Natural Products for Cancer Prevention and Therapy

ca. 200 words; this text will present the book in all promotional forms (e.g. flyers). Please describe the book in straightforward and consumer-friendly terms. [This Special Issue book, “Natural Products for Cancer Prevention and Therapy”, is based on recent advances in natural products for cancer prevention and therapy. For this purpose, the authors of this book have been organizing a biennial international conference series. The first meeting (First International Conference on Natural Products for Cancer Prevention and Therapy) was held in Istanbul between 31 August and 2 September 2015, with the support and contribution of many valuable researchers in this field. The abstracts of the first conference were published in the Anticancer Drugs journal as a supplement. The second meeting, namely The Second International Conference on Natural Products for Cancer Prevention and Therapy, was held at Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey, between 8 and 11 November 2017. The abstracts of all of the presentations from the second meeting were published in the Special Issue of Proceedings by the MDPI publishing group. Furthermore, the conference report and the selected full-length papers based on the presentations at the meeting, as well as other papers based on natural products for cancer prevention and therapy, were published as a Special Issue of the Nutrients journal from MDPI. This Special Issue has contributions from various participants of the aforementioned conference, as well as other cancer and natural product researchers. These contributions include original research papers, authoritative and up-to-date reviews, and commentaries on the following topics and areas: •Natural products for the prevention and therapy of oncologic diseases •Mechanism of natural agents for anticancer and cancer preventive effects •In vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies related to natural agents and cancer • Combinatorial effects of phytochemicals and cancer chemotherapeutic drugs •Challenges and innovative approaches for anticancer drug development based on natural products •Emerging studies on anticancer phytochemicals

Development of leech extract as a therapeutic agent: a chronological review

Introduction: Leech extract contains many identified bioactive substances which have a variety of biological effects. Leech extract was discovered in the late 19th century and since then many pharmaceutical products have been produced using leech extract for different ailments, but many have been withdrawn. Ongoing studies focus on health authority compliant pharmaceuticals to be used as modern medicine. Methodology: The online databases including Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science, were searched using different keywords: Leech, Leech extract, leech salivary gland extract and leech saliva extract. The purpose of this review was to discuss the development of leech extract as a therapeutic agent, including the evolution of extraction techniques, and the successful manufacturing of leech extract-based pharmaceuticals. Results: Leech extract was successfully developed as a therapeutic agent. Some of the developed leech extract-based pharmaceutics were withdrawn and some are still in the market. The extraction methods played a vital role in the quality and efficacy of leech extract-based pharmaceutics and ultimately on their sustainability in the market. Also, the full characterization of leech extract components is a key factor in the development of leech extract as a therapeutic agent. Discussion: This review provides a comprehensive historical perspective on the development of leech extract therapy, including its various stages of development and the key scientific and medical advances that have led to its current state and discusses potential future applications. Conclusion: Leech extract is an invaluable source of bioactive substances that can be utilized for the treatment of mild and life-threatening medical disorders. This review will encourage other scientists to continue their research on leech extract, especially in the areas of formulation and marketing

Deformability of Erythrocytes and Oxidative Damage in Alzheimer Disease

Purpose: A lowered cerebral perfusion as a consequence of hemodynamic microcirculatory insufficiency is one of the factors underlying in Alzheimer's disease, which is a neurodegenerative disorder leading to progressive cognitive impairment. Erythrocyte deformability is one of the major factors affecting the microcirculatory hemodynamics which is closely related to the oxidative damage. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the erythrocyte deformability, nitric oxide levels and oxidative stress in Alzheimer's disease. Methods: The blood samples of 30 elderly people in three groups consisting of healthy control and different severities of the disease (low and severe) were used. Then the erythrocytes were isolated and the deformability of erythrocytes was determined by Rheodyne SSD evaluating the elongation indexes of the erythrocytes under different shear stress. The catalase, glutathione peroxidase and plasma nitric oxide levels were measured spectrophotometric ally. Results: The plasma nitric oxide levels, catalase activities were found significantly higher and glutathione peroxidase activity was significantly lower in severe Alzheimer's disease patients compared to the control group. However, the deformability of erythrocytes was not significantly affected from these alterations. Conclusion: the oxidant-antioxidant status is dramatically changed in Alzheimer's disease patients with the severity of the disease and similar alterations were seen in the nitric oxide levels without any significant change in erythrocyte deformability. [Cukurova Med J 2012; 37(2.000): 65-75

