Antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of the n-butanol extract of Centaurea maroccana Ball aerial parts

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the total phenolic contents, antioxidant and anti-proliferative activities of the n-BuOH extract of Centaurea maroccana (BECM). The total phenolic and flavonoid of the butanolic extract of the plant were assessed by using Folin-Ciocalteau and aluminium chloride colorimetric assays, respectively, and the quantitative estimation of total flavonoids and phenols revealed the richness of the extract in these compounds. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using standard lab colorimetric methods, while the anti-proliferative activity was evaluated using sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay against C6 (Rattus norvegicus brain glioma) and HT29 (Homo sapiens colorectal adenocarcinoma) cell lines. The n-butanolic extract of Centaurea maroccana showed a strong antioxidant activity through DPPH, ABTS•+, DMSO alkalin, Reducing power, β-Carotene-linoleic acid and CUPRAC assays. Furthermore, the anti-proliferative activity against C6 and HT29 of Centaurea maroccana exhibited a high effect by the decrease in viability of both cancer cell lines. Our results suggest a possible use of Centaurea maroccana as a source of natural antioxidant and chemo-preventive agents against cancer

The Photolyase/Cryptochrome Family of Proteins as DNA Repair Enzymes and Transcriptional Repressors

Light is a very important environmental factor that governs many cellular responses in organisms. As a consequence, organisms possess different kinds of light-sensing photoreceptors to regulate their physiological variables and adapt to a given habitat. The cryptochrome/photolyase family (CPF) includes photoreceptors that perform different functions in different organisms. Photolyases repair ultraviolet-induced DNA damage by a process known as photoreactivation using photons absorbed from the blue end of the light spectrum. On the other hand, cryptochromes act as blue light circadian photoreceptors in plants and Drosophila to regulate growth and development. In mammals, cryptochromes have light-independent functions and are very important transcriptional regulators that act at the molecular level as negative transcriptional regulators of the circadian clock. In this review, we highlight current knowledge concerning the structural and functional relationships of CPF members