Effect of Vitamin E on Human Periodontal Ligament Fibroblasts

The periodontal ligament fibroblasts plays an essential role in the organization and maintenance of the connective tissue during development and in response to injuries and diseases. They are also responsible of the migration and differentiation of the variety of cells that takes part in the osteogenesis in response to external forces (1, 2). Age related changes include decreased fibroblasts density and cellular activity which slows orthodontic tooth movement due to prolonged response of the connective tissue to external forces which poses a potential risk in orthodontic treatment (3, 4). Vitamin E had been studied worldwide due to its health benefits in the fields of chronic diseases and ageing such as the anti-inflammatory and anti-osteoporotic effects (5, 6). Vitamin E consists of 2 major isoforms: tocopherols and tocotrienols, each with four distinct analogues (alpha, beta, gamma, and delta). Tocopherols are saturated forms of vitamin E, and tocotrienols are the unsaturated forms, distinguishable by the three double bonds in the tails of tocotrienols (7). Studies showed that tocotrienol is superior for its antioxidant properties as well as increasing cells viability and proliferation (8, 9). The current project aim to evaluate the response of human periodontal ligament fibroblasts (HPdLF) upon exposure to various concentrations of tocotrienols rich fraction (TRF) conditioned medium

Ultrasound-assisted surfactant enhanced emulsification microextraction method coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the determination of selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in aqueous samples

A simple and rapid microextraction method termed as ultrasound-assisted surfactant enhanced emulsification microextraction (UASEME) was developed for the determination of fluoranthene (FLU) and phenanthrene (PHE) in aqueous samples followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Six important parameters, that affect the extraction efficiency of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were evaluated and the results were as follows; extraction solvent (toluene), volume of extraction solvent (30 μL), surfactant (Tween 20), volume of surfactant (15 μL), extraction time (2 minutes) and with no salt addition. Under the optimum conditions, the method showed good linearity over the concentration range from 1 – 1000 μg L- 1 with correlation coefficients (R² ≥ 0.9932), acceptable limits of detection (0.3 μg L- 1) and limits of quantification (1.0 μg L- 1) for both analytes. Good relative recovery values, in the range of 91.75 – 104.1%, were obtained for tap water samples. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) were 1.62 – 10.32% (n = 3). The proposed method was applied for the determination of FLU and PHE in tap water and sugarcane juices

GC-MS Evaluation, Antioxidant Content, and Cytotoxic Activity of Propolis Extract from Peninsular Malaysian Stingless Bees, Tetrigona Apicalis

Introduction. Propolis has been used traditionally in several countries for treating various diseases as it possessed healing properties including antioxidant and anticancer qualities. In Peninsular Malaysia, Tetrigona apicalis is one of the species of stingless bees mainly found in virgin jungle reserves which largely contribute to propolis production. Therefore, this study is designed to evaluate the phytochemical contents, antioxidant properties, and the cytotoxic effect of ethanolic crude of propolis extract against MCF7 and MCF 10A cell lines. Method. The ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) was extracted using 80% ethanol. Identification of phytochemical contents and antioxidant properties of EEP was analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and using 2, 2′-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) method, respectively. The EEP cytotoxic activity was evaluated on MCF7 and MCF 10A using 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Results. Phytochemical contents of EEP demonstrated 28 compounds in which caryophyllene (99%), β-amyrin (96%), α-amyrin (93%), and caryophyllene oxide (93%) were the main compounds. The percentage of ABTS+ scavenging activity of EEP showed an inhibition of 9.5% with half-inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 1.68 mg/mL. The EEP reduced MCF7 cells viability at IC50 value of 62.24 μg/mL, 44.15 μg/mL, and 32.70 μg/mL at 24, 48, and 72 hours, respectively. The IC50 value of MCF 10A was 49.55 μg/mL, 56.05 μg/mL, and 72.10 μg/mL at 24, 48, and 72 hours, respectively. The EEP cytotoxic effect of T. apicalis was more selective towards MCF7 at 72-hour incubation with a selectivity index (SI) of 2.20. Conclusion. The EEP has been shown to have antioxidants and potential bioactive compounds and inhibited proliferation of the MCF7 cells. Further studies on the EEP role in the apoptosis pathway and its screening towards other cell lines will be evaluated

The effects of alpha-tocopherol supplementation on fracture healing in a postmenopausal osteoporotic rat model

OBJECTIVE: Osteoporosis increases the risk of bone fractures and may impair fracture healing. The aim of this study was to investigate whether alpha-tocopherol can improve the late-phase fracture healing of osteoporotic bones in ovariectomized rats. METHOD: In total, 24 female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups. The first group was sham-operated, and the other two groups were ovariectomized. After two months, the right femora of the rats were fractured under anesthesia and internally repaired with K-wires. The sham-operated and ovariectomized control rat groups were administered olive oil (a vehicle), whereas 60 mg/kg of alpha-tocopherol was administered via oral gavage to the alpha-tocopherol group for six days per week over the course of 8 weeks. The rats were sacrificed, and the femora were dissected out. Computed tomography scans and X-rays were performed to assess fracture healing and callus staging, followed by the assessment of callus strengths through the biomechanical testing of the bones. RESULTS: Significantly higher callus volume and callus staging were observed in the ovariectomized control group compared with the sham-operated and alpha-tocopherol groups. The ovariectomized control group also had significantly lower fracture healing scores than the sham-operated group. There were no differences between the alpha-tocopherol and sham-operated groups with respect to the above parameters. The healed femora of the ovariectomized control group demonstrated significantly lower load and strain parameters than the healed femora of the sham-operated group. Alpha-tocopherol supplementation was not able to restore these biomechanical properties. CONCLUSION: Alpha-tocopherol supplementation appeared to promote bone fracture healing in osteoporotic rats but failed to restore the strength of the fractured bone