Anti-tumor activity of the methanolic extracts of Salvia menthifolia

In the present research we investigated the anti-proliferative activity of Salvia menthifolia Ten. (formerly Salvia menthaefolia), Lamiaceae, on a glioblastoma cell line, since up to date poor therapeutic results have been reported for treatment of malignant glioblastoma. Methanol extracts from different anatomical parts of S. menthifolia were tested on DBTRG-05MG cell line by MTT assay. The most active primary stems extract was also evaluated for apoptosis induction. Results confirmed the anti-tumor property of all the organs and demonstrated that the primary stems extract induced apoptosis after 4 h with the highest values of DNA fragmentation after 6 to 24 h. Some extracts were also HPLC analyzed for polyphenols, althought activities could be due also to other constituents and to synergistic interactions. Rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid, luteolin-7-O-glucosyde and quercitrin were found in all the extracts. The good performance revealed for S. menthifolia towards this extremely aggressive human glioblastoma cell line confirms that the genus Salvia is a natural source of anti-tumor agents though there are great differences among the various species

Preparation of an elixir from common juniper (Juniperus communis L.) berries: the new Naviglio Extractor versus the traditional maceration technique.

7The term ‘elixir’ is defined as a pharmaceutical preparation containing an active ingredient that is dissolved in a hydroalcoholic solution and is designed to be taken orally. The solution is then mixed with sucrose (in a percentage generally comprised between 30 and 40% w/w) to make a more palatable product. The name elixir also currently applies to sweet liquors made with plant extracts that have a low alcoholic content and are independent from possible pharmaceutical use. In this work, two extraction methodologies, traditional maceration extraction and the Naviglio Extractor technique, which uses a rapid solid-liquid dynamic extraction (RSLDE), are used and the obtained results compared. Both methodologies were used for the preparation of an extract from common juniper (Juniperus communis L.) pseudofruits (commercially called juniper berries) originating from plants in the area of Montagnola Senese (Siena, Italy). The extracts obtained from the two different procedures were used to prepare elixir-liquors according to a traditional recipe, and were tested by a sensory panel for their organoleptic characteristics. The study showed that the Naviglio Extractor technique resulted in a faster extraction time, about 72 times faster than the maceration method, with a similarly efficient and reproducible extraction. Kinetics of the extraction were also calculated and were represented by an exponential function. Moreover, sensory analysis showed that there were no significant organoleptic differences between the liquors obtained using the two methods.reservedmixedNAVIGLIO D; FRANCHI GG; ROSSI I; FIORE G; MASSARELLI P; NENCINI C; SANTINI ANaviglio, D; Franchi, GIAN GABRIELE; Rossi, Ilaria; Fiore, Giovina; Massarelli, Paola; Nencini, Cristina; Santini, A

Impaired uterine artery blood flow at mid gestation and low levels of maternal plasma corticotropin-releasing factor.

OBJECTIVE: Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is a placental neuropeptide that plays a role in the control of uteroplacental blood flow regulation. Because CRF has a relaxant effect on uterine vasculature in pregnant rats, we aimed to evaluate mid-gestation plasma CRF levels in women with impaired uterine artery blood flow. METHODS: Maternal plasma CRF was assayed by specific radioimmunoassay, and uterine artery resistance index (RI) was assessed by Doppler evaluation at 22-24 weeks' gestation in 55 healthy pregnant women, of whom 24 showed a unilateral or bilateral uterine artery notch, reflecting resistance. Statistical analysis was performed by the Kruskal-Wallis test followed by the post hoc Dunn's test and the Spearman rank test. RESULTS: The mean uterine artery RI was significantly (P <.001) higher in women with a notch than in healthy controls. Mean +/- standard error of the mean maternal plasma CRF levels were significantly lower in women with a unilateral (168.45 +/- 27.5 pg/mL; P <.01) or bilateral (186.07 +/- 34.5 pg/mL; P <.001) uterine artery notch than in healthy control pregnant women (375.06 +/- 21.77 pg/mL). Although no difference was found in CRF levels between patients with a unilateral or bilateral uterine artery notch, a significant inverse correlation was found between the mean RI and maternal plasma CRF levels (Spearman r = -0.6540; 95% confidence interval, -0.7865, -0.4640; P <.001). CONCLUSION: Reduced levels of circulating CRF were associated with increased uterine artery resistance, which supports the hypothesis that CRF may regulate uterine artery tone at mid gestation

Identification of genes regulated by Interleukin - 1β in human endometrial stromal cells

Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is an important immune regulatory factor that in human endometrium plays a role in both menstruation and implantation in the event of pregnancy. It promotes inflammatory-like processes and also stimulates tissue remodelling. We present a cDNA microarray study documenting the major effects of IL-1β on gene expression in stromal cells from human endometrium. Endometrial stromal cells from five normal healthy women at the mid secretory phase were cultured with or without IL-1β at 50 and 500 pg/ml for 48 h. cDNA microarrays were used to compare the levels of gene expression in total RNA isolated from cells stimulated with IL-1β. These cDNA arrays were produced containing 15 164 sequence-verified clones, which included genes known to be important in angiogenesis, immune modulators, apoptosis, cell signalling, extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelling and cell cycle regulation. Genes which were regulated by IL-1β were identified by analysis of the microarray data using the Significance Analysis of Microarrays software package. Upregulated (n = 23) and downregulated (n = 6) different genes were observed, which changed at least 3-fold, at a false discovery rate of less than 2% (P < 0.02). Our results have identified genes regulated by IL-1β, which are involved in leukocyte recruitment, ECM remodelling and other cellular functions. Changes in three genes, IL-8, colony-stimulating factor 2 and aldo-keto reductase family 1 member 1, which were upregulated by IL-1β, were verified using real-time PCR. Novel functions regulated by IL-1β in endometrium, including genes involved in free radical protection, and fatty acid metabolism were also identified. These results also provide new insights into the role of IL-1β in disorders of the endometrium, especially in implantation-related infertility and endometriosis, in which this cytokine plays a major role