Effect of chloroform fraction of Tribulus terrestris (TT) fruit on proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle arrest of AGS cancer cell line

Background and purpose: Adenocarcinoma gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers of upper gastrointestinal tract. Many natural compounds are known to have anti-tumor activities through induction of tumor cell apoptosis. Tribulus terrestris is a plant with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that has been recommended in the world and Iranian traditional medicine. These effects have been proven in some recent studies. This study was performed to evaluate the anti-tumoral effect of chloroform fraction fruit of Tribulus terrestris (TT) on human adenocarcinoma gastric cancer. Materials and methods: In this experimental study, AGS cells were first cultured in standard conditions in plate and then incubated with different concentrations of chloroform fraction for 24, 48 and 72 hours. Cell viability was determined using MTT assay. Cell death induction and cell cycle arrest were determined using flow cytometry. Results: The results demonstrated that the chloroform fraction decreased AGS cell viability in a concentration and time-dependent manner. The data indicate that this fraction increased apoptosis effectively in AGS cell line and cell cycle was arrested at G0/G1 phase. Conclusion: The effective compounds of the chloroform fraction of the plant Tribulus terrestris (TT) fruit induced apoptotic cell death in human gastric cancer cells. These compounds could be of great benefit in prevention or treatment of human gastric cancer

Correlation of interleukin 6 and transforming growth factor β1 with peripheral blood regulatory T cells in rheumatoid arthritis patients: a potential biomarker

Introduction: Proinflammatory cytokines and regulatory T cells (Tregs) are considered as important factors involved in autoimmunity development especially in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Aim of the study: To investigate the frequency of peripheral blood Tregs and related cytokines in RA patients and to determine the possible correlation between Treg percentage and interleukin 6 (IL-6) and transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) as indicators in assessment of Treg function and mechanisms preceding autoimmunity in RA. Material and methods: Thirty-seven Iranian RA patients with a moderate (3.2-5.1) disease activity score (DAS) and the same number of healthy age- and sex-matched individuals were enrolled. Frequency of peripheral blood Tregs (CD4+FoxP3+CD25high) was determined by flow cytometry. Serum levels of IL-6 and TGF-β1 and their expression levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were evaluated by ELISA and Q-PCR, respectively. Results: Rheumatoid arthritis patients showed significantly lower peripheral blood Treg frequencies compared to healthy individuals. Additionally, Treg (%) showed a significant inverse correlation between serum concentrations of IL-6 and mRNA expression of PBMCs, whereas there was no significant correlation between Treg (%) and TGF-β1 levels. Conclusions: The current study revealed that Treg numbers were reduced in peripheral blood of RA patients. This reduction inversely correlated with IL-6 levels, which may lead to persistent autoimmune and inflammatory conditions in RA patients

Improving productive performance, immunity, and health status of growing rabbits by using honey bee venom (Apis mellifera)

To investigate the effect of bee venom (BV) as a natural growth promotor on growing rabbits as an alternative to antibiotics, sixty 35-day-old Californian male rabbits with an average body weight of 584 ± 9 gm were randomly divided into five equal groups as follows: The 2nd group received drinking water supplied with 10 mg Oxytetracycline (OXT), while the 3rd, 4th, and 5th groups received 2, 4 and 8 mg bee venom (BV)/kg body weight/day in drinking water, and the first group was served as a control group. The growth performance features were positively impacted by adding BV (p ≤ 0.01) compared to the control, whereas LBW and BWG increased and FI reduced. Significantly improved carcass characteristics (p ≤ 0.01) as a result of the BV supplementation. Blood characteristics showed a significant reduction (p ≤ 0.01) in liver enzyme activities and Cholesterol, Triglycerides, and Low-density lipoproteins Cholesterol (LDL) as affected by BV treatment; inversely, total protein and globulin were significantly increased (p ≤ 0.01). Similarly, BV had a positive effect (p ≤ 0.01) on anti-oxidant status (Total anti-oxidant capacity (TAC), Glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT)). In contrast, the lipid peroxidation biomarker (Malondialdehyde (MDA)) was significantly decreased. The immunoglobulin (IgG and IgM) was significantly increased (p ≤ 0.01) by BV treatment. There was a positive effect of low BV levels on decreasing both cecum TBC and pathogenic bacterial count (Salmonella spp., E.coli spp., Proteus spp., and Clostridia spp.) that was significant (p ≤ 0.01). In conclusion, BV can be a natural growth promoter to enhance growth performance traits, immunological and anti-oxidative responses, and reduce pathogenic bacteria in the hindgut of growing rabbits

One-step ultrasonic production of novel worm-like Bi₇(PO₄)O₉ photocatalyst for efficient degradation of ciprofloxacin antibiotic under simulated solar light

For the first time, novel worm-like Bi₇(PO₄)O₉ photocatalysts have been fabricated via a versatile sonochemical route using new capping agent. The impacts of ultrasonic power, time of sonication, and capping agent on the morphology of Bi₇(PO₄)O₉ products were also studied. In addition, the photocatalytic performance of the Bi₇(PO₄)O₉ nanostructures was studied by the degradation of ciprofloxacin as antibiotic contaminant under simulated solar light illumination. The results indicated that the hierarchical Bi₇(PO₄)O₉ photocatalyst with energy gap of 2.92 eV has superior photodegradation efficiency about 91% after 2 h of simulated solar light irradiation, even after five recycles. Moreover, the effects of antibiotic concentration, photocatalyst dosage, and morphology of the products on the photocatalytic activity were investigated. The dependable photodegradation mechanism was expressed based on the active oxidative species trapping, which disclosed the photogenerated superoxide (•O₂−) and hydroxyl (•OH) radicals were the chief species in the degradation of ciprofloxacin by Bi₇(PO₄)O₉ nanostructures