| 1. |
- El-Seedi, H. R., et al.
(författare)
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Hydroxycinnamic Acids : Natural Sources, Biosynthesis, Possible Biological Activities, and Roles in Islamic Medicine
- 2017
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Ingår i: Studies in Natural Products Chemistry. - : Elsevier B.V.. ; , s. 1-29
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hydroxycinnamic acids are the most widely distributed phenolic acids in plants. Broadly speaking, they can be defined as compounds derived from cinnamic acid. They are present at high concentrations in many food products, including fruits, vegetables, tea, cocoa, and wine. Cinnamic acid has received great attention in oriental research where it has been used as an antioxidant in food additives in Asia and especially in medical studies in China after being proven to be an effective component of medicinal herbs used by traditional medicine. Cinnamic acid is a phenolic acid widely distributed in the plant kingdom. It presents a wide range of potential therapeutic effects useful in the treatments of cancer, diabetes, lung, and cardiovascular diseases, as well as hepatic, neuro-, and photoprotective effects and antimicrobial and antiinflammatory activities. Overall, the pharmaceutical potential of cinnamic acid can be attributed to its ability to scavenge free radicals. However, recent studies have revealed that cinnamic acid presents pharmacological properties beyond those related to its antioxidant activity, such as the ability to competitively inhibit HMG-CoA reductase and activate glucokinase, contributing to reduce hypercholesterolemia and hyperglycemia, respectively. A diet rich in hydroxycinnamic acids is thought to be associated with beneficial health effects such as a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. The impact of hydroxycinnamic acids on health depends on their intake and pharmacokinetic properties. It can be found free, dimerized or esterified with proteins and polysaccharides in the cell wall, such as arabinoxylans in grasses and xyloglucans in bamboo. Cinnamic acid is an important biological and structural component of the plant cell wall. Due to its ability to stop radical chain reactions by resonance followed by polymerization, cinnamic acid offers protection against UV radiation and is responsible for cross-linking polysaccharides and other cell wall polymers. Cinnamic acid can be absorbed by the small intestine and excreted in the urine, where therapeutic efficacy is dependent on its physiological concentrations and pharmacokinetic properties, which include absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of metabolites. Mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, especially 2D NMR (COSY, NOESY, HMQC, and HMBC), are the most useful analytical techniques for the structural elucidation of hydroxycinnamic acids besides UV, IR, CD, X-ray analysis, and chemical degradation. In this chapter, we update the reader about the therapeutic properties of cinnamic acid, reviewing its dietary sources, the pharmacokinetic profile, antioxidant action mechanisms, and therapeutic effects in the treatment and prevention of various diseases, in order to provide a basis for understanding its pharmaceutical potential.
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| 2. |
- Khalifa, Shaden A. M., et al.
(författare)
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Overview of Bee Pollination and Its Economic Value for Crop Production
- 2021
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Ingår i: Insects. - : MDPI AG. - 2075-4450. ; 12:8
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pollination plays a significant role in the agriculture sector and serves as a basic pillar for crop production. Plants depend on vectors to move pollen, which can include water, wind, and animal pollinators like bats, moths, hoverflies, birds, bees, butterflies, wasps, thrips, and beetles. Cultivated plants are typically pollinated by animals. Animal-based pollination contributes to 30% of global food production, and bee-pollinated crops contribute to approximately one-third of the total human dietary supply. Bees are considered significant pollinators due to their effectiveness and wide availability. Bee pollination provides excellent value to crop quality and quantity, improving global economic and dietary outcomes. This review highlights the role played by bee pollination, which influences the economy, and enlists the different types of bees and other insects associated with pollination.
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| 3. |
- Yosri, Nermeen, et al.
