scholarly journals Cytotoxicity and Microbicidal Activity of Commonly Used Organic Solvents: A Comparative Study and Application to a Standardized Extract from Vaccinium macrocarpon

Toxics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 92
Author(s):  
Yana Ilieva ◽  
Lyudmila Dimitrova ◽  
Maya Margaritova Zaharieva ◽  
Mila Kaleva ◽  
Petko Alov ◽  
...  

The cytotoxicity and microbicidal capacity of seven organic solvents commonly applied for studying plant extracts and bioactive compounds were systematically investigated based on international standards. Four cell lines of normal (CCL-1, HaCaT) or tumor (A-375, A-431) tissue origin, seven bacterial and one fungal strain were used. The impact of the least toxic solvents in the determination of in vitro cytotoxicity was evaluated using a standardized extract from Vaccinium macrocarpon containing 54.2% v/v proanthocyanidins (CystiCran®). The solvents ethanol, methoxyethanol and polyethylene glycol were the least cytotoxic to all cell lines, with a maximum tolerated concentration (MTC) between 1 and 2% v/v. Ethanol, methanol and polyethylene glycol were mostly suitable for antimicrobial susceptibility testing, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ≥ 25% v/v. The MTC values of the solvents dimethyl sulfoxide, dimethoxyethane and dimethylformamide varied from 0.03% to 1.09% v/v. The MICs of dimethyl sulfoxide, methoxyethanol and dimethoxyethane were in the range of 3.125–25% v/v. The cytotoxic effects of CystiCran® on eukaryotic cell lines were directly proportional to the superimposed effect of the solvents used. The results of this study can be useful for selecting the appropriate solvents for in vitro estimation of the cytotoxic and growth inhibitory effects of bioactive molecules in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells.

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 512-517
Author(s):  
Ognyan Ivanov Petrov ◽  
Yordanka Borisova Ivanova ◽  
Mariana Stefanova Gerova ◽  
Georgi Tsvetanov Momekov

Background: Chemotherapy is one of the mainstays of cancer treatment, despite the serious side effects of the clinically available anticancer drugs. In recent years increasing attention has been directed towards novel agents with improved efficacy and selectivity. Compounds with chalcone backbone have been reported to possess various biological activities such as anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant, etc. It was reported that aminomethylation of hydroxy chalcones to the corresponding Mannich bases increased their cytotoxicity. In this context, our interest has been focused on the design and synthesis of the so-called multi-target molecules, containing two or more pharmacophore fragments. Methods: A series of Mannich bases were synthesized by the reaction between 6-[3-(3,4,5- trimethoxyphenyl)-2-propenoyl]-2(3Н)-benzoxazolone, formaldehyde, and a secondary amine. The structures of the compounds were confirmed by elemental analysis, IR and NMR spectra. The new Mannich bases were evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxicity against a panel of human tumor cell lines, including BV-173, SKW-3, K-562, HL-60, HD-MY-Z and MDA-MB-231. The effects of selected compounds on the cellular levels of glutathione (GSH) were determined. Results: The new compounds 4a-e exhibited concentration-dependent cytotoxic effects at micromolar concentrations in MTT-dye reduction assay against a panel of human tumor cell lines, similar to those of starting chalcone 3. The tested agents led to concentration - dependent depletion of cellular GSH levels, whereby the effects of the chalcone prototype 3 and its Mannich base-derivatives were comparable. Conclusion: The highest chemosensitivity to the tested compounds was observed in BV- 173followed by SKW-3 and HL-60 cell lines.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. 5072
Author(s):  
Olakunle Oladimeji ◽  
Jude Akinyelu ◽  
Aliscia Daniels ◽  
Moganavelli Singh

