Evaluation of analgesic, antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of ethanol extract of Clerodendrum viscosum Vent

Clerodendrum viscosum Vent. is a very common plant in Bangladesh which is locally familiar as “Bhat” or “Ghetu”. Here, the ethanol extract of whole plant part of C. viscosum and its various solvent (petroleum-ether, chloroform and ethyl acetate) fractions were subjected for the appraisal of analgesic, antioxidant and cytotoxic activities. Analgesic activity was tested by acetic acid-induced writhing model in Swiss albino mice. All the plant samples at the oral doses of 100- and 200 mg/kg body weight were found to exhibit significant (p<0.05) pain reducing activity in test animals. Highest inhibition of writhing was 62.38% by the ethyl acetate soluble fraction at dose of 200 mg/kg body weight while the standard drug diclofenac sodium (50 mg/kg) produces 76.14% reduction of abdominal writhing. DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) free radical quenching assay was employed to determine the antioxidant potential of the plant samples while cytotoxic activity was checked by brine shrimp lethality bioassay. In DPPH radical scavenging assay, the plant samples showed prominent antioxidant activity. Among all, the ethyl acetate fraction showed maximum antioxidant potential with IC50 value of 28.02±0.53 μg/ml. In cytotoxic assay, the petroleum-ether fraction demonstrated strong cytotoxicity with LC50 value of 1.42±1.12 μg/ml. In summary, C. viscosum extracts possess significant analgesic, antioxidant and cytotoxic activities which rationalize its traditional use in folk medicine

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles (MISEV2023): From basic to advanced approaches

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), through their complex cargo, can reflect the state of their cell of origin and change the functions and phenotypes of other cells. These features indicate strong biomarker and therapeutic potential and have generated broad interest, as evidenced by the steady year-on-year increase in the numbers of scientific publications about EVs. Important advances have been made in EV metrology and in understanding and applying EV biology. However, hurdles remain to realising the potential of EVs in domains ranging from basic biology to clinical applications due to challenges in EV nomenclature, separation from non-vesicular extracellular particles, characterisation and functional studies. To address the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly evolving field, the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) updates its 'Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles', which was first published in 2014 and then in 2018 as MISEV2014 and MISEV2018, respectively. The goal of the current document, MISEV2023, is to provide researchers with an updated snapshot of available approaches and their advantages and limitations for production, separation and characterisation of EVs from multiple sources, including cell culture, body fluids and solid tissues. In addition to presenting the latest state of the art in basic principles of EV research, this document also covers advanced techniques and approaches that are currently expanding the boundaries of the field. MISEV2023 also includes new sections on EV release and uptake and a brief discussion of in vivo approaches to study EVs. Compiling feedback from ISEV expert task forces and more than 1000 researchers, this document conveys the current state of EV research to facilitate robust scientific discoveries and move the field forward even more rapidly

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field