(författare)
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Anti-Viral and Immunomodulatory Properties of Propolis : Chemical Diversity, Pharmacological Properties, Preclinical and Clinical Applications, and In Silico Potential against SARS-CoV-2
- 2021
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Ingår i: Foods. - : MDPI AG. - 2304-8158. ; 10:8
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Propolis, a resin produced by honeybees, has long been used as a dietary supplement and folk remedy, and more recent preclinical investigations have demonstrated a large spectrum of potential therapeutic bioactivities, including antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, immunomodulatory, anticancer, and antiviral properties. As an antiviral agent, propolis and various constituents have shown promising preclinical efficacy against adenoviruses, influenza viruses, respiratory tract viruses, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Over 300 chemical components have been identified in propolis, including terpenes, flavonoids, and phenolic acids, with the specific constituent profile varying widely according to geographic origin and regional flora. Propolis and its constituents have demonstrated potential efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 by modulating multiple pathogenic and antiviral pathways. Molecular docking studies have demonstrated high binding affinities of propolis derivatives to multiple SARS-CoV-2 proteins, including 3C-like protease (3CL(pro)), papain-like protease (PLpro), RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein (S-protein), and helicase (NSP13), as well as to the viral target angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Among these compounds, retusapurpurin A has shown high affinity to 3CL(pro) (Delta G = -9.4 kcal/mol), RdRp (-7.5), RBD (-7.2), NSP13 (-9.4), and ACE2 (-10.4) and potent inhibition of viral entry by forming hydrogen bonds with amino acid residues within viral and human target proteins. In addition, propolis-derived baccharin demonstrated even higher binding affinity towards PLpro (-8.2 kcal/mol). Measures of drug-likeness parameters, including metabolism, distribution, absorption, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) characteristics, also support the potential of propolis as an effective agent to combat COVID-19.
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| 4. |
- Alkharusi, A, et al.
(författare)
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Connections between prolactin and ovarian cancer
- 2021
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Ingår i: PloS one. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 16:8, s. e0255701-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ovarian cancer (OC) is characterized by a high morbidity and mortality, highlighting a great need for a better understanding of biological mechanisms that affect OC progression and improving its early detection methods. This study investigates effects of prolactin (PRL) on ovarian cancer cells, analyzes PRL receptors (PRLR) in tissue micro arrays and relates PRLR expression to survival of ovarian cancer. A database, composed of transcript profiles from OC, was searched for PRLR expression and results were put in relation to survival. Expression of PRLR in OC tissue sections and OC cell lines SKOV3, OV2008 and OVSAHO was assessed using immunohistochemistry, western blots and quantitative real-time PCR. The biological function of PRLR was evaluated by proliferation, colony formation and wound healing assays. Levels of PRLR mRNA are related to survival; in epithelial OC a high PRLR mRNA expression is related to a shorter survival. Analysis of a tissue micro array consisting of 84 OC showed that 72% were positive for PRLR immuno-staining. PRLR staining tended to be higher in OC of high grade tumors compared to lower grades. PRLR mRNA and protein can further be detected in OC cell lines. Moreover, in vitro treatment with PRL significantly activated the JAK/STAT pathway. PRLR expression is associated with OC survivals. PRL and its receptor may play an onco-modulatory role and promote tumor aggressiveness in OC. Alternatively, increased PRLR levels may form a base for the development of PRLR antagonist or PRLR antagonist-drug conjugate to increase selective uptake of anti-cancer drugs.
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| 5. |
- Thekkinkattil, D., et al.
(författare)
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Assessing variability in breast cancer management across the world: results of a questionnaire survey amongst global international experts in breast cancer management
- 2022
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Ingår i: Ecancermedicalscience. - : Ecancer Global Foundation. - 1754-6605. ; 16
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide with an estimated 2.3 million breast cancer cases diagnosed annually. The outcome of breast cancer management varies widely across the globe which could be due to a multitude of factors. Hence, a blanket approach in standardisation of care across the world is neither practical nor feasible.Aim: To assess the extent and type of variability in breast cancer management across the globe and to do a gap analysis of patient care pathway.Method: An online questionnaire survey and virtual consensus meeting was carried out amongst 31 experts from 25 countries in the field of breast cancer surgical management. The questionnaire was designed to understand the variability in diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, and potential factors contributing to this heterogeneity.Result: The questionnaire survey shows a wide variation in breast surgical training, diagnosis and treatment pathways for breast cancer patients. There are several factors such as socioeconomic status, patient culture and preferences, lack of national screening programmes and training, and paucity of resources, which are barriers to the consistent delivery of high-quality care in different parts of the world.Conclusion: On-line survey platforms distributed to global experts in breast cancer care can assess gaps in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer patients. This survey confirms the need for an in-depth gap analysis of patient care pathways and treatments to enable the development of personalised plans and policies to standardise high quality care.
