Antiproliferative Activities of Cyclo (Nα-pyrido)-bis-[(L-valinyl)-L-ornithine] and its in vitro anti-VEGFR-2 Inhibition

333–336Research is continuing for synthesizing new molecules with potent pharmacological effects against cancer. In the current work we prepared a new tripeptide and investigated its in vitro as well as in vivo antiproliferative effects. Firstly, cyclo (Nα-pyrido)-bis-[(L-valinyl)-L-ornithine] was prepared and then tested against 17 different cancer cell lines. Results showed that the prepared compound showed increased cytotoxic effects (in terms of decreased IC50 value), which reached about 20.3, 28.1, 18.3 and 72.3% against RKOP27, K561, GOTO, HT1080 cell lines, respectively, in comparison to standard positive controls. Furthermore, cancer cell viability was probably affected through VEGFR-2 kinase inhibition

Anticancer Potentials of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles against Liver and Breast Cancer Cell Lines

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the in vitro cytotoxic effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) with particle size of 40 and 50 nm against human hepatocellular carcinoma and human breast cancer cell lines. The effects of nanoparticles were analyzed after 24 hours of incubation using standard MTT assay. Incubation of ZnONPs with different cells produced a dose-dependent inhibition of cell growth. The IC50 values of ZnONPs for both prepared samples (40 and 50 nm) were comparable. It has been noticed that MCF-7 and MDA cells were more affected by the prepared 50 nm than the 40 nm ZnONPs. On the other hand, HepG2 cells showed inverse relation in terms of their response to the size of the prepared NPs

Larvicidal Activity of Selected Xerophytic Plants Against Culex pipiens and Aedes caspius (Diptera: Culicidae)

Abstract.-Methanol extracts of different plants namely, Trichodesma africanum (Boraginaceae), Cleome rupicola (Capparceae) and Ochradenus baccatus (Resedaceae), were tested for larvicidal activity against 4 th instar larvae of Aedes caspius and Culex pipiens mosquitoes. All plant extracts tested against Ae. caspius showed 100% mortality at 10µg/ml except the stem of O. baccatus which showed 90% mortality. However, most of the plant extracts tested against Cx. pipiens showed more than 50% mortality at 10µg/ml. Ae. caspius reported lower LD 50 than Cx. pipiens. The LD 50 of the extracts tested ranged between 5.3-0.99. The lowest LD 50 calculated against Ae. caspius was 1.2±0.06 and 0.99±0.16 µg/ml for the stem of T. africanum and C. rupicola, respectively. In conclusion, we have documented promising larvicidal potential of xerophytic plants, which could be considered as a potentially alternative source for developing novel larvicides to be used in controlling vectors of mosquito-borne diseases

Antiproliferative Activities of Cyclo (Nα-pyrido)-bis-[(L-valinyl)-L-ornithine] and its in vitro anti-VEGFR-2 Inhibition

Research is continuing for synthesizing new molecules with potent pharmacological effects against cancer. In the current work we prepared a new tripeptide and investigated its in vitro as well as in vivo antiproliferative effects. Firstly, cyclo (Nα-pyrido)-bis-[(L-valinyl)-L-ornithine] was prepared and then tested against 17 different cancer cell lines. Results showed that the prepared compound showed increased cytotoxic effects (in terms of decreased IC50 value), which reached about 20.3, 28.1, 18.3 and 72.3% against RKOP27, K561, GOTO, HT1080 cell lines, respectively, in comparison to standard positive controls. Furthermore, cancer cell viability was probably affected through VEGFR-2 kinase inhibition

Larvicidal Activity of Selected Xerophytic Plants Against Culex pipiens and Aedes caspius (Diptera: Culicidae)

Abstract.-Methanol extracts of different plants namely, Trichodesma africanum (Boraginaceae), Cleome rupicola (Capparceae) and Ochradenus baccatus (Resedaceae), were tested for larvicidal activity against 4 th instar larvae of Aedes caspius and Culex pipiens mosquitoes. All plant extracts tested against Ae. caspius showed 100% mortality at 10µg/ml except the stem of O. baccatus which showed 90% mortality. However, most of the plant extracts tested against Cx. pipiens showed more than 50% mortality at 10µg/ml. Ae. caspius reported lower LD 50 than Cx. pipiens. The LD 50 of the extracts tested ranged between 5.3-0.99. The lowest LD 50 calculated against Ae. caspius was 1.2±0.06 and 0.99±0.16 µg/ml for the stem of T. africanum and C. rupicola, respectively. In conclusion, we have documented promising larvicidal potential of xerophytic plants, which could be considered as a potentially alternative source for developing novel larvicides to be used in controlling vectors of mosquito-borne diseases

Straw biochar increases the abundance of inorganic phosphate solubilizing bacterial community for better rape (Brassica napus) growth and phosphate uptake

