCZ11) nanocomposite was determined by colorimetric and flow cytometric cell cycle analysis. Our experimental results show that the nanocomposite can induce apoptosis and suppress the proliferation of HeLa cells. The applications of nanocomposites based on Cu, an abundant and inexpensive metal has created much interest in various multifunctional applications.     

L-Selenocystine induce HepG2 cells apoptosis through ROS-mediated signaling pathways

At present, Hepatocarcinoma is one of the main causes of tumor related death all over the world. However, there are still many clinical restrictions on the treatment of liver cancer. Recently, L-Selenocystine has been shown to be a novel treatment for tumors, especially human glioma cells. But, the mechanism of L-Selenocystine against hepatocellular carcinoma remains unclear. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of L-Selenocystine on HepG2 cell proliferation and activation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) mediated signaling pathway. L-Selenocystine can significantly inhibit HepG2 cell proliferation by activating caspase-3 and cleaving PARP to induce apoptosis. Moreover, the excessive production of ROS and the influence of Bax signaling pathway which can promote cell apoptosis are key factors for L-Selenocystine to induce HepG2 cell apoptosis. Therefore, the date of this study suggest that ROS mediated signal transduction mechanism may provide certain reference significance for L-Selenocystine induced HepG2 cell apoptosis.     

Preclinical anticancer activity of DNA-based cleavage molecules

Deoxyribozymes (DNAzymes) are DNA residue-based molecules capable of specific cleavage of complementary mRNA. As such, they are more stable counterparts for the earlier discovered ribozymes. A handful of studies have shown the potential of DNAzymes against cancer both in cell culture and importantly in vivo models. This relatively new molecular entity may progress to clinical trials provided that more extensive testing is carried out at the preclinical stage. While a significant amount of work has gone into chemically stabilizing the molecule, delivery is one area that needs particular attention.     

Novel modified furanoeremophilane-type sesquiterpenes and benzofuran derivatives from Ligularia veitchiana

Three new compounds, 2-acetyl-5-isopentenyl-6-methylbenzofuran (1), 1,3-dimethoxy-4,6-dimethylnaphthofuran (2), and 3,4,5-trimethoxycinnamyl angelic acid ester (3), along with 13 known compounds were isolated from the roots of Ligularia veitchiana, which are commonly used as a folk medicine and food supplement in China. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic techniques. Biological screening studies indicated that compound 2 displayed a moderate activity against Staphylococcus aureus, which may be due to the existence of a modified eremophilane skeleton, whilst compounds 11, 12 and 15 exhibited potent activity against HL-60 and HeLa cell lines.