Evaluation of Chemical Composition of Hamadan Propolis as a Potential Anticancer Agent

: This study aimed to evaluate the chemical composition and anticancer activity of Hamadan propolis essential oil and methanolic extract on HCT116 cell line. The anticancer activity of propolis methanolic extract and essential oil was evaluated by using the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide) test on the colorectal HCT116 cell line. The essential oil of Hamadan propolis was analyzed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The total flavonoid and phenolic content of methanolic extract were assessed using the aluminum chloride colorimetric procedures and Folin-Ciocalteu (F-C) assay, respectively. The results of MTT assay confirmed the anticancer properties of Hamadan propolis essential oil and methanolic extract on the HCT116 cell line. Moreover, 30 compounds were characterized from Hamadan propolis essential oil, the main compounds of which included β-udesmol (25.7%), α-udesmol (20.4%), α-copaen-11-ol (13.7%), and γ-udesmol (10.1%). In addition, the total flavonoid content and total phenolic content of the methanolic extract were 14.12 mg/g and 32.01 mg/g dry weight, respectively. In summary, the most important constituents of Hamadan propolis essential oil were β-u desmol, α-eudesmol, α-copaen, and γ-u desmol. Despite the cytotoxic effects of Hamadan propolis methanolic extract and essential oil on HCT116, further evaluation of anticancer effects of the most important constituents of propolis methanolic extract and essential oil is recommended.

Circulating microRNA-194 and microRNA-1228 Could Predict Colon Cancer Proliferation via Phospho S6 Modulation

Background and Aims: Although colon cancer has a decreasing incidence trend in Europe, because of its still high frequency and not fully understood pathogenesis, this malignancy still remains a subject of intense research. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of microRNA-194 and microRNA-1228 in colon cancer proliferation. Methods: RNA was extracted from patients with colon cancer with or without advanced disease and microRNA expression levels were determined through qRT-PCR. Assays were performed on HCT116 cell line and included qRT-PCR, western blotting and cell counting. Results: We observed that both microRNAs 194 and 1228 were altered in patients with colon cancer compared with healthy individuals. We observed a lower expression of both microRNA-194 and microRNA-1228 in patients with advanced colon cancer. To validate their pathogenetic role we performed viability and invasion assays on HCT116 cell line transfected with mimics or inhibitors of the mentioned microRNAs, with observable changes in viability and invasion. Furthermore, to determine the altered signaling induced by these microRNAs, we performed western blotting for phospho S6 on HCT116 cells transfected with mimic and inhibitor of the above-mentioned microRNAs with observable differences. Conclusion: In the current study we have shown that both microRNA-194 and microRNA-1228 alteration was correlated with the presence of advanced colon cancer, a fact that was further validated in vitro through an invasion assay. Moreover, we have also shown that their effect might be mediated through phospho S6 expression.

Qualitative Chemical Characterization and Multidirectional Biological Investigation of Leaves and Bark Extracts of Anogeissus leiocarpus (DC.) Guill. & Perr. (Combretaceae)

Anogeissus leiocarpus (DC.) Guill. & Perr. (Combretaceae) has a long history of use by folk populations for the management of multiple human ailments. Based on the published literature, there has been no attempt to conduct a comparative assessment of the biological activity and the phytochemical profiles of the leaves and stem bark of A. leiocarpus extracted using methanol, ethyl acetate, and water. By high-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization mass spectrometric detection (HPLC-ESI-MSn) analysis, quinic, shikimic, gallic, and protocatechuic acids were tentatively identified from all the extracts, while chlorogenic, caffeic, ferulic, and dodecanedioic acids were only characterised from the leaves extracts. Additionally, a pharmacological study was carried out to evaluate potential protective effects that are induced by the extracts in rat colon and colon cancer HCT116 cell line. In general, the methanol and water extracts of A. leiocarpus leaves and stem bark showed potent radical scavenging and reducing properties. It was noted that the stem bark extracts were more potent antioxidants as compared to the leaves extracts. The methanol extract of A. leiocarpus leaves showed the highest acetyl (4.68 mg galantamine equivalent/g) and butyryl (4.0 mg galantamine equivalent/g) cholinesterase inhibition. Among ethyl acetate extracts, the pharmacological investigation suggested stem bark ethyl acetate extracts to be the most promising. This extract revealed ability to protect rat colon from lipopolysaccharide-induced oxidative stress, without exerting promoting effects on HCT116 cell line viability and migration. As a conclusion, A. leiocarpus represents a potential source of bioactive compounds in the development of novel therapeutic agents.