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| 6. |
- El-Garawani, Islam M., et al.
(författare)
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In Vitro Induction of Apoptosis in Isolated Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells : The Role of Anastatica hierochuntica Methanolic Extract
- 2022
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Ingår i: Metabolites. - : MDPI AG. - 2218-1989 .- 2218-1989. ; 12:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Anastatica hierochuntica L. (Cruciferae) has been known in Egyptian folk medicine as a remedy for gastrointestinal disorders, diabetes and heart diseases. Despite the wide usage, A. hierochuntica research provides insufficient data to support its traditional practice. The cytotoxicity of A. hierochuntica methanolic extract was investigated on acute myeloid leukemia blasts (AML) and normal human peripheral leucocytes (NHPL). The phytochemical identification of bioactive compounds using 1H-NMR and LC-ESI-MS was also performed. A. hierochuntica extract caused non-significant cytotoxicity on NHPL, while the cytotoxicity on AML was significant (IC50: 0.38 ± 0.02 μg/mL). The negative expression of p53, upregulation of Caspase-3 and increase in the BAX/BCL-2 ratio were reported at the protein and mRNA levels. The results suggest that A. hierochuntica extract induced AML cell death via the p53-independent mitochondrial intrinsic pathway and further attention should be paid to this plant as a promising natural anticancer agent.
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| 7. |
- El-Seedi, Hesham R., et al.
(författare)
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Essential oils of aromatic Egyptian plants repel nymphs of the tick Ixodes ricinus (Acari : Ixodidae)
- 2017
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Ingår i: Experimental & applied acarology. - : Springer. - 0168-8162 .- 1572-9702. ; 73:1, s. 139-157
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Due to the role of Ixodes ricinus (L.) (Acari: Ixodidae) in the transmission of many serious pathogens, personal protection against bites of this tick is essential. In the present study the essential oils from 11 aromatic Egyptian plants were isolated and their repellent activity against I. ricinus nymphs was evaluated Three oils (i.e. Conyza dioscoridis L., Artemisia herba-alba Asso and Calendula officinalis L.) elicited high repellent activity in vitro of 94, 84.2 and 82%, respectively. The most active essential oil (C. dioscoridis) was applied in the field at a concentration of 6.5 A mu g/cm(2) and elicited a significant repellent activity against I. ricinus nymphs by 61.1%. The most repellent plants C. dioscoridis, C. officinalis and A. herba-alba yielded essential oils by 0.17, 0.11 and 0.14%, respectively. These oils were further investigated using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. alpha-Cadinol (10.7%) and hexadecanoic acid (10.5%) were the major components of C. dioscoridis whereas in C. officinalis, alpha-cadinol (21.2%) and carvone (18.2%) were major components. Artemisia herba-alba contained piperitone (26.5%), ethyl cinnamate (9.5%), camphor (7.7%) and hexadecanoic acid (6.9%). Essential oils of these three plants have a potential to be used for personal protection against tick bites.
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| 8. |
- Zahra, Maram Hussein, et al.
