Functional correlates of positional and gender-specific renal asymmetry in drosophila

Accordingly, the physical asymmetry of the tubules in the body cavity is directly adaptive. Now that the detailed machinery underlying internal asymmetry is starting to be delineated, our work invites the investigation, not just of tissues in isolation, but in the context of their unique physical locations and milieux

High performance thin-layer chromatography and in vitro cytotoxic studies on ethanol extract of Matricaria chamomilla L (Asteraceae) flowers

Purpose: To develop a high performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC procedure for quantitation of apigenin in ethanol extract of Matricaria chamomilla (Babunaj) flowers, and to evaluate the extract for in vitro cytotoxic effect on MCF-7 cell lines. Methods: Quantification of apigenin was carried out using a CAMAG TLC system. A combination of toluene, ethyl acetate and formic acid (4.5:3.5:0.2 v/v/v) was used as mobile phase, with densitometry detection at 336 nm. The HPTLC procedure was subjected to validation as per ICH guidelines. The cytotoxicity of the extract was assessed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Results: A sharp apigenin band at Rf of 0.51 was obtained, and the content of apigenin in the extract was 0.062 % w/w. The detection limit (LOD) and quantification limit (LOQ) were 0.19 and 0.57 ng/band, respectively. MTT assay results indicate that M. chamomilla was cytotoxic to Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7) cells, with half-maximal concentration (IC50) of 74 µg/mL. Conclusion: The developed HPTLC method is linear, precise, accurate and specific for the determination of apigenin. M. chamomilla exerts cytotoxic effect on MCF-7 cell line via induction of apoptosis

Phytochemical, antimicrobial and cytotoxicity screening of ethanol extract of Acacia ehrenbergiana Hayne grown in Jazan Region of Saudi Arabia

Purpose: To explore the phytoconstituents of Acacia ehrenbergiana Hayne as well as its biological effects. Methods: Determination of phytoconstituents of ethanol extract of the plant was performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique. Antibacterial screening was conducted against the isolates of Gram-positive and Gram-negative microbes while the anti-carcinogenic properties of the ethanol extract on cancerous cells were investigated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) cytotoxicity assay against breast MCF7, ovary cancer A2780 and colon cancer HT29 cells, respectively, in addition to normal MRC5 fibroblast cells. Results: GC-MS analysis identified 15 different phytochemicals in the ethanol extract. The extract exerted significant antimicrobial activity with the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) in the range 1.56 - 6.25 and 3.12 – 12.5 mg/L, respectively, against all test bacterial strains. Cytotoxic activity, obtained by MTT assay, was 28.81 ± 0.99, 12.50 ± 2.50, 23.90 ± 0.74 and 50.58 ± 3.24 μg/mL, against the three cancer cell lines and normal fibroblast, respectively. MTT cytotoxicity results was further confirmed by clonogenic survival assay on MCF7 cells. Conclusion: This study highlights the potential interesting ethnopharmacological applications of Acacia ehrenbergiana Hayne to treat drug-resistant pathogens as standardized extract. Keywords: Acacia ehrenbergiana, Phytochemistry, Antimicrobial, Cytotoxicit

Mapping an atlas of tissue-specific drosophila melanogaster metabolomes by high resolution mass spectrometry

Metabolomics can provide exciting insights into organismal function, but most work on simple models has focussed on the whole organism metabolome, so missing the contributions of individual tissues. Comprehensive metabolite profiles for ten tissues from adult Drosophila melanogaster were obtained here by two chromatographic methods, a hydrophilic interaction (HILIC) method for polar metabolites and a lipid profiling method also based on HILIC, in combination with an Orbitrap Exactive instrument. Two hundred and forty two polar metabolites were putatively identified in the various tissues, and 251 lipids were observed in positive ion mode and 61 in negative ion mode. Although many metabolites were detected in all tissues, every tissue showed characteristically abundant metabolites which could be rationalised against specific tissue functions. For example, the cuticle contained high levels of glutathione, reflecting a role in oxidative defence; the alimentary canal (like vertebrate gut) had high levels of acylcarnitines for fatty acid metabolism, and the head contained high levels of ether lipids. The male accessory gland uniquely contained decarboxylated S-adenosylmethionine. These data thus both provide valuable insights into tissue function, and a reference baseline, compatible with the FlyAtlas.org transcriptomic resource, for further metabolomic analysis of this important model organism, for example in the modelling of human inborn errors of metabolism, aging or metabolic imbalances such as diabetes

Phytochemical, Cytotoxic, and Antimicrobial Evaluation of the Fruits of Miswak Plant, Salvadora persica L.

