Biochemical investigation of anti-cancer activity of Tulbaghia violacea

Philosophiae Doctor - PhDNatural products have been a source of many pharmaceutical drugs and a number of drugs that are currently used in the treatment of cancer are derivatives of compounds originally isolated from natural products. There is evidence that extracts of Tulbaghia violacea can be used to treat cancer. The activation of apoptosis in cancer cells is a target for the development of novel anti-cancer drugs since one of the characteristics of cancer cells is resistance to apoptosis due to the deregulation of biochemical pathways leading to apoptosis. In fact, many current anti-cancer drugs exert their effects through the activation of apoptosis. Previous studies showed that extracts of T.violacea induce apoptosis in cancer cells and one study reported on the isolation of a compound (methyl-ԃ-D-glucopyranoside), which is responsible for the pro-apoptotic activity of the T.violacea extract. Therefore the aim of this study was to investigate the anti-cancer activity of methyl-ԃ-Dglucopyranoside and extracts prepared from T.violacea. In this study the pro-apoptotic activity of methyl-ԃ-D-glucopyranoside and extracts prepared from T.violacea were investigated on a panel of human cancer cell lines, which included HepG2, MCF7, H157, HT29 and the non-cancerous cell line, KMST6. The induction of apoptosis was evaluated by flow cytometry using several bioassays which measures biochemical events (caspase activation, phosphatidylserine externalisation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production that is associated with the induction of apoptosis. The results demonstrated that the effects of methyl--D-glucopyranoside on cultured cells are transient and that the cells recover from the effects of methyl--D-glucopyranoside. This suggested thatmethyl-ԃ-D-glucopyranoside is not the compound responsible for the pro-apoptotic bioactivity in the T.violacea extract. This study also showed that cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic bioactivity of the leaf-extract was significantly higher in comparison to the tuber-extract. The bioactivity of the organic solvent extracts (dichloromethane, hexane, methanol and 50% methanol/water) of T.violacea leaves was also significantly higher than water extracts of T.violacea leaves. A comparison of the different organic extracts prepared from the T.violacea leaves showed that the highest activity was observed for the dichloromethane and hexane extracts. In an effort to identify the bioactive compound(s) the dichloromethane extract was subjected to Versaflash® column chromatography. However, due to problems experienced with the solubility of the dichloromethane sub-fractions, these compounds could not be tested for their bioactivity. Palmitone (16-hentriacontanone) was identified as one of the major compounds present in the dichloromethane sub-fractions. This compound was previously shown to have anticonvulsant bioactivity but there is no evidence in the literature that it has anti-cancer or pro-apoptotic activities. Fingerprinting of the methanol extract showed the presence of long chain fatty acid derivatives, flavonoids and allicin derivatives in the methanol extract. Although, this study failed to isolate the pro-apoptotic bioactive compound(s) present in the extracts of T.violacea, it confirmed that extracts of this plant induce apoptosis in cultured human cancer cell lines

In vitro study on the hypoglycemic potential of Nicotiana tabacum leaf extracts

Inhibition of some carbohydrate metabolizing enzymes is one of the modes of action of antihyperglycemic agents. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase by extracts of N. tabacum leaf. Powdered leaves were extracted with acetone, ethanol and water, and tested for their ability to inhibit α-amylase from Aspergilus oryzae and α-glucosidase from Saccharomyces cerevisae. The results revealed that aqueous extract of the plant was most effective inhibitor of α-amylase (IC50 5.70 mg/mL) while acetone extract exhibited the best inhibitory potential on α-glucosidase (IC50 4.50 mg/mL). Kinetic studies showed that the mode of inhibition of α-amylase by aqueous extract was non-competitive while that of the acetone extract on α-glucosidase was competitive. The observed inhibitions of α-amylase and α-glucosidase suggest that the leaf extracts of N. tabacum may be useful in the management of Diabetes mellitus, which may due to the presence of phytochemicals

Anti-inflammatory Activity of Ethanolic Leaf Extracts of Thaumatococus Danielli on Iodoacetamide Treated Rats

Anti-inflammatory drugs such as Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used to reduce swellings and pains caused by inflammation but, long term use of these anti-inflammatory drugs results in the damage of human biological system such as the liver, gastrointestinal tract, etc. Hence, there is need for safer, potent, anti-inflammatory drugs. Hence, the anti-inflammatory activity of ethanol leaf extract of Thaumatococcus danielli on iodoacetamide treated rats was investigated. Forty-two (42) rats were divided into seven groups of six rats each. Group 1 (positive control) received 1ml of 1% CMC; Group 2 (negative control) received 1ml of 1% CMC and 1ml of 0.1% iodoacetamide; Group 3 received 50mg/kg of extract (low dose) and 1ml of 0.1% iodoacetamide; Group 4 received 100mg/kg of extract (high dose) and 1ml of 0.1% iodoacetamide; Group 5 received 50mg/kg of extract (high dose) and 1ml of 1% CMC; Group 6 received 100mg/kg of extract (high dose) and 1ml of 1% CMC; Group 7 received 1ml 1% iodoacetamide and 2.14mg/kg diclofenac. Treatment with T. danielli extract showed no significant difference (p>0.05) in all groups in lymphocyte, RBC, granulocyte, platelet, hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin count but, a significant reduction in all groups was observed in ESR. Moreso, a significant decrease was observed in WBC in the high dose group, and a significant increase in group administered diclofenac.  Ethanolic leaves extract of Thaumaococcus danielli possess an anti-inflammatory potential, possibly due to its embedded phytoconstituents. Keywords: Thaumatococcus danielli, Anti-inflammatory activity, Hematological studies, Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, Nitric oxide concentration DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/13-10-03 Publication date:May 31st 202