Evaluation of Antioxidant, Anti-Tyrosinase, and Anti-Melanoma Activities of Phlomis Rigida

The aim of this study is to evaluate in vitro cytotoxicity of Phlomis rigida (P. rigida) aerial parts on the malignant melanoma cells as well as assess its antioxidant and anti-tyrosinase activities. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents along with in vitro antioxidant and anti-tyrosinase activities of P. rigida MeOH (80%) extract were determined using Folin-Ciocalteu, aluminum chloride, DPPH radical scavenging, and mushroom tyrosinase assays, respectively. The cytotoxicity of the extract was investigated by determination of the cell viability using MTT assay on the normal fibroblast (NIH3T3) and malignant melanoma (SKMEL-3) cells. The extract showed a weak scavenging activity with SC50 value higher than 5 mg/mL and the tyrosinase inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 1.092 mg/mL. Interestingly, the extract was not toxic on NIH3T3 cells at all tested concentrations (0.0001-0.1 mg/mL), however, it could significantly reduce cell viability on SKMEL-3 cells, particularly at higher concentrations than 0.01 mg/mL (the IC50 ≈ 0.148 mg/mL). Based on our results, a selective cytotoxic effect against SKMEL-3 cells was found for the extract of P. rigida compared with NIH3T3 cells. Therefore, it is recommended as a good candidate for further investigation to discover bioactive natural agents in melanoma treatmen

Review Article Biological Activities and Pharmacokinetics of Praeruptorins from Peucedanum Species: A Systematic Review

Praeruptorins belonging to the angular-type pyranocoumarins are bioactive constituents that have been isolated from some Peucedanum species such as P. praeruptorum, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of cold, cough, upper respiratory infections, and so forth. Many reports have demonstrated that the beneficial pharmacological effects of P. praeruptorum root on cardiovascular, pulmonary, immune, and nervous system diseases were attributed to the presence of praeruptorins. The aim of this review is to explain the recent efforts of scientists in pharmacological screening of natural and synthetic praeruptorin derivatives, studying the mechanisms of some praeruptorins action, pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and relevant structure-activity relationships. Based on reported data about the pharmacological properties of praeruptorins and semisynthetic derivatives of them, it is hopeful that in the near future more studies focus on the discovery of the new application and therapeutic uses of these bioactive compounds and understanding the specific mechanisms of them. The present discusses the reports on molecular and biological activities of praeruptorins of the genus Peucedanum, from 1976 onwards

Determination of Anti-melanogenic Activity of Phlomis kurdica in Human Melanoma SKMEL-3 Cells

Abstract The present study was designed to investigate the anti-melanogenic and cytotoxic activities of methanol extract of Phlomis kurdica. The antioxidant and anti-tyrosinase activity of MeOH extract from P. kurdica (MPk) were examined by DPPH radical scavenging and mushroom tyrosinase activity assays (in vitro), respectively. Furthermore, the effect of MPk on the melanin content, cellular tyrosinase activity and cytotoxicity was studied on human melanoma SKMEL-3 cells (in vivo). The results showed that the MPk inhibited DPPH radicals and mushroom tyrosinase activity in a dose dependent-manner, but these effects were weaker than positive controls. The extract revealed cytotoxic effect in SKMEL-3 cells at high concentrations (> 0.2 mg/mL). Moreover, at concentration of 0.25 mg/mL, it reduced melanin content and cellular tyrosinase activity about 7% and 28% of control, respectively. These findings suggest that the MPk can be considered as a cytotoxic extract in melanoma skin cancers and exhibited inhibitory effect on melanogenesis process

Influence of Four Phlomis Species on Melanogenesis in Human Malignant Melanoma (SKMEL-3) Cells

Background and objectives: Phytochemical studies have shown that the Phlomis species are rich in polyphenolics and iridoid glycosides and many of them have shown potential value in different biological and pharmacological activities. In this study, we evaluated the effect of Phlomis persica, P. brugieri, P. olivieri and P. anisodontea extracts on melanin production in human malignant melanoma (SKMEL-3) cells. Methods: The anti-tyrosinase activity of the extracts was investigated using mushroom tyrosinase assay. Cytotoxicity potentials were examined through MTT assay on SKMEL-3 cell line and then the level of melanin formation in SKMEL-3 cells was determined. Results: The anti-tyrosinase activity of the Phlomis extracts was not remarkable (about 0.1 mg/mL). All extracts significantly increased the melanin content in SKMEL-3 cells at 0.25 mg/mL and among them P. anisodontea extract seemed to be more efficient in stimulating melanin production. Conclusion: Based on our results, we suggest these total extracts particularly P. anisodontea extract contain the potent skin browning agents that can be used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic products

Biological Activities and Pharmacokinetics of Praeruptorins from Peucedanum Species: A Systematic Review

Praeruptorins belonging to the angular-type pyranocoumarins are bioactive constituents that have been isolated from some Peucedanum species such as P. praeruptorum, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of cold, cough, upper respiratory infections, and so forth. Many reports have demonstrated that the beneficial pharmacological effects of P. praeruptorum root on cardiovascular, pulmonary, immune, and nervous system diseases were attributed to the presence of praeruptorins. The aim of this review is to explain the recent efforts of scientists in pharmacological screening of natural and synthetic praeruptorin derivatives, studying the mechanisms of some praeruptorins action, pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and relevant structure-activity relationships. Based on reported data about the pharmacological properties of praeruptorins and semisynthetic derivatives of them, it is hopeful that in the near future more studies focus on the discovery of the new application and therapeutic uses of these bioactive compounds and understanding the specific mechanisms of them. The present discusses the reports on molecular and biological activities of praeruptorins of the genus Peucedanum, from 1976 onwards