Xanthorrhizol, a potential anticancer agent, from Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb

© 2022Background: Xanthorrhizol (XTZ), a bisabolene sesquiterpenoid, is abundantly found in the plant Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb. Traditionally, C. xanthorrhiza is widely used for the treatment of different health conditions, including common fever, infection, lack of appetite, fatigue, liver complaints, and gastrointestinal disorders. XTZ exhibits wide-ranging pharmacological activities, including anticancer, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antidiabetic activities, in addition to a protective effect on multiple organs. The present review provides detailed findings on the anticancer activities of XTZ and the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms. Methods: Literature was searched systematically in main databases following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, with keywords “tumor AND xanthorrhizol” or “cancer AND xanthorrhizol”. Results: Studies show that XTZ has preventive and therapeutic activities against different types of cancer, including breast, cervical, colon, liver, lung, oral and esophageal, and skin cancers. XTZ regulates multiple signaling pathways that block carcinogenesis and proliferation. In vitro and in vivo studies showed that XTZ targets different kinases, inflammatory cytokines, apoptosis proteins, and transcription factors, leading to the suppression of angiogenesis, metastasis, and the activation of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Conclusion: The potential anticancer benefits of XTZ recommend further in vivo studies against different types of cancer. Further, XTZ needs to be confirmed for its toxicity, bioavailability, protective, antifatigue, and energy booster activities. Future studies for the therapeutic development of XTZ may be directed to cancer-related fatigue

Multi-Regulatory Effects of Agmatine on Akt/GSK-3β/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway in SH-SY5Y cells: A Potential Explanation for its Conflicting Roles in Schizophrenia

Objectives: Schizophrenia is a common psychiatric disease with its complex neurobiology. The current knowledge about the neurobiology of schizophrenia is based on dopaminergic and glutamatergic dysregulation of the central nervous system. The facts that all current antipsychotic drugs act on dopaminergic D2 receptor antagonism and glutamatergic N-Methyl D-Aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists reveal schizophrenia-like behavioral and structural alteration in rodents and humans are the major evidences of these hypotheses. However, they are not sufficient to explain the disease neurobiology and lead novel therapeutics. In recent years, it has been shown that the functions of certain intracellular pathways are disrupted in schizophrenia, especially Akt/glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (GSK-3 beta)/beta-catenin signaling pathway. Certain studies showed that GSK-3 beta inhibition accompanied to the effects of antipsychotic drugs and specific inhibition of the GSK-3 beta might be a valuable approach for the novel treatments for schizophrenia. Agmatine is an endogenous amine that interacts with many receptors and enzymes including adrenergic, glutamatergic, cholinergic, serotonergic and imidazoline receptors and nitric oxide synthase enzyme. The limited number of studies showed conflicting results about the role of agmatine on schizophrenia and there was no study to evaluate the intracellular molecular mechanisms of agmatine`s schizophrenia-related effects. Herein, we aimed to investigate the effects of agmatine on MK-801 induced neurotoxicity and the disruption of the Akt/GSK-3 beta/beta-catenin signaling pathway in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells.Methods: SH-SY5Y cells were grouped as the medium, agmatine (50 mu M), agmatine (100 mu M), olanzapine (10 mu M), MK-801 (100 mu M), MK-801+Agmatine (50 mu M), MK-801+Agmatine (100 mu M) and MK-801+Olanzapine (10 mu M). Real-time cell analysis (RTCA), real-time polymerase chain reaction (Rt-PCR) and western blot (WB) were used for monitoring the cell viabilities, quantifying gene and protein expressions, respectively. Cell viabilities monitored for the 24 hours and comparative viabilities (%) were calculated at the 6th, 12th and 24th hours of treatments. Akt, GSK-3 beta and beta-Catenin gene expressions phosphorylated (p) and non-phosphorylated protein expressions were investigated at the 24th hour of treatments.Results: In RTCA, MK-801 administration decreased cell viabilities at the 6th (pConclusion: Herein, it has been shown that agmatine had a neuroprotective effect on MK-801 induced cell toxicity in SH-SY5Y cells. Our results have suggested a low dose (50 mu M) agmatine shows antipsychotic like effects on Akt/GSK-3 beta/beta-catenin signaling pathway in SH-SY5Y cells bot, not high dose (100 mu M). We have suggested that these doses dependent regulatory effects of agmatine might be a possible explanation for its conflicting role in schizophrenia

