EVALUATION OF ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTICANCER ACTIVITIES OF CIPADESSA BACCIFERA

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidant and anticancer activities of methanolic extract of Cipadessa baccifera leaves.Methods: The total phenolic content in the extract was assessed by using Folin–Ciocalteu reagent. Antioxidant activity was assesses by differentmethods such as phosphomolybdate assay, ferric reducing power, 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl, superoxide scavenging assay. Cytotoxic potentialof the extract against Ehrlich Ascites carcinoma (EAC), colon carcinoma (HT-29), and breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) cell lines was evaluated by3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay.Results: The total phenolic content present in the methanolic extract of C. baccifera was found to be 338.38 mg GAL/L. In phosphomolybdate assay,C. baccifera extract showed good antioxidant activity (half maximal inhibitory concentration [IC]=0.42 mg/ml) which was comparable to thestandard ferulic acid (IC50=0.22 mg/ml). The extract showed better cytotoxicity against EAC (IC50503=4.22 mg/ml) and HT-29 cell lines (IC=1.86 mg/ml)compared the MCF-7 cell lines (IC50=34.28 mg/ml).Conclusion: The extract showed good radical scavenging activity and anticancer activity against EAC and HT-29 cell lines. However, the activity wasless compared to the standard. Further analysis is required to confirm the in vivo activity of the extract. The extract showed negligible cytotoxic effectagainst MCF-7 cell lines.Keywords: Anticancer, Antioxidant, Methanolic extract, Cipadessa baccifera, Radical scavenging, 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl assay, Ehrlich Ascitescarcinoma, HT-29, MCF-7

mRNA accumulation in the Cajal bodies of the diplotene larch microsporocyte

In microsporocytes of the European larch, we demonstrated the presence of several mRNAs in spherical nuclear bodies. In the nuclei of microsporocytes, we observed up to 12 bodies, ranging from 0.5 to 6 μm in diameter, during the prophase of the first meiotic division. Our previous studies revealed the presence of polyadenylated RNA (poly(A) RNA) in these bodies, but did not confirm the presence of nascent transcripts or splicing factors of the SR family. The lack of these molecules precludes the bodies from being the sites of synthesis and early maturation of primary transcripts (Kołowerzo et al., Protoplasma 236:13–19, 2009). However, the bodies serve as sites for the accumulation of splicing machinery, including the Sm proteins and small nuclear RNAs. Characteristic ultrastructures and the molecular composition of the nuclear bodies, which contain poly(A) RNA, are indicative of Cajal bodies (CBs). Here, we demonstrated the presence of several housekeeping gene transcripts—α-tubulin, pectin methylesterase, peroxidase and catalase, ATPase, and inositol-3-phosphate synthase—in CBs. Additionally, we observed transcripts of the RNA polymerase II subunits RPB2 and RPB10 RNA pol II and the core spliceosome proteins mRNA SmD1, SmD2, and SmE. The co-localization of nascent transcripts and mRNAs indicates that mRNA accumulation/storage, particularly in CBs, occurs in the nucleus of microsporocytes