Salvadora persica L. (Salvadoraceae) is an evergreen shrub growing in the Middle East, Africa, and Southern Asia. It is traditionally known as “miswak” and used as toothbrushes and for the treatment of toothache, gum diseases, boils, chest infection, gonorrhea, headache, spleen troubles, stomachache, and ulcers. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study aimed at conducting phytochemical, cytotoxic, and antimicrobial investigations of the fruits (berries) of S. persica collected from the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia. Analysis of the ethanol extract of S. persica fruits using GC-MS showed the presence of six esters (20.71%), seven alkanes (15.47%), tetracosamethyl-cyclododecasiloxane (9.91%), eicosamethyl-cyclodecasiloxane (7.27%), and 1-monolinoleoylglycerol (5.17%). The predominant constituents were acetyl dasycarpidan-1-methanol (10.47%), tetracosamethyl-cyclododecasiloxane (9.91%), eicosamethyl-cyclodecasiloxane (7.27%), and 1-monolinoleoylglycerol (5.17%). The petroleum ether extract of the fruits contained mainly eicosamethyl-cyclodecasiloxane (23.81%), 1-monolinoleoylglycerol (11.78%), (Z,Z,Z)-9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid ethyl ester derivative (10.56%), and tetracosamethyl-cyclododecasiloxane (9.91%). The cytotoxic properties of the ethanol extract were investigated by MTT assay against the breast MCF7, ovary A2780, and colon HT29 cells. The fruit extract of S. persica was selective against the ovarian and colon cancer cells compared to normal fibroblast cells (MRC5) as it showed IC50 values 17.50, 8.35, and 5.12, against MCF7, A2780, and HT29 cells, respectively. Interestingly, the fruit extract was also found to possess selective antimicrobial activity for Streptococcus mutans isolates with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of 3.12 and 6.25 mg/mL, respectively. Interestingly, it was found to be ineffective against other Gram-positive as well as Gram-negative microorganisms. This study provides insight into the bioactive components present in the fruits of the plant that can be utilized for its cytotoxic and antimicrobial properties

Erratum “Phytochemical, antimicrobial and cytotoxicity screening of ethanol extract of Acacia ehrenbergiana Hayne grown in Jazan Region of Saudi Arabia”

No Abstract

A Fast and Validated Reversed-Phase HPLC Method for Simultaneous Determination of Simvastatin, Atorvastatin, Telmisartan and Irbesartan in Bulk Drugs and Tablet Formulations

The aim of this study was to develop and validate a fast and simple reversed-phase HPLC method for simultaneous determination of four cardiovascular agents—atorvastatin, simvastatin, telmisartan and irbesartan in bulk drugs and tablet oral dosage forms. The chromatographic separation was accomplished by using Symmetry C18 column (75 mm × 4.6 mm; 3.5 μ) with a mobile phase consisting of ammonium acetate buffer (10 mM; pH 4.0) and acetonitrile in a ratio 40:60 v/v. Flow rate was maintained at 1 mL/min up to 3.5 min, and then suddenly changed to 2 mL/min till the end of the run (7.5 min). The data was acquired using ultraviolet detector monitored at 220 nm. The method was validated for linearity, precision, accuracy and specificity. The developed method has shown excellent linearity (R2 > 0.999) over the concentration range of 1–16 µg/mL. The limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) were in the range of 0.189–0.190 and 0.603–0.630 µg/mL, respectively. Inter-day and intra-day accuracy and precision data were recorded in the acceptable limits. The new method has successfully been applied for quantification of all four drugs in their tablet dosage forms with percent recovery within 100 ± 2%

Gefitinib loaded nanostructured lipid carriers: characterization, evaluation and anti-human colon cancer activity in vitro

NLC containing Gefitinib (NANOGEF) was prepared using stearic acid, sesame oil and surfactants (sodium lauryl sulfate and tween 80). NANOGEFs were evaluated for particle size, polydispersity index (PdI), zeta potential, entrapment efficiency (EE), stability, release studies and cytotoxicity studies (MTT assay). The optimized NANOGEF exhibited particle size of 74.06 ± 9.73 d.nm, PdI of 0.339 ± 0.029 and EE of 99.76 ± 0.015%. The TEM study revealed spherical shape of NANOGEF formulations. The slow and sustained release behavior was exhibited by all NANOGEFs. The effects of surfactants were observed not only on particle size but also on zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, stability and release studies. The MTT assay revealed 4.5 times increase in cytotoxicity for optimized NANOGEF (IC50 = 4.642 µM) when compared with Gefitinib alone (IC50 = 20.88 µM in HCT-116 cells). Thus NANOGEF may be considered as a potential drug delivery system for the cure of colon cancer

Improved Photocatalytic and Antioxidant Activity of Olive Fruit Extract-Mediated ZnO Nanoparticles

Photodegradation is an efficient strategy for the removal of organic pollutants from wastewater. Due to their distinct properties and extensive applications, semiconductor nanoparticles have emerged as promising photocatalysts. In this work, olive (Olea Europeae) fruit extract-based zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO@OFE NPs) were successfully biosynthesized using a one-pot sustainable method. The prepared ZnO NPs were systematically characterized using UV-Vis, FTIR, SEM, EDX and XRD and their photocatalytic and antioxidant activity was evaluated. SEM demonstrated the formation of spheroidal nanostructures (57 nm) of ZnO@OFE and the EDX analysis confirmed its composition. FTIR suggested the modification/capping of the NPs with functional groups of phytochemicals from the extract. The sharp XRD reflections revealed the crystalline nature of the pure ZnO NPs with the most stable hexagonal wurtzite phase. The photocatalytic activity of the synthesized catalysts was evaluated by measuring the degradation of methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) dyes under sunlight irradiation. Improved degradation efficiencies of 75% and 87% were achieved within only 180 min with photodegradation rate constant k of 0.008 and 0.013 min−1 for MB and MO, respectively. The mechanism of degradation was proposed. Additionally, ZnO@OFE NPs exhibited potent antioxidant activity against DPPH, hydroxyl, peroxide and superoxide radicals. Hence, ZnO@OFE NPs may have potential as a cost-effective and green photocatalyst for wastewater treatment