Effect of kirenol on the interaction between the WNT/beta-Catenin and RUNX2/TCF/LEF1 pathways in fracture healing in vivo

Objective: This study aimed to determine the effects of a natural diterpenoid, kirenol, on fracture healing in vivo in an experimental rat model of femur fracture and investigate its potential mechanism of action via the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway

In vitro biological activity of Salvia fruticosa Mill. infusion against amyloid beta-peptide-induced toxicity and inhibition of GSK-3 beta, CK-1 delta, and BACE-1 enzymes relevant to Alzheimer's disease

Salvia species have been traditionally used to improve cognition and have been proved to be a potential natural treatment for Alzheimer's disease. Salvia fruticosa Mill. (Turkish sage or Greek sage) demonstrated to have anticholinergic effects in vitro

Molecular Mechanisms of Action of Tocotrienols in Cancer: Recent Trends and Advancements

Tocotrienols, found in several natural sources such as rice bran, annatto seeds, and palm oil have been reported to exert various beneficial health promoting properties especially against chronic diseases, including cancer. The incidence of cancer is rapidly increasing around the world not only because of continual aging and growth in global population, but also due to the adaptation of Western lifestyle behaviours, including intake of high fat diets and low physical activity. Tocotrienols can suppress the growth of different malignancies, including those of breast, lung, ovary, prostate, liver, brain, colon, myeloma, and pancreas. These findings, together with the reported safety profile of tocotrienols in healthy human volunteers, encourage further studies on the potential application of these compounds in cancer prevention and treatment. In the current article, detailed information about the potential molecular mechanisms of actions of tocotrienols in different cancer models has been presented and the possible effects of these vitamin E analogues on various important cancer hallmarks, i.e., cellular proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, metastasis, and inflammation have been briefly analyzed

Fisetin and Quercetin: Promising Flavonoids with Chemopreventive Potential

Despite advancements in healthcare facilities for diagnosis and treatment, cancer remains the leading cause of death worldwide. As prevention is always better than cure, efficient strategies are needed in order to deal with the menace of cancer. The use of phytochemicals as adjuvant chemotherapeutic agents in heterogeneous human carcinomas like breast, colon, lung, ovary, and prostate cancers has shown an upward trend during the last decade or so. Flavonoids are well-known products of plant derivatives that are reportedly documented to be therapeutically active phytochemicals against many diseases encompassing malignancies, inflammatory disorders (cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disorder), and oxidative stress. The current review focuses on two key flavonols, fisetin and quercetin, known for their potential pharmacological relevance. Also, efforts have been made to bring together most of the concrete studies pertaining to the bioactive potential of fisetin and quercetin, especially in the modulation of a range of cancer signaling pathways. Further emphasis has also been made to highlight the molecular action of quercetin and fisetin so that one could explore cancer initiation pathways and progression, which could be helpful in designing effective treatment strategies