In-vitro Antioxidant Activity and Antimicrobial Activity of Hydroalcoholic Extracts of Vernonia cinerea

The aim of present study was to estimate the in vitro antioxidant potential and antimicrobial activity of hydroalcoholic extract of Vernonia cinerea. Antioxidant activity was assessed by using 2, 2- diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay using ascorbic acid as standard antioxidant. The extract was found to scavenge effectively the free radicals. The total flavonoid contents were determined by established methods and were found to be 0.547 mg/100mg in quercitin equivalents. Antimicrobial activity was performed against 2 stains of human pathogenic bacteria by well diffusion method. Hydroalcoholic extract of Vernonia cinerea showed good antimicrobial activity against gram positive bacteria. The antioxidant activities may be attributed to the presence of significant amounts of flavonoid compounds. Results indicated that hydroalcoholic extract of Vernonia cinerea possess significant antioxidant effect in dose dependent manner, followed by the hydroalcoholic extract of Vernonia cinerea possessed good antimicrobial activity. Keywords: Antioxidant activity, Radical scavenging activity, Free radicals, Antimicrobial activity

Time Course of the Changes in Novel Trioxane Antimalarial 99/411 Pharmacokinetics upon Antiepileptic Drugs Co-Administration in SD Rats

Objective. The study aimed to evaluate the influences of coadministration of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) on an antimalarial candidate 99/411 pharmacokinetic (PK) profile. Method. For this, single oral dose PK drug interaction studies were conducted between 99/411 and FDA approved AEDs, namely, Phenytoin (PHT), Carbamazepine (CBZ), and Gabapentin (GB) in both male and female SD rats, to assess the coadministered and intersexual influences on 99/411 PK profile. Results. Studies revealed that there were no significant alterations in the PK profile of 99/411 upon PHT and CBZ coadministration in both male and female rats, while systemic exposure of 99/411 was significantly increased by about 80% in female rats upon GB coadministration. In terms of AUC, there was an increase from 2471 ± 586 to 4560 ± 1396 ng⋅h/mL. Overall, it was concluded that simultaneous administration of AEDs with 99/411 excludes the requirements for dose adjustment, additional therapeutic monitoring, contraindication to concomitant use, and/or other measures to mitigate risk, except for GB coadministration in females. These findings are further helpful to predict such interactions in humans, when potentially applied through proper allometric scaling to extrapolate the data

Understanding molecular markers in recurrent oral squamous cell carcinoma treated with chemoradiation

Introduction: Oral cancer accounts for approximately 2.1% of all cancers worldwide. In India, oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common cancer with half a million new cases diagnosed every year. More than 50% of patients eventually develop local recurrence or metastasis usually within the first 2-years following completion of treatment. It is beneficial to analyze the prognostic significance of Cyclin D1, p53 and EGFR which are critical mediators in the pathogenesis of OSCC. The objective of this study was to assess the association of expression of these markers with recurrence and pattern of recurrence in OSCC patients undergoing chemoradiation. Materials and Methods: A Total 290 OSCC cases of locally advanced stage (III, IV) oral cancer with World Health Organization (W.H.O.) performance status of grade 0/1 in the year 2009–2012 were enrolled in the study. Treatment response was assessed according to W.H.O. criteria. Cyclin D1, EGFR and p53 expression in tumor tissue was estimated by immunohistochemical (IHC) method and quantified as percentage positive nuclei. Results: During the 2-years follow up, 56 (19.3%) patients recurred, out of which, 47 (83.9%) were locoregional and 9 (16.1%) distant sites. On correlating, χ2 test showed significant (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01 or P < 0.001) association of marker expressions (Cyclin D1, EGFR and p53) with recurrence. The strong positive expressions of all three markers showed significant association with early time of recurrence. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed significant (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01 or P < 0.001) association of recurrence with primary site, differentiation, Cyclin D1 and p53 expressions indicating these as an independent predictors of recurrence in OSCC. The Cyclin D1, EGFR and p53 expressions also showed significant (P < 0.001) poor survivals (OS, DFS and RFS) in patients with positive/strong positive expressions than negative expression suggesting their prognosis in OSCC. Conclusion: Our results signifies that tumors over expressing Cyclin D1, EGFR and p53 are resistant to chemoradiation and are associated with increased risk of locoregional recurrence and metastasis in OSCC patients undergoing chemoradiation