Antiproliferative and Pro-Apoptotic Effects of Glaucium Flavum Extract on A549 Lung Cancer Cells

Introduction: Glaucium Flavum has recently been studied by researchers and pharmacists and has been attributed to its antioxidant, antiproliferative properties. The alkaloid compounds of this plant are also widely used in the pharmaceutical industry as decongestants and antitussives. Materials and Methods: In this experiment, first, the cell class (A549) was cultured in DMEM culture medium containing 10% FBS and then treated with different concentrations of Glaucium Flavum. MTT assay was performed to determine IC50 and compare the viability percentage of treated cells with different concentrations of Glaucium Flavum on days 1, 3, and 5. The qRT-PCR test was used to investigate the effects of Glaucium Flavum with IC50 concentration on the induction of apoptosis, and expression of genes including P53, Bax, Bad, and Bcl2. Obtained results were analyzed by SPSS software using ANOVA test. Results: MTT results showed that Glaucium Flavum causes cell death and reduces the viability of cancer cells, which was observed in the form of cell shrinkage, nucleus shrinkage, and chromatin density and determination of 10 μg/ml concentration as IC50 of A549 cells. An increase in the expression of Bax, P53 and bad apoptotic genes, and a decrease in the expression of the Bcl2 gene also indicate the induction of apoptotic death and the lethal effect of Glaucium Flavum. Conclusion: Finally, it can be said that Glaucium Flavum, due to its rich content of alkaloid and antioxidant compounds, can be a good option to replace it with chemical drugs in the treatment of lung cancer

The effect of GW9508 on cytotoxicity and gene expression of P53 in C118 cell line

Introduction: As one of the most common and invasive brain tumors, glioblastoma which originates in the nervous tissue of the brain has remained a therapeutic challenge given low success of conventional therapies. Small molecules including GW9508, due to their different roles in signaling and intracellular pathways and the production and increase of oxidative stress of mitochondrial origin, can cause cells to progress to apoptosis, also known as a cost-effective pharmacological factor. Therefore, in the present study, the anticancer and cytotoxic effects of GW9508 on A549 class lung cancer cells were investigated. Materials and Methods:  In this experiment, the cell line (C118) was firstly cultured in DMEM culture medium containing 10% FBS and then treated with different concentrations of GW9508. MTT assay was used to determine IC50 and compare the viability of treated cells with different concentrations of GW9508 on days 1, 3, and 5 in the control group. To evaluate the effect, the qRT-PCR test was used with the IC50 concentration on the induction of apoptosis and expression of the P53 gene. Results: The results showed that GW9508 significantly reduced the viability and proliferation of C118 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner (P <.05). Morphological changes such as reduction of chromatin density and cell rotation were also observed in the cells. Also, molecular results showed that GW9508 was able to increase the expression of the P53 gene. Conclusions: The GW9508 small molecule induces cell death in glioblastoma cancer cells by reducing cell viability and increasing P53 gene expression. As a result, it has therapeutic potential to induce cell death in cancer cells and to treat cancer

Antimutagenicity effect of Citrus nobilis

Currently cancer is considered as one of the main factors of mortality globally. Many chemicals in our environment can cause genetic mutations and are potentially responsible for millions of cancer-related deaths. Nowadays the scientists are looking for food materials which can potenthially prevent the cancer occurrence. The purpose of this research is to examine antimutagenicity and anticancer effect of Citrus nobilis . The Citrus nobilis  was subsequenthy evaluated in terms of antimutagenicity properties by a standard reverse mutation assay (Ames Test). This was performed with histidine auxotroph strain of Salmonella typhimurium(TA100) .Thus, it requires histidine from a foreign supply to ensure its growth.The aforementioned strain gives rise to reverted colonies when expose to carcinogen substance (Sodium Azide). In Ames Test the Citrus nobilis prevented the reverted mutations and the hindrance percent of Citrus nobilis was 72.46% . This is the first study that have revealed antimutagenicity effect of Citrus nobilis.

