Polylactic acid (PLA) and polybutylene succinate (PBS), are categorized as biodegradable bioplastics that have progressively being utilized as food packaging replacing the obtrusive petroleum ...plastic. This study aims to evaluate the toxicity of bioplastics and petroleum-based plastic polyethylene (PE) on Artemia franciscana and animal cell lines. Each plastic sample was assessed in its powdered form, and the size distribution of PE, PLA, and PBS microplastic particles was observed by optical microscopy. Additionally, the toxicity of hatching percentage and mortality rate was investigated. The results demonstrated that the percentage of hatching and the mortality rate post treatment with PLA and PBS particles for 24 and 48 h did not significantly alter in comparison to those treated with PE particles. However, the percentage of Artemia hatching reduced post treatment with plastic particles in comparison to the control, as well as the mortality rate increased with a high concentration of plastic particles. The morphology of Artemia after ingesting microplastic particles was obtained using phase contrast inverted microscopy. The accumulation of plastic in the Artemia gut was observed succeeding its exposure to PE, PLA, and PBS particles. In addition, the cytotoxicity of plastics on human keratinocyte (HaCaT), normal human dermal fibroblast (NHDF), and African green monkey kidney (Vero) cell lines were determined by MTT assay. The result exhibited that increasing concentrations of microplastic particles had substantially less toxic to practically nontoxic effect on the cells. The biomolecule profile by synchrotron-IR technique displayed that plastics potentially have more alteration effect in epithelial kidney cells (Vero) than fibroblasts (NHDF) and keratinocytes (HaCaT). Our results demonstrate that PE, PLA, and PBS had toxicity on Artemia following ingestion, in accordance with the concentration and duration tests. Moreover, microplastic particles were nontoxic or harmless to animal cell lines and altered some intracellular biomolecule profiles. These discoveries are essential not only for environmental health risk assessment but also in order to establish recommendations toward safer utilization of bioplastics-based materials for a robust lifestyle.
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The waste created by single-use plastics is an important global issue, especially in marine environments, because they do not degrade in nature. This work aimed to study the biodegradability of ...bioplastic blown film, which may pose a solution to this problem. Polybutylene succinate (PBS) and polylactic acid (PLA) blown films were chosen for examination of their biodegradability when submerged in sand under the seawater and when floated on the seawater surface of our experimental setup. Bioplastics were observed in comparison with low-density polyethylene (LDPE), which is a petroleum-based plastic. PBS blown film exhibited a faster degradation rate than PLA blown film, while LDPE blown film did not degrade in the marine environment. The biodegradability of bioplastic blown film was confirmed by physical observation, a change in the chemical functional group measured by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and a test of the biochemical oxygen demand of the seawater after bioplastic degradation due to ingestion by bacteria in seawater.
The principle of amino acid stretches tagged at the C terminal of Luecrocin I, which is an ultra-short antibacterial peptide, by tryptophan and arginine or lysine has been reported. The choice of ...amino acid type at each stretch position depends on the hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions visualized in the helical wheel pattern of Luecrocin I. Oligopeptide tagging should also consider the properties such as positive charge, hydrophobicity, the content of hydrophobic amino acids, polar angle, the properly hydrophilic and hydrophobic facets. Amidation at C terminal and lysine substitute for arginine can increase selectivity between mammalian cells (hemolytic and MTT assay) and bacterial cells tested. KT2 and RT2 which have 53% hydrophobic residues, 7 positive charges, 160° polar angle, −0.02 (KT2) and −0.04 (RT2) hydrophobicity were effective against S. typhi DMST 22842, S. epidermidis ATCC 12228, E. coli ATCC 25922 and V. cholerae non-O1, non-O139. The SEM images implied that the antibacterial mechanism of RT2 and KT2 may depend on concentration rather than time. Finally, RT2 and KT2 can be new antibacterial agents or may be further developed for alternative antibiotics.