Tyrosinase Inhibitory Activity of Selected Plants Based on Iranian Traditional Medicine: Detection of mushroom tyrosinase inhibitors based on ITM

Discovery of safe and stable skin whitening agents for medical and cosmetic purposes has drawn attention in recent years. For the same reason, this study was undertaken to evaluate tyrosinase inhibitory activity of some medicinal plants introduced in Iranian Traditional Medicine as hypopigmenting agents. In recent research, tyrosinase inhibitory effect and antioxidant activity of selected plants were evaluated using mushroom tyrosinase inhibitory assay and DPPH radical scavenging test and, in addition, total phenol content of extracts was measured. Out of nine aqueous extracts of selected plants, the effect of Ricinus communis L. and Nepeta glomerulosa Boiss. on tyrosinase inhibition was significant with 71.99 and 89.98 percent inhibition, respectively. Moreover, Pistacia atlantica L. showed the highest total phenol content with the most potent DPPH radical scavenging effect and high anti-tyrosinase activity with 59.07 percent of inhibition. The obtained results suggest that Ricinus communis, Nepeta glomerulosa and Pistacia atlantica could be good candidates for further investigation to find novel agents for skin hyperpigmentation

Anti-Melanogenic Activity and Cytotoxicity of Pistacia vera Hull on Human Melanoma SKMEL-3 Cells

Pistacia vera seed is a common food and medicinal seed in Iran. It's hull (outer skin) as a significant byproduct of pistachio, is traditionally used as tonic, sedative and antidiarrheal and has been shown to be a rich source of antioxidants. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the anti-melanogenic activity of the pistachio hulls in order to discover a new alternative herbal agent to treat skin hyperpigmentation disorders. In this work, antioxidant and anti-tyrosinase activity of MeOH extract from Pistacia vera hull (MPH) were evaluated in vitro, respectively, by DPPH radical scavenging and mushroom tyrosinase activity assays. Then the effect of MPH on the melanin content, cellular tyrosinase activity and cytotoxicity (MTT assay) on human melanoma SKMEL-3 cell were determined followed by 72 h incubation. The results indicated that MPH had valuable DPPH radical scavenging effect and weak anti-tyrosinase activity when compared to the well-known antioxidant (BHT) and tyrosinase inhibitor (kojic acid), respectively. MPH, at a high dose (0.5 mg/mL), showed significant cytotoxic activity (~63%) and strong anti-melanogenic effect (~57%) on SKMEL-3 cells. The effect of MPH in the reduction of melanin content may be related to its cytotoxicity. The results obtained suggest that MPH can be used as an effective agent in the treatment of some skin hyperpigmentation disorders such as melanoma

Simultaneous Determination of Parathion, Malathion, Diazinon, and Pirimiphos Methyl in Dried Medicinal Plants Using Solid-Phase Microextraction Fibre Coated with Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

A reliable and sensitive headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method for simultaneous determination of different organophosphorus pesticides in dried medicinal plant samples is described. The analytes were extracted by single-walled carbon nanotubes as a new solid-phase microextraction adsorbent. The developed method showed good performance. For diazinon and pirimiphos methyl calibration, curves were linear (r2≥0.993) over the concentration ranges from 1.5 to 300 ng g−1, and the limit of detection at signal-to-noise ratio of 3 was 0.3 ng g−1. For parathion and malathion, the linear range and limit of detection were 2.5–300 (r2≥0.991) and 0.5 ng g−1, respectively. In addition, a comparative study between the single-walled carbon nanotubes and a commercial polydimethylsiloxane fibre for the determination of target analytes was carried out. Single-walled carbon nanotubes fibre showed higher extraction capacity, better thermal stability (over 350∘C), and longer lifespan (over 250 times) than the commercial polydimethylsiloxane fibre. The developed method was successfully applied to determine target organophosphorus pesticides in real samples

Data showing the optimal conditions of pre-extraction and extraction of Citrullus lanatus (watermelon) white rind to increase the amount of bioactive compounds, DPPH radical scavenging and anti-tyrosinase activity

In this data article, we examined some of those factors such as the effect of fresh, frozen and hot air-dried sample, pH and polarity of solvent by ultrasound-assisted extraction, as a “Green Extraction” technique, to find optimal conditions for increasing the amount of total phenolic and amino acid contents from watermelon rind. Then, we considered the DPPH radical scavenging and anti-tyrosinase activity of the extracts and their association with the amount of the phenolic and amino acid contents in the samples. The obtained data were analyzed one-way ANOVA, Tukey post hoc test and Graph Pad Prism 6 (P < 0.05). Our findings revealed one of the appropriate pre-extraction and extraction conditions of watermelon white rind to achieve more antioxidant and anti-tyrosinase effects. In addition, our data show the value of watermelon white rind as inexpensive, safe whitening and anti-browning agent, which can be used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food products