Evaluation of Annona muricata (Graviola) leaves activity against experimental trichinellosis: in vitro and in vivo studies

2021 ◽  
Vol 95 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.S. El-Wakil ◽  
H.F. Abdelmaksoud ◽  
T.S. AbouShousha ◽  
M.M.I. Ghallab

Abstract Our work aimed to evaluate the possible effect of Annona muricata (Graviola) leaf extract on Trichinella spiralis in in vitro and in vivo studies. Trichinella spiralis worms were isolated from infected mice and transferred to three culture media – group I (with no drugs), group II (contained Graviola) and group III (contained albendazole) – then they were examined using the electron microscope. In the in vivo study, mice were divided into five groups: GI (infected untreated), GII (prophylactically treated with Graviola for seven days before infection), GIII (infected and treated with Graviola), GIV (infected and treated with albendazole) and GV (infected and treated with a combination of Graviola plus albendazole in half doses). Drug effects were assessed by adults and larvae load beside the histopathological small intestinal and muscular changes. A significant reduction of adult and larval counts occurred in treated groups in comparison to the control group. Histopathologically, marked improvement in the small intestinal and muscular changes was observed in treated groups. Also, massive destruction of the cultured adults’ cuticle was detected in both drugs. This study revealed that Graviola leaves have potential activity against trichinellosis, especially in combination with albendazole, and could serve as an adjuvant to anti-trichinellosis drug therapy.

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 386
Author(s):  
Tung-Hu Tsai ◽  
Yu-Jen Chen ◽  
Li-Ying Wang ◽  
Chen-Hsi Hsieh

This study was performed to evaluate the interaction between conventional or high-dose radiotherapy (RT) and the pharmacokinetics (PK) of regorafenib in concurrent or sequential regimens for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Concurrent and sequential in vitro and in vivo studies of irradiation and regorafenib were designed. The interactions of RT and regorafenib in vitro were examined in the human hepatoma Huh-7, HA22T and Hep G2 cell lines. The RT–PK phenomenon and biodistribution of regorafenib under RT were confirmed in a free-moving rat model. Regorafenib inhibited the viability of Huh-7 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Apoptosis in Huh-7 cells was enhanced by RT followed by regorafenib treatment. In the concurrent regimen, RT decreased the area under the concentration versus time curve (AUC)regorafenib by 74% (p = 0.001) in the RT2 Gy × 3 fraction (f’x) group and by 69% (p = 0.001) in the RT9 Gy × 3 f’x group. The AUCregorafenib was increased by 182.8% (p = 0.011) in the sequential RT2Gy × 1 f’x group and by 213.2% (p = 0.016) in the sequential RT9Gy × 1 f’x group. Both concurrent regimens, RT2Gy × 3 f’x and RT9Gy × 3 f’x, clearly decreased the biodistribution of regorafenib in the heart, liver, lung, spleen and kidneys, compared to the control (regorafenib × 3 d) group. The concurrent regimens, both RT2Gy × 3 f’x and RT9Gy × 3 f’x, significantly decreased the biodistribution of regorafenib, compared with the control group. The PK of regorafenib can be modulated both by off-target irradiation and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT).


Author(s):  
SANGEETA CHOUDHURY ◽  
BLR MADHAVI

Objective: The aim of this work to formulate, evaluate and compare the effectiveness of herbal creams containing extract of reishi and tea tree oil for treating hirsutism. Methods: Herbal ingredients were authenticated. Cream base was initially formulated. Three formulations of herbal cream were prepared. Reishi ethanolic extract, tea tree oil, and combination of tea tree oil and reishi extract were added to the cream base and formulated cream were named as RHC, THC and RTC respectively. In vitro evaluations on herbal creams were done for the physicochemical characteristics. In vivo studies were carried out on female Swiss Albino mice for the activity against hair growth by topical application of cream to shaved skin. The histological and morphometric evaluation was carried out. Skin irritancy study was conducted. Results: The herbal creams showed desirable physicochemical properties like pH, viscosity and spreadability. Statistical analysis for the length of hair was performed by using one way ANOVA followed by DUNNET’S post hoc test where THC and RTC were found to be significant whereas RHC showed no significant reduction of hair growth compared to control. RTC showed a significant effect at p<0.05 and hair growth reduction was significant for THC at p<0.001 compared to the control group. RTC and THC showed mild to moderate reduction in the size of the hair follicles with a reduction of sebaceous gland size in the histological analysis. Conclusion: Topical application of herbal creams to mice showed that hair growth was fastest in group RHC and was slowest in group THC and intermediate with RTC. It can be concluded that these herbal actives can be used as an effective treatment against hirsutism. Within the study period, tea tree oil was found to be more effective than reishi extract and the combination product. Further formulation studies and in vivo studies need to be carried out on reishi to assess its effectiveness against hirsutism.