The direct application of inorganic-phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (iPSBs) for improving the efficiency of phosphorus (P) use leads to a low rate of bacterial survival. Biochar is a good inoculum carrier for microbial survival, and diverse feedstocks can have different effects. We generated an iPSB community using seven selected iPSB strains with various phylogenic taxonomies and P-solubilizing abilities. Biochar was then inoculated with the iPSB community and applied to soil in pots seeded with rape (Brassica napus). Growth of the rape for four weeks and the effects of biochars produced from six raw feedstocks, rice straw, rice husks, soybean straw, peanut shells, corn cobs and wood, were compared. The synthetic iPSB community had a larger capacity to solubilize inorganic P and exude organic anions than any of the individual strains. The structure of the iPSB community was analyzed by high-throughput sequencing four weeks after inoculation. All seven iPSB strains were detected, dominated by Arthrobacter defluvii 06-OD12. The abundance of the iPSB community was significantly correlated with rape biomass, P content and P uptake (P < 0.05). The biochar amendments conferred 6.86-24.24% survival of the iPSB community, with the straw biochars conferring the highest survival. The available-P content of the biochar rather than soil pH was the dominant factor for iPSB community structure, suggesting that the biochar material was critical for the survival and functioning of the iPSB community. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of biochar-assisted iPSB improvement of crop growth and P uptake

Optimization of exopolysaccharide production by pleurotus ostreatus using diffrent cultivation strategies

Pleurotus ostreatus or known as oyster mushroom was regarded as one of the most cultivated mushroom around the world. One of the qualities it has is it able to produced exopolysaccharide called pleuran which secreted into the medium during submerged fermentation. The polysaccharide composed mainly of ß-(1/3)-D glucose and ß-(1/6)-D glucose linked by glycosidic bond. It has molecular weight of 2.4 X 104 Da with molecular formula of (C6H10O5)x The importance of pleuran is that it has the immunomodulatory properties that associated in triggering our immune system response. Nowadays, submerged fermentation is considered as the best method in cultivation this kind of mushroom. However, the production process of this kind of mushroom and its exopolysaccharide production especially in term of medium component is still unclear. In this research, the objectives were to optimize the medium composition and to find the optimum carbon to nitrogen (C: N) ratio for high exopolysaccharide production. Eight different media was screened and followed by factor by factor optimization of the medium component. The factors that been studied were ideal concentration of glucose, yeast extract, ammonium sulfate and dipotassium phosphate. Media number six which contain glucose 60.0 g L-1, yeast extract 2.0 g L-1, (NH4)2SO4 5.0 g L-1, MgSO4.7H2O 0.2 g L-1, K2HPO4 1.0 g L-1 was selected as best media production for P. ostreatus cultivation . The experiment then was further with different concentration of each component in the medium six excluding magnesium sulfate heptahydrate which maintained at 0.2 g L-1 throughout all the experiment stage. The range concentration for glucose, yeast extract, ammonium sulfate and dipotassium phosphate was setup between 0 – 120 g L-1, 0 – 4 g L-1, 0 – 5 g L-1 and 0 – 2 g L-1 respectively. In order to get the best C: N ratio for highest exopolysaccharide production, eleven ratio of carbon to nitrogen was experimented ranging from 15:1 to 65:1.Result shown that the optimum concentration for glucose, yeast extract, ammonium sulfate and dipotassium phosphate was 80.0, 4.0, 2.5 and 1.0 g L-1 respectively whiles the optimal C: N ratio recorded was 40: 1. The optimized medium also produced 2.83 g L-1 of exopolysaccharide increasingly up to 49 % when compared with un-optimized medium which only produced 1.9 g L-1 of exopolysaccharide

Assessment of in vitro antimicrobial and anti-breast cancer activities of extracts isolated from desert truffles in Saudi Arabia

Truffles are consumed worldwide as a type of precious food. Desert truffles are characterized by their growth under extreme soil and climate conditions. They have numerous nutritional and medicinal applications. Desert truffles have been shown to exhibit various biological activities. During the present work, we identified two truffle types collected from Riyadh Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as Tirmania nivea and Terfezia claveryi. Their extracts showed significant antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis, while the activity was less obvious against Escherichia coli. Hexane and ethyl acetate extracts of both types showed a dose-dependent effect against MCF-7 cancer cells, where their highest toxicities ranged from 91-93%. The lowest effective IC 50 values were 378.9±0.96 and 215.8±0.92 μg/mL for T. nivea and T. claveryi, respectively

Medium Optimization for Xylanase Production by Recombinant Escherichia coli B24

473-478Interest in xylanase enzyme application has led to production of xylanase from recombinant Escherichia coli B24, which is an economic alternative towards higher productivity. Recombinant E. coli used in this study is a ubiquitous bacterium containing xylanase encoding gene from Bacillus halodurans. We investigated xylanase production by recombinant E. coli using classical medium optimization. Six fermentation media had been chosen from literature for xylanase production. Afterwards, the most suitable medium was further optimized by varying the key nutrients. The final optimized cultivation medium consisted of (g.L-1): glucose, 2.5; NH4Cl, 0.4; KH2PO4, 3.0; Na2HPO4, 6.0; MgSO4.7H2O, 1.0. After medium optimization, maximal volumetric xylanase production (600.25 U.mL-1) increased by about 115.22% from the initial un-optimized medium (278.9 U.mL-1)