Advances in nanomedicine have seen the adaptation of nanoparticles (NPs) for subcellular delivery for enhanced therapeutic impact and reduced side effects. The pivotal role of the mitochondria in apoptosis and their potential as a target in cancers enables selective induction of cancer cell death. In this study, we examined the mitochondrial targeted delivery of betulinic acid (BA) by the mitochondriotropic TPP+-functionalized epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)-capped gold NPs (AuNPs), comparing the impact of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and poly-L-lysine-graft-polyethylene glycol (PLL-g-PEG) copolymer on delivery efficacy. This included the assessment of their cellular uptake, mitochondrial localization and efficacy as therapeutic delivery platforms for BA in the human Caco-2, HeLa and MCF-7 cancer cell lines. These mitochondrial-targeted nanocomplexes demonstrated significant inhibition of cancer cell growth, with targeted nanocomplexes recording IC50 values in the range of 3.12–13.2 µM compared to that of the free BA (9.74–36.31 µM) in vitro, demonstrating the merit of mitochondrial targeting. Their mechanisms of action implicated high amplitude mitochondrial depolarization, caspases 3/7 activation, with an associated arrest at the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle. This nano-delivery system is a potentially viable platform for mitochondrial-targeted delivery of BA and highlights mitochondrial targeting as an option in cancer therapy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Tamborino ◽  
Marijke De Saint-Hubert ◽  
Lara Struelens ◽  
Dayana C. Seoane ◽  
Eline A. M. Ruigrok ◽  
...  

Tumor Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-26
Author(s):  
Maike Busch ◽  
Natalia Miroschnikov ◽  
Jaroslaw Thomas Dankert ◽  
Marc Wiesehöfer ◽  
Klaus Metz ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Retinoblastoma (RB) is the most common childhood eye cancer. Chemotherapeutic drugs such as etoposide used in RB treatment often cause massive side effects and acquired drug resistances. Dysregulated genes and miRNAs have a large impact on cancer progression and development of chemotherapy resistances. OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to investigate the involvement of retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARα) in RB progression and chemoresistance as well as the impact of miR-138, a potential RARα regulating miRNA. METHODS: RARα and miR-138 expression in etoposide resistant RB cell lines and chemotherapy treated patient tumors compared to non-treated tumors was revealed by Real-Time PCR. Overexpression approaches were performed to analyze the effects of RARα on RB cell viability, apoptosis, proliferation and tumorigenesis. Besides, we addressed the effect of miR-138 overexpression on RB cell chemotherapy resistance. RESULTS: A binding between miR-138 and RARα was shown by dual luciferase reporter gene assay. The study presented revealed that RARα is downregulated in etoposide resistant RB cells, while miR-138 is endogenously upregulated. Opposing RARα and miR-138 expression levels were detectable in chemotherapy pre-treated compared to non-treated RB tumor specimen. Overexpression of RARα increases apoptosis levels and reduces tumor cell growth of aggressive etoposide resistant RB cells in vitro and in vivo. Overexpression of miR-138 in chemo-sensitive RB cell lines partly enhances cell viability after etoposide treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that RARα acts as a tumor suppressor in retinoblastoma and is downregulated upon etoposide resistance in RB cells. Thus, RARα may contribute to the development and progression of RB chemo-resistance.


2018 ◽  
Vol Volume 13 ◽  
pp. 107-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manjri Singh ◽  
Parul Gupta ◽  
Richa Baronia ◽  
Priti Singh ◽  
Stalin Karuppiah ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
pp. 03001
Author(s):  
Annise Proboningrat ◽  
Amaq Fadholly ◽  
Sri Agus Sudjarwo ◽  
Fedik Abdul Rantam ◽  
Agung Budianto Achmad

Several efforts have been made to discover new anticancer agents based on natural ingredients. Meanwhile, previous studies have shown that different Pine genus species exhibit cytotoxic activity against various types of cancer cells. This plant is rich in phenolic compounds, especially procyanidins, flavonoids, and phenolic acids. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the in vitro cytotoxicity of Pinus merkusii needles extract on HeLa cancer cell lines. The cytotoxicity assessment was measured using MTT assay and expressed as IC50 value. The results showed that the ethanolic extract poses a dose and time-dependent cytotoxic activity with an IC50 value of 542.5 µg/ml at 48 hours of incubation. Based on this result, Pinus merkusii needles’ ethanolic extract has the potential of a novel candidate for an anticancer agent.


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