In silico identification and characterization of Kaurene Synthase protein in Stevia rebaudiana MS007

Stevia rebaudiana (Sr), belonging to Asteraceae family is a plant native to Paraguay. It is currently being used as a healthier alternative for sugar. Sr produces steviol glycosides (SGs), a group of secondary metabolite compounds that is responsible for its sweetening taste. SGs act as sweetener due to the presence of two major compounds, Stevioside and Rebaudioside A. Biosynthesis of these compounds involve enzymes such as geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GPPS), copalyl diphosphate synthase (CPPS), kaurene synthase (KS) and kaurene oxidase (KO) in the pathway. In this study, the identification and characterization of Stevia rebaudiana MS007 kaurene synthase (SrKS) were done by in silico analysis of the transcriptomic dataset. Homology search from BLASTx resulting in SrKSfrom query Cluster-31069.42907 (Sr MS007) of transcriptomic dataset shows the highest similarity percentage identity (99.62%). ExPasy tools were used to translate the nucleotide sequence into protein sequence. The protein domain is predicted by protein domain search analysis using Interpro and shows IPR005630 (terpene synthase metal-binding domain) available at positions 454 to 719 and IPR001906 (terpene-synthase-N-terminal-domain) at position 222 to 411 as the domains. In constructing the phylogenetic analysis tree, multiple sequence alignment was initially done using MUSCLE and MEGA-X was used as phylogenetic tree analysis tools. Cluster-31069.42907 shows the relationship between the ancestors, based on the bootstrap value. Bootstrap value of Helianthus annuus and Stevia rebaudiana is 100% as both the sequences are from the Asteraceae family. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of S. rebaudiana MS007 Kaurene synthase through in silico analysis

POLIFENOLI DA SEMI DI UVA: NUOVE MOLECOLE PER L'INDUSTRIA NUTRACEUTICA

The reuse of waste products from industrial processes offers the possibility of decreasing waste and having new molecules for the nutraceutical industry. In our work we examined the anti-cancer potential of grape seeds and the antioxidant capacity of an extract of Ginkgo biloba leaves

Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common malignancies worldwide, and the pathogenesis of this neoplasm is probably one of the most studied. The knowledge obtained over time has led to the development of screening and early diagnosis systems, allowing a significant reduction in the incidence of this neoplasm. However, what is currently known probably represents only the tip of the iceberg of the biology of this tumor. It was recently shown that the gut microbiota may contribute to colorectal cancerogenesis. In addition, several novel targeted therapies are now applied to patients with colorectal carcinoma. Nonetheless, several questions are still unanswered. Could the modulation of the gut microbiota modify the risk of tumor progression or the efficacy of therapies? Are there any predictive biomarkers of the risk of tumor progression or the efficacy of target therapies? Is metastatic colorectal cancer one or more diseases? This book collects a series of scientific articles reflecting part of the state of the art regarding colorectal cancer, seeking to answer these questions

Biotechnological Activities and Applications of Bacterial Pigments Violacein and Prodigiosin

In this review, we discuss violacein and prodigiosin, two chromogenic bacterial secondary metabolites that have diverse biological activities. Although both compounds were "discovered" more than seven decades ago, interest into their biological applications has grown in the last two decades, particularly driven by their antimicrobial and anticancer properties. These topics will be discussed in the first half of this review. The latter half delves into the current efforts of groups to produce these two compounds. This includes in both their native bacterial hosts and heterogeneously in other bacterial hosts, including discussing some of the caveats related to the yields reported in the literature, and some of the synthetic biology techniques employed in this pursuit

Examination of immunomodulatory and cytotoxic effects of aqueous exstract of white mistletoe (Viscum album L.) in vitro and in patients treated with anthracycline chemotherapeutics

