Inhibition of in vitro adhesion and virulence of Porphyromonas gingivalis by aqueous extract and polysaccharides from Rhododendron ferrugineum L. A new way for prophylaxis of periodontitis?

Background: Diabetes mellitus is major issue to public health as its prevalence is rising day by day. Synthetic agents available for the diabetic treatment are expensive or produce undesirable side effect on chronic use and some of them are not suitable during pregnancy. Herbal medicines accepted widely due to side effects and low cost. Objective: The aim of present study was to evaluate the activity of Withania coagulans extract using In-vitro and In-vivo model. Methods: Different three types of Withania coagulans extract were prepared using aqueous (W1), Alcohol (W2) and hydro-alcoholic (50:50) mixture (W3). In-vitro Anti-diabetic activity of the all three extracts evaluated using RINm5F Pancreatic beta cells.Further, n-vivo anti-diabetic evaluation performed by administering 50 mg/kg (p.o) aqueous extract for 7 days in Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced mice. Body weight of the animals was also determined to perform acute toxicity study. Results: The results of in –vitro cell based study indicated that among all three extract, aqueous extract (W1) of Withania coagulans showed potential increase in inulin release. The EC50 of the W1 (249.6 µg/L) which is compared with standard (Glibenclamide) EC50. From the results of In-vitro study, W1 subjected for acute toxicity study and the acute toxicity study results indicated LD50 of 50mg/kg. Diabetic rats treated with W1 extract at oral dose of 50 mg/kg for 7 days showed 34.17% reduction in blood glucose in comparison to untreated diabetic (STZ-induced) rats. Blood glucose levels of Standard treated (Glibenclamide) and control untreated. Conclusion: In conclusion, results of pancreatic beta cell based study showed increase in insulin release by administration of extract. Further aqueous extract (W1) was potentially reduced blood glucose level in STZ induced diabetic mice.

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Polishing the Therapy of Onychomycosis Induced by Candida spp.: Amphotericin B–Loaded Nail Lacquer

Pharmaceutics ◽

10.3390/pharmaceutics13060784 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 784

Author(s):

Aleph M. S. Souza ◽

Renato C. A. Ribeiro ◽

Gleyse K. L. O. Pinheiro ◽

Francisco I. Pinheiro ◽

Wógenes N. Oliveira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Amphotericin B ◽

Ex Vivo ◽

Drug Loading ◽

Drug Bioavailability ◽

Candida Spp ◽

Drying Time ◽

Analytical Method Validation ◽

Nail Lacquer ◽

In Vitro Adhesion

Onychomycosis induced by Candida spp. has several limitations regarding its treatment. Nail lacquers display the potential to overcome these drawbacks by providing therapeutic compliance and increasing local drug bioavailability. Thus, this work aimed to produce a nail lacquer loaded with Amphotericin B (AmB) and evaluate its performance. The AmB-loaded nail lacquer was produced and preliminarily characterized. An AmB quantification method was developed. Stability, drug release, permeability and anti-Candida activity assays were conducted. The analytical method validation met the acceptance criteria. The drug loading efficiency was 100% (0.02 mg/g of total product), whereas the AmB stability was limited to ≅ 7 days (≅ 90% remaining). The nail lacquer displayed a drying time of 187 s, non-volatile content of around 20%w/w, water-resistance of approximately 2%w/w of weight loss and satisfactory in vitro adhesion. Moreover, the in vitro antifungal activity against different Candida spp. strains was confirmed. The AmB release and the ex vivo permeability studies revealed that AmB leaves the lacquer and permeates the nail matrix in 47.76 ± 0.07% over 24 h. In conclusion, AmB-loaded nail lacquer shows itself as a promising extemporaneous dosage form with remarkable anti-Candida activity related to onychomycosis.

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Oriental Hornet (Vespa orientalis) Larval Extracts Induce Antiproliferative, Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Anti-Migratory Effects on MCF7 Cells

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26113303 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (11) ◽

pp. 3303

Author(s):

Amina M. G. Zedan ◽

Mohamed I. Sakran ◽

Omar Bahattab ◽

Yousef M. Hawsawi ◽

Osama Al-Amer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phenolic Compounds ◽

Aqueous Extract ◽

Antioxidant Activities ◽

Individual Treatment ◽

Alcoholic Extract ◽

Anticancer Effect ◽

Mcf7 Cells ◽

Vespa Orientalis ◽

Anti Inflammatory

The use of insects as a feasible and useful natural product resource is a novel and promising option in alternative medicine. Several components from insects and their larvae have been found to inhibit molecular pathways in different stages of cancer. This study aimed to analyze the effect of aqueous and alcoholic extracts of Vespa orientalis larvae on breast cancer MCF7 cells and investigate the underlying mechanisms. Our results showed that individual treatment with 5% aqueous or alcoholic larval extract inhibited MCF7 proliferation but had no cytotoxic effect on normal Vero cells. The anticancer effect was mediated through (1) induction of apoptosis, as indicated by increased expression of apoptotic genes (Bax, caspase3, and p53) and decreased expression of the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl2; (2) suppression of intracellular reactive oxygen species; (3) elevation of antioxidant enzymes (CAT, SOD, and GPx) and upregulation of the antioxidant regulator Nrf2 and its downstream target HO-1; (4) inhibition of migration as revealed by in vitro wound healing assay and downregulation of the migration-related gene MMP9 and upregulation of the anti-migratory gene TIMP1; and (5) downregulation of inflammation-related genes (NFκB and IL8). The aqueous extract exhibited the best anticancer effect with higher antioxidant activities but lower anti-inflammatory properties than the alcoholic extract. HPLC analysis revealed the presence of several flavonoids and phenolic compounds with highest concentrations for resveratrol and naringenin in aqueous extract and rosmarinic acid in alcoholic extract. This is the first report to explain the intracellular pathway by which flavonoids and phenolic compounds-rich extracts of Vespa orientalis larvae could induce MCF7 cell viability loss through the initiation of apoptosis, activation of antioxidants, and inhibition of migration and inflammation. Therefore, these extracts could be used as adjuvants for anticancer drugs and as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents.

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Differences in a Single Extracellular Residue Underlie Adhesive Functions of Two Zebrafish Aqp0s

Cells ◽

10.3390/cells10082005 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 2005

Author(s):

Irene Vorontsova ◽

James E. Hall ◽

Thomas F. Schilling ◽

Noriaki Nagai ◽

Yosuke Nakazawa

Keyword(s):

Cell Adhesion ◽

Single Amino Acid ◽

Amino Acid Difference ◽

Adhesion Assay ◽

Loss Of Function ◽

Adhesive Properties ◽

The Difference ◽

In Vitro Adhesion ◽

Cell To Cell Adhesion

Aquaporin 0 (AQP0) is the most abundant lens membrane protein, and loss of function in human and animal models leads to cataract formation. AQP0 has several functions in the lens including water transport and adhesion. Since lens optics rely on strict tissue architecture achieved by compact cell-to-cell adhesion between lens fiber cells, understanding how AQP0 contributes to adhesion would shed light on normal lens physiology and pathophysiology. We show in an in vitro adhesion assay that one of two closely related zebrafish Aqp0s, Aqp0b, has strong auto-adhesive properties while Aqp0a does not. The difference appears to be largely due to a single amino acid difference at residue 110 in the extracellular C-loop, which is T in Aqp0a and N in Aqp0b. Similarly, P110 is the key residue required for adhesion in mammalian AQP0, highlighting the importance of residue 110 in AQP0 cell-to-cell adhesion in vertebrate lenses as well as the divergence of adhesive and water permeability functions in zebrafish duplicates.

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