Honey is reported to contain various compounds such as phenols, vitamins and antioxidants. The present study investigates the anticancer potential of
Tualang honey (Agromas) (TH) in human breast ...(MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) and cervical (HeLa) cancer cell lines; as well as in the normal breast epithelial cell line, MCF-10A. The cells were treated with increasing doses of TH (1–10%) for up to 72
h. Increase in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage from the cell membranes indicates that TH is cytotoxic to all three cancer cells with effective concentrations (EC
50) of 2.4–2.8%. TH is however, not cytotoxic to the MCF-10A cells. Reactivity with annexin V fluorescence antibody and propidium iodide as analysed by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy shows that apoptosis occurred in these cancer cells. TH also reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψ
m) in the cancer cell lines after 24
h of treatment. The activation of caspase-3/7 and -9 was observed in all TH-treated cancer cells indicating the involvement of mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. This study shows that TH has significant anticancer activity against human breast and cervical cancer cell lines.
An active fraction of
, F3, and its bioactive compounds (lutein, β-sitosterol, and stigmasterol) were reported to have anti-glycolytic activities in MDA-MB-231 cells. Since glycolysis can also ...regulate metastatic activities in cancer cells, this study investigated the mechanism underlying the anti-glycolytic and anti-metastatic activities induced by F3 and its bioactive compounds on MDA-MB-231 cells. The cells were treated with IC
concentrations of F3, lutein, β-sitosterol, and stigmasterol. GLUT1 protein expression and localization were then observed using a fluorescence microscope. We found that F3, lutein, and β-sitosterol inhibit localization of GLUT1 to the cell membrane, which causes the decrease in glucose uptake. This is supported by a reduction in PKC activity, measured using a spectrophotometer, and increased TXNIP protein expression detected by Western blotting. Both TXNIP and PKC are involved in GLUT1 activation and localization. The expression of signaling proteins involved in the PI3K/AKT pathway was also measured using a flow cytometer. Results show that F3, lutein, β-sitosterol, and stigmasterol reduced the expression of AKT, pAKT, mTOR, and HIF1α in MDA-MB-231 cells. Transwell migration assay was used to measure migration of the MDA-MB-231 cells. A reduction in fibronectin protein expression was observed by fluorescence microscopy, after treatments with F3 and its bioactive compounds, leading to a reduction in the MDA-MB-231 cells' migratory abilities. As a conclusion, F3 acts as a metabolic inhibitor by inhibiting metabolic rewiring in the promotion of cancer metastasis, potentially due to the presence of its bioactive compounds.
Studies on green biosynthesis of newly engineered nanoparticles for their prominent medicinal applications are being the torch-bearing concerns of the state-of-the-art research strategies. In this ...concern, we have engineered the biosynthesized Luffa acutangula silver nanoparticles of flavonoid O-glycosides in the anisotropic form isolated from aqueous leave extracts of Luffa acutangula, a popular traditional and ayurvedic plant in south-east Asian countries. These were structurally confirmed by Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy accessed with attenuated total reflection (FTIR-ATR) spectral analyses followed by the scanning electron microscopic (SEM) and the X-ray diffraction (XRD) crystallographic studies and found them with the face-centered cubic (fcc) structure. Medicinally, we have explored their significant antioxidant (DPPH and ABTS assays), antibacterial (disc diffusion assay on E. coli, S. aureus, B. subtilis, S. fecilis, and S. boydii), and anticancer (MTT assay on MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, U87, and DBTRG cell lines) potentialities which augmented the present investigation. The molecular docking analysis of title compounds against 3NM8 (DPPH) and 1DNU (ABTS) proteins for antioxidant activity; 5FGK (Gram-Positive Bacteria) and 1AB4 (Gram-Negative Bacteria) proteins for antibacterial activity; and 4GBD (MCF-7), 5FI2 (MDA-MB-231), 1D5R (U87), and 5TIJ (DBTRG) proteins for anticancer activity has affirmed the promising ligand-protein binding interactions among the hydroxy groups of the title compounds and aspartic acid of the concerned enzymatic proteins. The binding energy varying from -9.1645 to -7.7955 for Cosmosioside (1, Apigenin-7-glucoside) and from -9.2690 to -7.8306 for Cynaroside (2, Luteolin-7-glucoside) implies the isolated compounds as potential bioactive compounds. In addition, the performed studies like QSAR, ADMET, bioactivity properties, drug scores, and toxicity risks confirmed them as potential drug candidates and aspartic acid receptor antagonists. This research auxiliary augmented the existing array of phytological nanomedicines with new drug candidates that are credible with multiple bioactivities.
Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive disease that progresses in a relatively symptom-free manner; thus, is difficult to detect and treat. Essential oil is reported to exhibit pharmacological ...properties, besides its common and well-known function as aromatherapy. Therefore, this study herein aimed to investigate the anti-proliferative effect of essential oil extracted from leaves of Garcinia atroviridis (EO-L) against PANC-1 human pancreatic cancer cell line. The cell growth inhibitory concentration at 50% (IC50) and selective index (SI) values of EO-L analyses were determined as 78 µg/mL and 1.23, respectively. Combination index (CI) analysis revealed moderate synergism (CI values of 0.36 to 0.75) between EO-L and 2 deoxy-d-glucose (2-DG) treatments. The treatments of PANC-1 cells with EO-L, 2-DG and EOL+2DG showed evidence of depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential, cell growth arrest and apoptosis. The molecular mechanism causing the anti-proliferative effect between EO-L and 2-DG is potentially through pronounced up-regulation of P53 (4.40-fold), HIF1α (1.92-fold), HK2 (2.88-fold) and down-regulation of CYP3A5 (0.11-fold), as supported by quantitative mRNA expression analysis. Collectively, the current data suggest that the combination of two anti-proliferative agents, EO-L and 2-DG, can potentially be explored as therapeutic treatments and as potentiating agents to conventional therapy against human pancreatic cancer.