(författare)
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Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) : Food and Medicinal Plant with Potential In Vitro and In Vivo Anti-Cancer Activities
- 2019
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Ingår i: Molecules. - : MDPI AG. - 1431-5157 .- 1420-3049. ; 24:13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background/Aim: Plants play an important role in anti-cancer drug discovery, therefore, the current study aimed to evaluate the biological activity of Alpinia zerumbet (A. zerumbet) flowers. Methods: The phytochemical and biological criteria of A. zerumbet were in vitro investigated as well as in mouse xenograft model. Results: A. zerumbet extracts, specially CH2Cl2 and MeOH extracts, exhibited the highest potent anti-tumor activity against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells. The most active CH2Cl2 extract was subjected to bioassay-guided fractionation leading to isolatation of the naturally occurring 5,6-dehydrokawain (DK) which was characterized by IR, MS, H-1-NMR and C-13-NMR. A. zerumbet extracts, specially MeOH and CH2Cl2 extracts, exhibited significant inhibitory activity towards tumor volume (TV). Furthermore, A. zerumbet extracts declined the high level of malonaldehyde (MDA) as well as elevated the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in liver tissue homogenate. Moreover, DK showed anti-proliferative action on different human cancer cell lines. The recorded IC50 values against breast carcinoma (MCF-7), liver carcinoma (Hep-G2) and larynx carcinoma cells (HEP-2) were 3.08, 6.8, and 8.7 mu g/mL, respectively. Conclusion: Taken together, these findings open the door for further investigations in order to explore the potential medicinal properties of A. zerumbet.
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| 9. |
- Zayed, Muhammad, et al.
(författare)
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Structural Diversity, LC-MS-MS Analysis and Potential Biological Activities of Brevibacillus laterosporus Extract
- 2022
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Ingår i: Metabolites. - : MDPI AG. - 2218-1989 .- 2218-1989. ; 12:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Lake Mariout is Egypt’s degraded coastal marine habitat that encompasses a variety of wastes. The biodiversity and hard environmental conditions allow the co-existence of organisms with high resistance and rich metabolism, making them potential candidates for screening and isolating novel microbial strains. A bacterial isolate (BF202) cultured from the marine sediments of Alexandria’s Mariout Lake (Egypt) was tested for its antimicrobial and anticancer potential. The phylogenetic analysis of the isolated strain’s 16S rDNA and gyrB revealed that BF202 belongs to Brevibacillus laterosporus (B. laterosporus). Antibiosis of B. laterosporus was confirmed against microbial pathogens including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella typhi, and Staphylococcus aureus. The highest antibacterial activity was detected on glucose peptone medium after 18 h of incubation at 35 °C, and at pH of 7.0 in the presence of mannose and ammonium carbonate as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. The cytotoxicity of the methanolic extract against breast cancer (MCF-7) and normal Vero cell lines, using the MTT test, revealed IC50 values of 7.93 and 23.79 µg/mL, respectively. To identify apoptotic and necrotic cells, a flow cytometric analysis using annexin V-FITC/PI dual-labeling was utilized and recorded a higher number of necrotic cells compared to apoptotic ones. Similarly, the cell cycle S-phase arrest was reported. The LC-MS-MS investigation of B. laterosporus extract and the molecular networking database analysis demonstrated five strategic diketopiperazine compounds with antimicrobial and anticancer activities. Taken together, this research shows that the crude extract of B. laterosporus might be an effective agent against drug-resistant bacteria and malignant disorders due to its richness in diketopiperazines.
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| 10. |
- Amir, Mohd., et al.
(författare)
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Investigating architecture and structure-function relationships in cold shock DNA-binding domain family using structural genomics-based approach
- 2019
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Ingår i: International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. - : ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. - 0141-8130 .- 1879-0003. ; 133, s. 484-494
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide-binding fold (OB-fold) plays a major role in the regulation of central dogma of life via binding though DNA and RNA. The OB-fold domains are diverse in nature and present in large number of proteins with verities of molecular functions. Here, we have investigated the distribution of sequence, structure and repeats of cold shock DNA-binding proteins (CSDB), a member of OB-fold, in all three kingdoms to establish functional relationships. The CSDB is consists of 30 domains with a major contribution of S1 (>110,601 sequences), S12 (>23,760 sequences), S17 (>14,833 sequences) and S28e (>1615 sequence) domains. These domains are largely found in bacteria (70-90%). The number of S1 domain repeats in eukaryota varies from 1 to 15 and are well-correlated with the protein size. The molecular function analysis suggests that a large number of repeats in the S1 domain are involved in diverse molecular functions in bacteria and eukaryotes. In-depth structure analysis of Si, S12, S17 and S28e domain-containing proteins of the OB-fold family provides a reasonable basis to understand the relationship of size and number of repeats with the corresponding molecular functions.