Study of pentoxifylline drug effect on Bax gene expression changes in kidney after ischemic/reperfusion in rat

Ischemia Reperfusion injury is the tissue damage caused when blood supply returns to the tissue after a period of ischemia or lack of oxygen. Ischemia Reperfusion induces cell death and endemic reaction that is one of the most important clinical problems with acute renal failure and renal transplantation. In this study, the effect of pentoxifylline on rat kidney function and cell injury following Ischemia Reperfusion were evaluated. In this experimental study, 20 male wistar rats with average weight of 250-300g were selected and then were accidently divided them on two tenth group of control and treatment groups. In the control group, celiotomy was performed by ventral midline incision. The left kidney was isolated, and then both the renal artery and vein were obstructed. After 60 minutes of warm ischemia, vessel obstruction resolved and the right kidney was removed. 72 hours after reperfusion, tissue samples were taken from left kidney for histopathology. All these steps in treatment group were exactly repeated after administration of 45 mg/kg/PO pentoxifylline (3 hours before operation) and in this group treatment was continued every 12h until 3 days. In this research quantitative real-time PCR is used for the detection expression Bax gene in ischemia group and PNT drug group and  compared to  normal sample .The results showed the gene dosage ratio of 1.24 for ischemia groups  and 0.64 for drug group. The results showed the expression Bax gene in PNT group  decline  than to  ischemia group. Therefore, quantitative real time PCR could be used as a direct method for detection of Bax gene expression in tested and normal samples.

Anti-proliferative Effects Curcumin in Human Acute Lymphoblastic leukemia Cell Line

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is one of the most common cancers among children. Although there have been tremendous treatments, none of them have led to a precise cure. The use of herbal medicines which are safe and non-toxic have been demonstrated in this study. Curcumin is a polyphenol, hydrophobic product that is derived from turmeric plant. Curcumin has anti-toxic, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and anti-apoptosis properties. In recent years, extensive researches have been performed over the use of curcumin on cancers. In this study, CCRF-CEM cell line has been treated by curcumin. Rate of cytotoxicity of curcumin and the viability of the cells after treatment were evaluated by MTT assay and flow cytometry analysis. When different concentrations of curcumin were used upon the CCRF-CEM cell line at different times, it was found that curcumin effect depended on dose and time pattern. The results revealed that curcumin could induce apoptosis in CCRF-CEM cell line of acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Evaluation of Bcl2 gene expression in MCF-7 Human Breast Cancer Cells under treatment of Centaurea Behen extract and Cisplatin

Introduction: Breast cancer is among the most common malignancies of human around the world. Millions of cases of cancer worldwide occur annually, which, if detected in a timely manner, are easier to treat and can be conveniently controlled. In 2008, about 1,384,155 breast cancer cases were detected worldwide, with about 459,000 of them deceased.Method:MTT assay was performed to evaluate cell proliferation.The BCL2 gene is an inhibitor of apoptosis that prevents the release of cytochrome C from mitochondria and leads to inhibition of various apoptosis stimuli. Due to the importance of this gene in the apoptotic process, the level of BCL2 gene expression under treatment of Cisplatin and Centaurea Behen agents for 24 hours and 48 hours was evaluated in this research,using the Real time-PCR method. It is noteworthy that Cisplatin as a DNA binding agent may be effective in treating breast cancer;moreover, some studies have shown that Centaurea Behenplant has an antioxidant effect that can be a preventive factor in cancer.Results: The results obtained related to Cisplatin showed that IC50 for cells treated with Cisplatin for 24 hours was about  2.91 mg/ml while IC50 for cells treated with Cisplatin for 48 hours was about 1.77 mg/ml. Similarly, results obtained related to Centaurea Behenherbal extract showed that IC50 for cells treated with Centaurea Behen for 24 hours was about 9.64 mg/ml while IC50 for cells treated with Centaurea Behen for 48 hours was about 7.85 mg/ml.Results showed that the expression level of gene under treatment of the Cisplatinand Centaurea Behenhas decreased compared to the non-treatment state, so this expression reduction showed a significant difference between samples group and control group . 

Risk of increased expression of ACE2 membrane protein in patients with hypertension: Review of COVID-19

Context: In late 2019, COVID-19 launched a pandemic from around Wuhan, China. It`s called the SARS-CoV-2 virus which belongs to the corona family and it has a lot in common with SARS-CoV-2, but it has been reported to be more common. Evidence Acquisition: The risk of the virus is high for people with high blood pressure and use medication. The reason for this potential and risk for COVID-19 is an increase in expression in a membrane protein called ACE2. This protein is responsible for converting Ang I to Ang1-9 as well as converting Ang II to Ang1-7. Results: Its pathogenic role is due to its receptor for SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV. Research has shown that there is a significant link between hypertension, Increase the expression and activity of ACE2 and having coronavirus. That`s why our goal is to remind people of high blood pressure about the risk of developing Covid-19. We studied ACE2 and Covid-19 from a clinical and biological point of view. In the following we have shown the position and the type of virus connection to ACE2 with the help of protein database. Conclusion: In the SARS-Cov-2, there are four structural proteins and several non-structural proteins together with capsid can contain positive-stranded RNA viruses. Studies have shown that the Spike (S) protein binds strongly to the chain E and F with the ACE2 receptor