We previously demonstrated that Tualang honey (TH) induced apoptosis in breast cancer cell lines, via activation of caspase-3/7, -8, and -9 and mitochondrial membrane depolarization. Here we ...investigated the effect of TH on cell cycle progression and its regulatory molecules as well as apoptosis-related signaling molecules in estrogen receptor-dependent MCF-7 and -independent breast MDA-MB-231 cancer cells. Flow cytometry analysis shows that 24 h treatment with 1% TH caused G2/M phase arrest in MCF-7 but S phase arrest in MDA-MB-231 cells. Significant changes in the expression of apoptosis-related genes were observed in MCF-7 cells but not in MDA-MB-231 cells. We further demonstrated by Western blotting that TH increased the expression of p53, p21, and FADD proteins in MCF-7 cells and TRADD, FADD, and p21 proteins in MDA-MB-231 cells. This study shows that TH differentially affects the cell cycle progression of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells via p53-dependent and -independent p21 signaling, respectively, and apoptosis via the death receptor pathway is indicated. Taken together, the ability of TH to modulate cell signaling pathways suggest the potential value of a readily consumed honey as a chemopreventive agent for breast cancer.
An active fraction of S. crispus, F3, and its bioactive compounds (lutein, β-sitosterol, and stigmasterol) were reported to have anti-glycolytic activities in MDA-MB-231 cells. Since glycolysis can ...also regulate metastatic activities in cancer cells, this study investigated the mechanism underlying the anti-glycolytic and anti-metastatic activities induced by F3 and its bioactive compounds on MDA-MB-231 cells. The cells were treated with ICsub.50 concentrations of F3, lutein, β-sitosterol, and stigmasterol. GLUT1 protein expression and localization were then observed using a fluorescence microscope. We found that F3, lutein, and β-sitosterol inhibit localization of GLUT1 to the cell membrane, which causes the decrease in glucose uptake. This is supported by a reduction in PKC activity, measured using a spectrophotometer, and increased TXNIP protein expression detected by Western blotting. Both TXNIP and PKC are involved in GLUT1 activation and localization. The expression of signaling proteins involved in the PI3K/AKT pathway was also measured using a flow cytometer. Results show that F3, lutein, β-sitosterol, and stigmasterol reduced the expression of AKT, pAKT, mTOR, and HIF1α in MDA-MB-231 cells. Transwell migration assay was used to measure migration of the MDA-MB-231 cells. A reduction in fibronectin protein expression was observed by fluorescence microscopy, after treatments with F3 and its bioactive compounds, leading to a reduction in the MDA-MB-231 cells’ migratory abilities. As a conclusion, F3 acts as a metabolic inhibitor by inhibiting metabolic rewiring in the promotion of cancer metastasis, potentially due to the presence of its bioactive compounds.
In the present study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesised by adding 1 mM Ag nitrate solution to different concentrations (1%, 2.5%, 5%) of branch extracts of Eurycoma longifolia, a well ...known medicinal plant in South–East Asian countries. Characterisation of AgNPs was carried out using techniques such as ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry, X-ray diffractrometry, Fourier transform infrared–attenuated total reflection spectroscopy (FTIR–ATR), scanning electron microscopy. XRD analysis revealed face centre cubic structure of AgNPs and FTIR–ATR showed that primary and secondary amide groups in combination with the protein molecules present in the branch extract were responsible for the reduction and stabilisation of AgNPs. Furthermore, antioxidant 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2′-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid), antimicrobial and anticancer activities of AgNPs were investigated. The highest bactericidal activity of these biogenic AgNPs was found against Escherichia coli with zone inhibition of 11 mm. AgNPs exhibited significant anticancer activity against human glioma cells (DBTRG and U87) and human breast adenocarcinoma cells (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) with IC50 values of 33, 42, 60 and 38 µg/ml.
Flavonoid glycosides that are present in acylated form have good prospect to be developed into therapeutic agents due to their improved biological properties, stability and physico-chemical ...properties compared to their maternal compounds. The present study aimed to compare the free radical scavenging and cytotoxic activities of a series of acylated and non-acylated kaempferol glycosides isolated from
Stenochlaena palustris
. The
in silico
binding interactions of the most cytotoxic glycoside with epidermal growth factor receptor was also evaluated. Results indicated that the free radical scavenging capability and cytotoxicity of kaempferol 3-
O-
β-D-glucopyranoside were enhanced through acylation with selected hydroxycinnamoyl groups, whereas mono-acylation did not improve both activities. Molecular docking study revealed that di-acylation was essential for the compound to bind to five major active sites of the receptor. Kaempferol 3-
O-
β-D-glucopyranosides that are di-acylated may be further explored for their chemopreventive and anticancer properties due to their significant antioxidant and cytotoxic properties.
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