Uspešnost antitumorske terapije je ograničena pojavom tumorske rezistencije na lekove putem molekularnih mehanizama koji i dalje ostaju nerazjašnjeni. Kako bi se smanjili neželjeni efekti i poboljšala efikasnost standardnih hemioterapija i radioterapija, počeli su da se primenjuju mnogi komplementarni ili alternativni medikamenti. Bela imela (lat. Viscum album L) se tradicionalno koristi u lečenju pojedinih vrsta tumora. Terapijska korist od primene bele imele kada se koristi zajedno sa hemioterapijom ili radioterapijom, odnosno operacijom doprinosi ukupnom poboljšanju kvaliteta života kod pacijenata obolelih od tumora. Dosadašnja istraživanja na ćelijama u kulturi i na životinjskim modelima, su pokazala da potencijalni mehanizmi delovanja sastojaka bele imele uključuju antitumorsko, antiinflamatorno i imunomodulatorno dejstvo. Uprkos intezivnim ispitivanjima, mehanizam antitumorskog dejstva ekstrakta bele imele je još uvek u velikom obimu nepoznat. Takođe, malo je i naučnih podataka o mehanizmu interakcije bioaktivnih komponenti bele imele i drugih antitumorskih citotoksičnih lekova, koji bi pružili zasnovanost daljem kliničkom ispitivanju. Cilj ove disertacije je utvrđivanje imunomodulatornog dejstva ekstrakta bele imele na ćelije imunskog sistema u in vitro i in vivo uslovima, ispitivanje citotoksičnog efekta ekstrakta bele imele in vitro i molekularnih mehanizma interakcije bioaktivnih komponenti ekstrakta bele imele sa citotoksičnim agensom iz grupe antraciklina na modelu tumorskih ćelija u kulturi. Rezultati dobijeni u in vitro istraživanjima su pokazali citotoksični i antiproliferativni efekat ekstrakta bele imele, putem indukcije apoptoze tumorskih ćelija unutrašnjim mitohondrijskim putem i indukcijom zastoja u G0/G1 fazi ćelijskog ciklusa. Kombinovani tretman tumorskih ćelija subterapeutskom koncentracijom doksorubicina i ekstraktom bele imele dovodi do sinergističkog inhibitornog efekta...Success of anticancer treatment has been impeded by resistance to anti-tumor therapy via molecular mechanisms that still remain elusive. To reduce side effects and improve the effectiveness of standard chemoradiation therapy, many complementary or alternative medicines (CAM) have been investigated. Mistletoe (Viscum album L) has been long used as CAM supporting cancer therapy. Therapeutic benefit of mistletoe preparations when utilized along with surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy contributes to the overall improvement in the quality of life in cancer patients. Several lines of evidence have revealed that mistletoe preparations in vitro and in vivo exert an anti-cancer, anti-inflamatory and immunomodulatory effects. Despite extensive experimental analyses of their biological properties, many questions regarding the precise mode of action of mistletoe still remain elusive. Also, there is only little information about interactions between mistletoe and anticancer drugs, which would provide validity for further clinical investigations. The aims of this study are investigation of immunomodulatory effects of mistletoe extracts on immune cells in vitro and in vivo, examination of cytotoxic effect in vitro, as well as molecular mechanisms underlying interactions between mistletoe and anticancer drug from the antraciklenes family on the tumor cells in culture. Our results from in vivo study study have shown cytotoxic and antiproliferative effect of mistletoe extract via induction of apoptosis of cancer cells through intrinsic mitochondrial pathway and induction of G0/G1 arrest. Also, combined treatment of cancer cells with sub-therapeutic concentration of doxorubicine and mistletoe extract led to synergistic inhibitory effect. Increased K562 and MCF7 cells apoptotic death during cotreatment was associated with reduced G2/M accumulation during doxorubicine treatment..

Role of natural products in tumor therapy from basic research and clinical perspectives

Cancer is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and is an important barrier to lengthening life expectancy in every country. Natural products are receiving increased attention from researchers globally and increasing numbers of natural products are approved for clinical studies involving cancer in recent years. To gain more insight into natural products that have undergone clinical trials for cancer treatment, a comprehensive search was conducted. The https://clinicaltrials.gov website was searched for relevant clinical trials and natural product information up to December 2022. The search terms included different types of cancers, such as colorectal, lung, breast, gynecologic, kidney, bladder, melanoma, pancreatic, hepatocellular, gastric and haematologic. Then, PubMed and Web of Science were searched for relevant articles up to February 2024. Hence, we listed existing clinical trials about natural products used in the treatment of cancers and discussed the preclinical and clinical studies of some promising natural products and their targets, indications, and underlying mechanisms of action. Our intent was to provide basic information to readers who are interested or majoring in natural products and obtain a deeper understanding of the progress and actions of natural product mechanisms of action