Dose-Response ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 155932582093942
Author(s):  
Muhammad Younus ◽  
Muhammad Mohtasheem ul Hasan ◽  
Khalil Ahmad ◽  
Ali Sharif ◽  
Hafiz Muhammad Asif ◽  
...  

In this study, we aimed to investigate the antidiabetic effects of Euphorbia nivulia (En), native to Cholistan Desert area of Bahawalpur, Pakistan. First, we performed high-performance liquid chromatography analysis and found that this plant contains ferulic acid, gallic acid, quercetin, benzoic acid, polyphenols, and flavonoids. Then, we performed in vitro and in vivo studies to assess its effects on diabetic Wistar rat model. The experiments were performed and compared with control drug glibenclamide. The 70% hydroalcoholic extract of En exhibited 97.8% in vitro α-glucosidase inhibitory effect at a dose of 1.0 mg/mL. We orally administered the extract of En and control drug to the streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats and analyzed its antidiabetic effects. We found that the extract of En with a dose of 500 mg/kg/body weight exhibited significant effect to reduce blood glucose in STZ-induced rats as compared with the control group ( P < .001). Our histological data also showed that the extract significantly improved the histopathology of pancreas. Collectively, both in vitro and in vivo studies revealed that En possesses α-glucosidase inhibitory, antioxidant, and anti-hyperglycemic effect in STZ-induced diabetic rats.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 169-179
Author(s):  
Chithambaram Sujatha Anusha ◽  
Hariharan Sini ◽  
Bhaskara Prakashkumar ◽  
Kottayath Govindan Nevin

AbstractThe aim of this study is to evaluate the protective effect of ethanol extract of Aerva lanata (EEAL) in preventing acetaminophen induced liver toxicity. EEAL was prepared and its hepatoprotective effect was studied in both isolated primary hepatocytes in vitro and in Sprague Dawley rats in vivo. For in vivo studies, the animals were grouped as Group I – Control; Group II – ACN (2 g/kg b.w.); Group III – EEAL (50 mg/kg b.w.) + ACN (2 g/kg b.w.), Group IV – EEAL (100 mg/kg b.w.) + ACN (2 g/kg b.w.). Extracellular activities of the enzymes liver aminotransferease (GOT, GPT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in isolated hepatocytes and rat plasma were studied colorimetrically. Expression of GST, Nrf2, COX 1 & COX2 genes in rat liver were evaluated by RT-PCR. The results showed that ACN induced down-regulation of Nrf2 and upregulation of GST gene expression, which were modulated by EEAL treatment. GOT, GPT, ALP and LDH levels were found to be lowered in both hepatocyte culture media and plasma following EEAL treatment. In addition, the medium GOT and GPT levels were diminished following EEAL treatment only. Moreover, only ALP and LDH in serum appeared to be at normal level following EEAL treatment, whereas GOT and GPT showed levels lower than control. ACN treatment increased the expression of pro-inflammatory COX 1 and COX 2 genes and the levels of these genes were reduced by EEAL treatment. EEAL pre-treated rats exposed to ACN were found to retain normal hepatic structure compared to ACN alone treated rats. From these results it can be concluded that ethanol extract of A. lanata possesses both anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activity.


2008 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rade Injac ◽  
Aleksandar Djordjevic ◽  
Borut Strukelj