Although many biological properties of Houttuynia cordata have been found, its anti-aging and anti-acne effects have not yet been investigated. This study was aimed to evaluate the in vitro ...anti-aging and anti-acne activities of H. cordata extracts and their cytotoxic activities and phytochemicals analyzed with liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Dried aerial parts of H. cordata were given different extractions. The aqueous and ethanolic extracts obtained were named HCA and HCE, respectively, and used to screen total phenolic and flavonoid contents. In vitro anti-aging, skin-related antimicrobial, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), in vitro cytotoxic, and LC-MS/MS analyses were performed. The total phenolic contents of the HCA and HCE were 5.11 ± 0.25 and 27.02 ± 1.07 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g dry extract while their total flavonoid contents were 104.94 ± 5.16 and 571.86 ± 2.86 mg quercetin equivalent (QE)/g dry extract, respectively. The HCA and HCE inhibited the activities of collagenase (28.33–46.00%), elastase (30.00–34.33%), and hyaluronidase (93.87–98.72%). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the HCA against Cutibacterium acnes DMST14916 were 5.77 and 5.77 mg/mL while those of the HCE were 2.47 and 2.47 mg/mL, respectively. Cell collapses of C. acnes after treatment with the extracts were observed with SEM. The HCE was not toxic to macrophages, keratinocytes, and fibroblasts up to 400 mg/mL. The HCA showed toxicity against macrophages at 62.5 mg/mL and both skin cells at 250 mg/mL. The main phytochemicals in the extracts were identified with LC-MS/MS. Phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and flavonoid derivatives in H. cordata extracts could be major phytochemicals to possess a broad spectrum of biological activities including antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-aging activities. The findings from this study showed that the HCE has potential anti-aging and anti-acne properties while having non-cytotoxic activities on the immune and skin cells. These results indicate that the extract is probably advantageous in the development of skincare cosmeceutics and beauty treatments.
The aril extract (0.4% g/mL) of Gac fruit in milk supplement can inhibit cancer cell lines. Moreover, the extract has no toxicity against normal cells. In a sensory test, sterilized low-fat milk ...supplemented with 0.4% extract did not have different sensory score compared to the control. During the sterilization process, extract was not significantly different from the control. In sterilization (121°C, 15 min), adding Gac fruit extract in low-fat milk results in antioxidant activity increase. The extract increased values for the redness and yellowness of sterilized low fat, but the lightness decreased. Also, the extract slightly decreased the alcohol stability of sterilized low-fat milk. At an accelerated rate (50°C, 28 days), there was no effect of the extract addition on protein aggregation in low-fat milk. Moreover, the TBA values indicate the ability of the extract to inhibit lipid oxidation. Finally, Gac fruit extract added to milk may possibly extend the shelf life of sterilized low-fat milk and improve its antioxidant and anticancer activity properties.
In this study, the phytochemicals and antimicrobial activities of ethanolic extracts of Thai edible plants, green tea, red cotton tree flower, fingerroot and ginger were evaluated. The plant extracts ...were taken for evaluation of antimicrobial activities against Cutibacterium acnes DMST 14916, Staphylococcus epidermidis TISTR 518, and Staphylococcus aureus TISTR 746. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of green tea, fingerroot, and ginger extracts against C. acnes DMST 14916 were 3.92, 0.49, and 7.85 mg cm-3, respectively and the minimum bacteriostatic concentrations (MBCs) were 3.92, 0.49, and 7.85 mg cm-3, respectively. The MICs and MBCs of fingerroot extract against S. epidermidis TISTR 518 were 0.12 and 0.49 mg cm-3, respectively, while those against S. aureus TISTR 746 were 0.12 and 0.98 mg cm-3, respectively. Red cotton tree flower extract showed no antimicrobial activity against the acne-causing bacteria. By scanning electron microscopy (SEM) evaluation, the bacterial cells treated with the plant extracts revealed visible shrinkages compared to the smooth cell surfaces of the controls. The phytochemicals in the plant extracts were analysed by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Well-known antimicrobial compounds like azelaic acid, embelin and kaempferol 3-rutinoside-4′-glucoside were identified in all extracts. The cytotoxic effects of the plant extracts on human cell lines were further investigated. The green tea extract was slightly toxic to HaCaT cells found at the initial concentration of 62.5 mg cm-3, but not toxic to MRC-5 cells. The fingerroot and ginger extracts had no cytotoxicity on HaCaT cells, but promoted the MRC-5 cell proliferation. The combination effects of the plant extracts were prebiotic-like and indifferent effects. Regarding all results, the ethanolic extracts of green tea, fingerroot, and ginger could be used individually as natural anti-acne ingredients capable of further product development to improve human skin health.
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•Thai edible plant extracts have antimicrobial activities against Cutibacterium acnes, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Staphylococcus aureus.•Most plant extracts are no toxic to human keratinocytes and fibroblasts.•Phytochemicals in the extracts are analysed by LC-QTOP MS/MS.
Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities were found from
Crocodylus siamensis
(
C
.
siamensis
) blood. The 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging, nitric ...oxide scavenging, hydroxyl radical scavenging and linoleic peroxidation assays were used to investigate the antioxidant activities of the crocodile blood. Results show that crocodile blood components had antioxidant activity, especially hemoglobin (40.58 % nitric oxide radical inhibition), crude leukocyte extract (78 % linoleic peroxidation inhibition) and plasma (57.27 % hydroxyl radical inhibition). Additionally, the anti-inflammatory activity of the crocodile blood was studied using murine macrophage (RAW 264.7) as a model. The results show that hemoglobin, crude leukocyte extract and plasma were not toxic to RAW 264.7 cells. Also they showed anti-inflammatory activity by reduced nitric oxide (NO) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) productions from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated cells. The NO inhibition percentages of hemoglobin, crude leukocyte extract and plasma were 31.9, 48.24 and 44.27 %, respectively. However, only crude leukocyte extract could inhibit IL-6 production. So, the results of this research directly indicate that hemoglobin, crude leukocyte extract and plasma of
C
.
siamensis
blood provide both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, which could be used as a supplementary agent in pharmaceutical products.
Cancer represents one of the most significant threats to human health on a global scale. Hence, the development of effective cancer prevention strategies, as well as the discovery of novel ...therapeutic agents against cancer, is urgently required. In light of this challenge, this research aimed to evaluate the effects of several potent bioactive peptides and proteins contained in crocodile white blood cell extract (cWBC) against LU-1, LNCaP, PC-3, MCF-7, and CaCo-2 cancer cell lines. The results demonstrate that 25, 50, 100, and 200 μg/ml cWBC exhibits a strong cytotoxic effect against all investigated cell lines (IC50 70.34−101.0 μg/ml), while showing no signs of cytotoxicity towards noncancerous Vero and HaCaT cells. Specifically, cWBC treatment caused a significant reduction in the cancerous cells’ colony forming ability.
A remarkable suppression of cancerous cell migration was observed after treatment with cWBC, indicating potent antimetastatic properties. The mechanism involved in the cancer cell cytotoxicity of cWBC may be related to apoptosis induction, as evidenced by typical apoptotic morphology features. Moreover, certain cWBC concentrations induced significant overproduction of ROS and significantly inhibited the S-G2/M transition in the cancer cell. The molecular mechanisms of cWBC in apoptosis induction were to decrease Bcl-2 and XIAP expression levels and increase the expression levels of caspase-3, caspase-8, and p53. These led to a decrease in the expression level of the cell cycle-associated gene cyclin-B1 and the arrest of cell population growth. Consequently, these findings demonstrate the prospect of the use of cWBC for cancer therapy. KCI Citation Count: 0
Cancer represents one of the most significant threats to human health on a global scale. Hence, the development of effective cancer prevention strategies, as well as the discovery of novel ...therapeutic agents against cancer, is urgently required. In light of this challenge, this research aimed to evaluate the effects of several potent bioactive peptides and proteins contained in crocodile white blood cell extract (cWBC) against LU-1, LNCaP, PC-3, MCF-7, and CaCo-2 cancer cell lines. The results demonstrate that 25, 50, 100, and 200 μg/ml cWBC exhibits a strong cytotoxic effect against all investigated cell lines (IC 50 70.34-101.0 μg/ml), while showing no signs of cytotoxicity towards noncancerous Vero and HaCaT cells. Specifically, cWBC treatment caused a significant reduction in the cancerous cells’ colony forming ability. A remarkable suppression of cancerous cell migration was observed after treatment with cWBC, indicating potent antimetastatic properties. The mechanism involved in the cancer cell cytotoxicity of cWBC may be related to apoptosis induction, as evidenced by typical apoptotic morphology features. Moreover, certain cWBC concentrations induced significant overproduction of ROS and significantly inhibited the S-G 2 /M transition in the cancer cell. The molecular mechanisms of cWBC in apoptosis induction were to decrease Bcl-2 and XIAP expression levels and increase the expression levels of caspase-3, caspase-8, and p53. These led to a decrease in the expression level of the cell cycle-associated gene cyclin-B1 and the arrest of cell population growth. Consequently, these findings demonstrate the prospect of the use of cWBC for cancer therapy.
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