Evaluation of the Cell Death Induction of Gold Nanoparticles Conjugated Antibodies Produced Against a Small Epitope of DR5 Protein in MCF7 Cells

 Introduction: Nowadays, versatile and useful features of nanoparticles, especially gold nanoparticles in medicine and healthcare have brought them immense popularity. The ability to transfer towards the special cells, distinguish the different cells and their electrical resonance feature make them as a proper candidate for treatment of cancer. Antibodies which are generated against death receptor, DR5, are powerful tools in the programmed death of cancer cells during induction process. Its association with nanoparticles could efficiently deliver such biological apoptosis inducing drug to the cancer cells Materials and Methods: In this study, at the first step, gold nanoparticles were produced by chemical methods in the presence of aspartic acid (amino acid). Then, nano-sized ones were selected and subsequently conjugated by mouse antibodies which were produced against a small 21 amino acid peptide from extracellular domain of death receptor, DR5.  Results: The conjugated antibodies by gold nanoparticles could efficiently kill the MCF7 breast cancer cells through inducing cell death. The combination of antibodies which were generated against a small fragment of the death receptor, Conclusion:DR, with gold nanoparticles not only minimized the required amount for the purpose of inducing cell death.but also maximizing their efficiency and quality.    

Ivermectin: An Effective Remedy Against Various Diseases: A Literature Review

Introduction: Ivermectin is a member of avermectins family which was discovered in 1967in Japan. The contribution of this drug to animal and human health was so prominent thatthe researchers who found the drug were awarded a Noble prize in 2015. With the advent ofCOVID-19,lot of interest has shifted more towards ivermectin usage in treating the COVID-19alone or in combination with other medicines as synergism. Since its introduction, ivermectinhas helped to control many parasitic diseases of animals and humans. For many years after itsdiscovery, ivermectin was considered to be only a parasitic agent, but as scientists continue toevaluate this drug, they discover more healing aspects.Materials and Methods: For this review, we searched keywords from international databasesincluding PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct and Scopus. The keywords were ivermectin,anticancer, anti-inflammation, antibacterial, antivirus, antiparasitic, and mechanism of action.Results: Several studies have shown that ivermectin has a very powerful antiparasitic,antibacterial, and antiviral activity and it can also be used as an anticancer and anti-inflammatoryagent.Conclusion: The collected data showed that ivermectin can be used to control and preventmany pathogenic agents and it can also be repurposed for the treatment of COVID-19

Association of miR-372 and miR-137 Expression with Metastasis in Patients with Lung Cancer

Introduction: Identification of metastatic miRNAs and understanding their complex functions provides prognostic and diagnostic bio markers In this study, the expression of miR-372, fgf-9 gene, miR-137 and cdc42 gene was evaluated in the serum of patients with lung cancer.Materials and Methods: In the present study, 50 serum samples were collected from healthy individuals and 50 serum samples from people with NSCLC from Masih Daneshvari Hospital in Tehran. Clinicopathological information was collected through questionnaires.In the molecular study, changes in expression of miR-372, miR-137, fgf-9 and cdc42 genes in healthy individuals and those with lung cancer were evaluated using Real Time PCR.Results: Expression of miR-372, fgf-9 and cdc42 genes in the first to third stage serum of metastases and expression of miR-137 in serum of the first and second stages of the disease were not significantly different from the normal one. However, in the serum of the fourth stage of the disease, expression of miR-372 and cdc42 gene were significantly increased by 7.3 and 3.4 folds than normal subjects, while in the serum of the fourth stage of the disease, the expression of fgf-9 gene was significantly reduced by 4.46 fold .The expression of miR-137 in the serum of the third and fourth stages of the disease was significantly reduced by 3.2 and 6.8 fold compared to the normal serumConclusion: It is likely that the expression of miR-372, miR-137, fgf-9 and cdc42 genes in human serum could be used to predict the stage of lung cancer metastasis