The therapeutic utility of the anthracycline antibiotic doxorubicin is limited due to its cardiotoxicity. Our aim was to investigate the efficacy of fullerenol C60(OH)24 in preventing single, high-dose doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in rats with malignant neoplasm. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that fullerenol C60(OH)24, has strong antioxidative potential. Experiment was performed on adult female Sprague Dawley rats with chemically induced mammary carcinomas. All 32 rats (2-5 groups) received i.p. applications of 1-methyl-l-nitrosourea (MNU; 50 mg/kg body weight) on the 50th and 113th day of age. Animals were randomly divided into five groups as follows: (1) Untreated control group - rats received saline only; (2) Cancer control group - rats received MNU and saline; (3) Dox group - rats received MNU and Dox 8 mg/kg; (4) Full/Dox group -rats received MNU and Full 100 mg/kg 30 min before Dox 8 mg/kg; (5) Full group - rats received MNU and Full 100 mg/kg. Tumor incidence was 4.94 +- 0.576 per rat. The animals were sacrificed 2 days after the application of doxorubicin and/or fullerenol, and the serum activities of CK, LDH and ?-HBDH, as well as the levels of MDA, GSH, GSSG, GSH-Px, SOD, CAT, GR and TAS in the heart, were determined. The results obtained from the enzymatic activity in the serum show that the administration of a single dose of 8 mg/kg in all treated groups induces statistically significant damage. There are significant changes in the enzymes of LDH and CK (p < 0.05), after an i.p. administration of doxorubicin/fullerenol and fullerenol. Comparing all groups with untreated control group, point to the conclusion that in the case of a lower oc-HBDH/LDH ratio, results in more serious the liver parenchymal damage. The results revealed that doxorubicin induced oxidative damage and that the fullerenol antioxidative influence caused significant changes in MDA, GSH, GSSG, GSH-Px, SOD, CAT, GR and TAS level in the heart (p < 0.05). Ultra structural analysis of heart tissues from rats treated with doxorubicin and indicated that the hearts of the rats were protected from doxorubicin-induced subcellular damage. Doxorubicin/fullerenol rats did not appear to show significant cardiac damage although occasional focal loss of cristae in the mitochondria was observed. Therefore, it is suggested that fullerenol might be a potential cardioprotector in doxorubicin-treated individuals.


1987 ◽  
Author(s):  
J A Páramo ◽  
B Cuesta ◽  
M Hernrnández ◽  
J Fernrnández ◽  
M J Paloma ◽  
...  

In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that endotoxin induces a marked increase in plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI) activity. Plasma PAI and endotoxin concentration (limulus lysate chromo-genic peptide substrate) were determined in 61 patients with sepsis: temperature greater than 38° and either positive blood cultures (n= 32) or negative blood cultures in neutropenic patients. Thirty age-matched healthy subjects served as control group.There was a marked increase in PAI in patients (7.1±10.5 U/ml) as compared to controls (0.9±0.8 U/ml) with statistical differences (p<0.002). Mean endotoxin concentrations in patients was 1779 pg/ml (Ref. = no detectable). PAI concentration was significantly higher in patients with positive blood cultures (p<0.009). Such an increase was higher in patients with Gram-negative bacteria (n= 26) than in those with Gram-positive bacteria (n= 6), but without statistical differences. The highest PAI concentration was found in 9 patients with disseminated intravascular coagulaition (DIC) as compared with those without DIC (p<0.002). No correlation was found between PAI and endotoxin concentrations.We conclude that there is a marked increase of PAI activity in septicaemia which may contribute to the pathogenesis of DIC-associated sepsis.


2007 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 469-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.-F. Wang ◽  
Y.-H. Shi ◽  
J. Sun ◽  
G.-W. Le

The aim of this study was to evaluate the probiotic value of peanut flour fermented with lactic acid bacteria in vitro and in vivo. Four strains including Lactobacillus delbrueckii LD09, Lactobacillus casei LC35, Lactobacillus acidophilus LA51, and Lactobacillus plantarum P9 were screened for their growth and survival in peanut flour. Among all the strains, L. plantarum P9 grew to the highest cell population (9.48 log cfu/g) in peanut flour after 72 h fermentation at 37°C. After 28 days storage at 4°C, no marked change in the viable count of this strain was observed. Peanut flour fermented with L. plantarum P9 could also increase the content of crude protein and the degree of protein hydrolysis. In an in vitro system, the addition of protein from the fermented peanut flour greatly enhanced the survival of L. plantarum P9 in simulated gastric and bile juices. In vivo studies, supplementation with the fermented peanut flour in the diet of mice increased significantly the number of lactobacilli in the fecal samples compared to the control group. At the same time, the number of enterobacteria decreased significantly. These results indicated that peanut flour fermented with L. plantarum P9 strain could be a novel type of probiotic food.


2009 ◽  
Vol 297 (1) ◽  
pp. G90-G97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian P. Y. Lam ◽  
Leo T. O. Lee ◽  
Hueng-Sik Choi ◽  
Gianfranco Alpini ◽  
Billy K. C. Chow

