In vitro antitumor activity of water-soluble copper(I) complexes with diimine and monodentate phosphine ligands

Copper(I) complexes including diimine ligands of the bicinchoninic acid (BCA) and bathocuproinedisulfonic acid (BCS) families and water-soluble phosphines have been synthetized, characterized and investigated for their in vitro anticancer potential against human tumor cell lines representing examples of lung, breast, pancreatic and colon cancers and melanoma. All copper complexes exhibited moderate to high cytotoxic activity and the ability to overcome cisplatin resistance. Remarkably, growth-inhibitory effects evaluated in human non-transformed cells revealed a preferential cytotoxicity versus neoplastic cells. The remarkable cytotoxic effect towards BxPC3 pancreatic cancer cells, notoriously poor sensitive to cisplatin, was not related to a DNA or proteasome damage. Keywords: Copper(I) complexes, Antitumor activity, Diimine ligands, Phosphine ligands, Water solubl

Analysis of Monacolins and Berberine in Food Supplements for Lipid Control: An Overview of Products Sold on the Italian Market

The use of dietary supplements for the prevention and management of diseases associated with excess of lipids is spreading in Western countries. Supplements containing red yeast rice (RYR) and extracts from Berberis species, characterized, respectively, by the active compounds monacolin K (MK) and berberine (BBR), are sold in pharmacies as over the counter medicines (OTC) and in regular markets without the need of medical prescription and medical surveillance. However, MK is chemically identical to lovastatin, a drug commonly used to treat hypercholesterolemia, and is characterized by the same mechanism of action, pharmacokinetic profile and toxicity. On the other hand, although BBR-containing supplements are considered to be well-tolerated and safe, they frequently show poor standardization of active ingredients, and this could lead to lack of effects. In this work, with the aim to give an overview on the potency of RYR- and BBR-containing supplements available on the Italian market, we analyzed a pool of supplements bought from both local pharmacies and markets. Results confirm the data already published by other authors, showing scarce standardization of bioactives and discrepancy between the doses of bioactives reported by the manufacturers and the amounts resulting from analysis of the same products. Overall, our data represent a further proof that a strict legislation regulating the production and marketing of dietary supplements and a close monitoring of these products by food and drug regulatory organs is mandatory

Development of a tensiometric model for surface energy characterization of raw coffee beans

The aim of this work is to investigate surface energy properties of various raw coffee bean species (tensiometric approach) and to develop a tensiometric marker based on contact angle measurements of Fomblin HC/25 drops, a perfluoropolyether phosphate (PFPE), to distinguish different species of raw coffee beans. To create measurable contact angles, raw coffee beans were pre-selected according to the endosperm surface morphology (smooth surface) and affixed to a specifically developed support. The tensiometric method was developed using contact angle method (CA) and calculation models such as Owens, Wendt and Kaelble. Results show the tensiometric properties of raw coffee beans expressed as surface free energy (SFE) and the capability of the marker to distinguish species. This work could create interesting prospects for quality control at the product source, storage conditions, and for industrial process evaluation of roasting and drying