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| 11. |
- El-Aarag, Bishoy, et al.
(författare)
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Melittin Exerts Beneficial Effects on Paraquat-Induced Lung Injuries in Mice by Modifying Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis
- 2019
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Ingår i: Molecules. - : MDPI AG. - 1431-5157 .- 1420-3049. ; 24:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Melittin (MEL) is a 26-amino acid peptide with numerous biological activities. Paraquat (PQ) is one of the most widely used herbicides, although it is extremely toxic to humans. To date, PQ poisoning has no effective treatment, and therefore the current study aimed to assess for the first time the possible effects of MEL on PQ-induced lung injuries in mice. Mice received a single intraperitoneal (IP) injection of PQ (30 mg/kg), followed by IP treatment with MEL (0.1 and 0.5 mg/kg) twice per week for four consecutive weeks. Histological alterations, oxidative stress, and apoptosis in the lungs were studied. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining indicated that MEL markedly reduced lung injuries induced by PQ. Furthermore, treatment with MEL increased superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, and decreased malonaldehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) levels in lung tissue homogenates. Moreover, immunohistochemical staining showed that B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and survivin expressions were upregulated after MEL treatment, while Ki-67 expression was downregulated. The high dose of MEL was more effective than the low dose in all experiments. In summary, MEL efficiently reduced PQ-induced lung injuries in mice. Specific pharmacological examinations are required to determine the effectiveness of MEL in cases of human PQ poisoning.
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| 12. |
- Nipun, Tanzina Sharmin, et al.
(författare)
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GC-MS- and NMR-Based Metabolomics and Molecular Docking Reveal the Potential Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibitors from Psychotria malayana Jack Leaves
- 2021
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Ingår i: Pharmaceuticals. - : MDPI. - 1424-8247. ; 14:10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Psychotria malayana Jack leaf, known in Indonesia as "daun salung ", is traditionally used for the treatment of diabetes and other diseases. Despite its potential, the phytochemical study related to its anti-diabetic activity is still lacking. Thus, this study aimed to identify putative inhibitors of alpha-glucosidase, a prominent enzyme contributing to diabetes type 2 in P. malayana leaf extract using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)- and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics, and to investigate the molecular interaction between those inhibitors and the enzyme through in silico approach. Twenty samples were extracted with different solvent ratios of methanol-water (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% v/v). All extracts were tested on the alpha-glucosidase inhibition (AGI) assay and analyzed using GC-MS and NMR. Multivariate data analysis through a partial least square (PLS) and orthogonal partial square (OPLS) models were developed in order to correlate the metabolite profile and the bioactivity leading to the annotation of the putative bioactive compounds in the plant extracts. A total of ten putative bioactive compounds were identified and some of them reported in this plant for the first time, namely 1,3,5-benzenetriol (1); palmitic acid (2); cholesta-7,9(11)-diene-3-ol (3); 1-monopalmitin (4); beta-tocopherol (5); alpha-tocopherol (6); 24-epicampesterol (7); stigmast-5-ene (8); 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid (10); and glutamine (11). For the evaluation of the potential binding modes between the inhibitors and protein, the in silico study via molecular docking was performed where the crystal structure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae isomaltase (PDB code: 3A4A) was used. Ten amino acid residues, namely ASP352, HIE351, GLN182, ARG442, ASH215, SER311, ARG213, GLH277, GLN279, and PRO312 established hydrogen bond in the docked complex, as well as hydrophobic interaction of other amino acid residues with the putative compounds. The alpha-glucosidase inhibitors showed moderate to high binding affinities (-5.5 to -9.4 kcal/mol) towards the active site of the enzymatic protein, where compounds 3, 5, and 8 showed higher binding affinity compared to both quercetin and control ligand.
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