Small heterodimer partner (SHP) is an orphan nuclear receptor in which gene expression can be upregulated by bile acids. It regulates its target genes by repressing the transcriptional activities of other nuclear receptors including NeuroD, which has been shown to regulate secretin gene expression. Here, we evaluated the regulation on duodenal secretin gene expression by SHP and selected bile acids, cholic acid (CA) and chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA). In vitro treatment of CDCA or fexaramine elevated the SHP transcript level and occupancy on secretin promoter. The increase in the SHP level, induced by bile acid treatment or overexpression, reduced secretin gene expression, whereas this gene inhibitory effect was reversed by silencing of endogenous SHP. In in vivo studies, double-immunofluorescence staining demonstrated the coexpression of secretin and SHP in mouse duodenum. Feeding mice with 1% CA-enriched rodent chow resulted in upregulation of SHP and a concomitant decrease in secretin transcript and protein levels in duodenum compared with the control group fed with normal chow. A diet enriched with 5% cholestyramine led to a decrease in SHP level and a corresponding increase in secretin expression. Overall, this study showed that bile acids via SHP inhibit duodenal secretin gene expression. Because secretin is a key hormone that stimulates bile flow in cholangiocytes, this pathway thus provides a novel means to modulate secretin-stimulated choleresis in response to intraduodenal bile acids.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tudor Petreus ◽  
Elaine Cadogan ◽  
Gareth Hughes ◽  
Aaron Smith ◽  
Venkatesh Pilla Reddy ◽  
...  

AbstractMicrophysiological in vitro systems are platforms for preclinical evaluation of drug effects and significant advances have been made in recent years. However, existing microfluidic devices are not yet able to deliver compounds to cell models in a way that reproduces the real physiological drug exposure. Here, we introduce a novel tumour-on-chip microfluidic system that mimics the pharmacokinetic profile of compounds on 3D tumour spheroids to evaluate their response to the treatments. We used this platform to test the response of SW620 colorectal cancer spheroids to irinotecan (SN38) alone and in combination with the ATM inhibitor AZD0156, using concentrations mimicking mouse plasma exposure profiles of both agents. We explored spheroid volume and viability as a measure of cancer cells response and changes in mechanistically relevant pharmacodynamic biomarkers (γH2AX, cleaved-caspase 3 and Ki67). We demonstrate here that our microfluidic tumour-on-chip platform can successfully predict the efficacy from in vivo studies and therefore represents an innovative tool to guide drug dose and schedules for optimal efficacy and pharmacodynamic assessment, while reducing the need for animal studies.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Alistair Brown

<p>Non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) are large, modular enzymes that synthesise bioactive peptides using an assembly line architecture, wherein each module is responsible for the incorporation of a monomer into the growing chain. Present in both fungi and bacteria, NRPSs are responsible for a wide variety of secondary metabolites and bioactive compounds including siderophores, antibiotics, anti-cancer compounds and immunosuppressants. For functionality, NRPSs require the attachment of a phosphopantetheine moiety to their peptidyl carrier protein domains. This reaction is catalysed by a phosphopantetheinyl transferase (PPTase).  The NRPS blue pigment synthetase A (BpsA) is unusual in that it is comprised of only a single module. BpsA contains an adenylation domain that recognises and sequentially binds two molecules of L-glutamine, an oxidation domain that is believed to oxidise each glutamine monomer, a peptidyl carrier protein domain that binds the phosphopantetheine moiety, and a thioesterase domain that cyclises each glutamine and releases the final bicyclic product from the enzyme. This final product is a blue pigment called indigoidine, and its synthesis from two molecules of L-glutamine is powered by ATP. Comparatively to other NRPSs BpsA is easy to manipulate and work with both in vitro and in vivo. Here, the ability to easily detect synthesis of indigoidine was utilised to provide a versatile reporter to detect a variety of biochemical activities.  PPTases are essential enzymes that are promising drug targets in the clinically important bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. BpsA can be purified in the inactive apo form, which then requires a PPTase to activate it to enable indigoidine synthesis. Here it was shown that mixing BpsA, a PPTase, the enzymatic substrates, and a potential inhibitor enables screening for PPTase inhibition by monitoring the rate or extent of indigoidine synthesis. This method was optimised and used to screen commercial drug libraries against two PPTases, PcpS from P. aeruginosa and PptT from M. tuberculosis. Several novel inhibitors were identified and pilot in vivo studies were performed. M. tuberculosis also possesses a second essential PPTase called TB-AcpS, which has very narrow substrate specificity and cannot post-translationally modify BpsA. In an attempt to widen the substrate specificity a combination of rational engineering and directed evolution was employed. These attempts did not yield significant improvements in the ability of TB-AcpS to activate modified BpsA, however they did yield mutants that were more effective substrates for other type I PPTases.  The easily detectable nature of indigoidine also enabled application of BpsA as a reporter for a range of different substrates. Particularly effective was development of a commercially applicable method using BpsA to quantify L-glutamine in a range of conditions, including cell culture media and blood. The assay developed offers several advantages over currently available kits. BpsA was also used to detect and quantify ATP, and this was applied to monitor adenylation reactions. Finally, the ability of BpsA to synthesise indigoidine-like compounds from glutamine analogues was explored.</p>


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