Phytochemical analysis, biological activities, and GC profiling of extracts of some medicinal plant growing in Nepal

The present study was aimed to determine the antioxidant, α amylase inhibition, and antibacterial activities on ten traditionally used medicinal plant extracts, namely Cyperus rotundus, Citrus medica, Gaultheria fragrantissima, Jasminum humile, Osyris wightiana, Buddleja asiatica, Berberis aristata, Robus ellipticus, Schima wallichii, and Smilax ovalifolia growing in Nepal. The bioactive fraction of J. humile was subjected for GC analysis. The free radical scavenging properties of plant extracts were assessed using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and antibacterial activity was performed by the well diffusion method. The antidiabetic activity was assessed α amylase inhibition assay. The chemical compounds were isolated from the active plant fraction by silica column chromatography, and the collected fractions were analyzed by GC and FTIR. The phytochemical analysis showed that plant extracts were rich sources of secondary metabolites. The in vitro antioxidant activity showed IC50 ranging from 30.57±0.02 to 155.65±0.10 µg/mL. The promising antioxidant activity was demonstrated by S. wallichii of IC50 30.57±0.02 µg/mL and J. humile 35.28±0.54 µg/mL, respectively whereas, the S. ovalifolia, exhibited the moderate antioxidant activity of IC50 155.65±0.10 µg/mL. The J. humile showed significant antidiabetic activity of IC50 59.4±23.47 µg/mL. The antidiabetic activities exhibited ranged from IC50 of 77.29±2.05 (S. wallichii to 608.28±71.50 µg/mL (C. rotundus). The R. ellipticus showed maximum ZOI (22 mm) against the Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), whereas J. humile (20 mm), O. wightiana (18 mm), and G. fragrantissima (16 mm) showed moderate antibacterial activity against the S. aureus. The C. rotundus, J. humile, S. ovalifolia, O. wightiana, and B. asiatica showed promising antibacterial activity against E. coli (ATCC 25922) with ZOI 15, 17, 14, 17, and 18 mm respectively. These findings provide partial scientific support for traditional uses of these medicinal plants against diabetes and infectious diseases. Therefore, the J. humile could be a promising source of natural antidiabetic and antioxidant compounds that may be drug candidates for future drug development. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first attempt to perform all these biological activities and phytochemical analyses growing in the particular region of Nepal

Sopungyangjae-Tang Inhibits Development of Dermatitis in Nc/Nga Mice

Sopungyangjae-Tang (SYT) is a traditional Korean decoction used for the treatment of dermatitis. The aim of this study was to confirm whether or not SYT has a preventive effect on the development of atopic dermatitis in dinitrochlorobenzene-applied Nc/Nga mice. SYT was administered orally to Nc/Nga mice, which led to the remarkable suppression of the development of dermatitis, as determined by a histological examination and the serum IgE levels. Moreover, SYT inhibited the production of thymus- and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) and its mRNA expression in a keratinocyte cell line, HaCaT, which had been stimulated with tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ). Activation of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) or activator protein-1 (AP-1) is one of the key steps in the signaling pathways mediating induction of TARC. In this study, SYT selectively suppressed NF-κB activation, which may be essential for TARC expression in TNF-α/IFN-γ treated keratinocytes. The inhibitory effect of SYT on NF-κB activation and TARC production might be associated with the anti-dermatitic effects of SYT

PP2A methylesterase PME-1 suppresses anoikis and is associated with therapy relapse of PTEN-deficient prostate cancers

While organ-confined prostate cancer (PCa) is mostly therapeutically manageable, metastatic progression of PCa remains an unmet clinical challenge. Resistance to anoikis, a form of cell death initiated by cell detachment from the surrounding extracellular matrix, is one of the cellular processes critical for PCa progression towards aggressive disease. Therefore, further understanding of anoikis regulation in PCa might provide therapeutic opportunities. Here, we discover that PCa tumors with concomitant inhibition of two tumor suppressor phosphatases, PP2A and PTEN, are particularly aggressive, having less than 50% 5-year secondary-therapy-free patient survival. Functionally, overexpression of PME-1, a methylesterase for the catalytic PP2A-C subunit, inhibits anoikis in PTEN-deficient PCa cells. In vivo, PME-1 inhibition increased apoptosis in in ovo PCa tumor xenografts, and attenuated PCa cell survival in zebrafish circulation. Molecularly, PME-1-deficient PC3 cells display increased trimethylation at lysines 9 and 27 of histone H3 (H3K9me3 and H3K27me3), a phenotype known to correlate with increased apoptosis sensitivity. In summary, our results demonstrate that PME-1 supports anoikis resistance in PTEN-deficient PCa cells. Clinically, these results identify PME-1 as a candidate biomarker for a subset of particularly aggressive PTEN-deficient PCa

Phytochemical analysis, biological activities, and GC profiling of extracts of some medicinal plant growing in Nepal

505-515The present study was aimed to determine the antioxidant, α amylase inhibition, and antibacterial activities on ten traditionally used medicinal plant extracts, namely Cyperus rotundus, Citrus medica, Gaultheria fragrantissima, Jasminum humile, Osyris wightiana, Buddleja asiatica, Berberis aristata, Robus ellipticus, Schima wallichii, and Smilax ovalifolia growing in Nepal. The bioactive fraction of J. humile was subjected for GC analysis. The free radical scavenging properties of plant extracts were assessed using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and antibacterial activity was performed by the well diffusion method. The antidiabetic activity was assessed α amylase inhibition assay. The chemical compounds were isolated from the active plant fraction by silica column chromatography, and the collected fractions were analyzed by GC and FTIR. The phytochemical analysis showed that plant extracts were rich sources of secondary metabolites. The in vitro antioxidant activity showed IC50 ranging from 30.57±0.02 to 155.65±0.10 μg/mL. The promising antioxidant activity was demonstrated by S. wallichii of IC50 30.57±0.02 μg/mL and J. humile 35.28±0.54 μg/mL, respectively whereas, the S.ovalifolia, exhibited the moderate antioxidant activity of IC50 155.65±0.10 μg/mL. The J. humile showed significantantidiabetic activity of IC50 59.4±23.47 μg/mL. The antidiabetic activities exhibited ranged from IC50 of 77.29±2.05(S. wallichii to 608.28±71.50 μg/mL (C. rotundus). The R. ellipticus showed maximum ZOI (22 mm) against theStaphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), whereas J. humile (20 mm), O. wightiana (18 mm), and G. fragrantissima (16 mm)showed moderate antibacterial activity against the S. aureus. The C. rotundus, J. humile, S. ovalifolia, O. wightiana, andB.asiatica showed promising antibacterial activity against E. coli (ATCC 25922) with ZOI 15, 17, 14, 17, and 18 mmrespectively. These findings provide partial scientific support for traditional uses of these medicinal plants against diabetesand infectious diseases. Therefore, the J. humile could be a promising source of natural antidiabetic and antioxidantcompounds that may be drug candidates for future drug development. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the firstattempt to perform all these biological activities and phytochemical analyses growing in the particular region of Nepal

Knockdown of PTOV1 and PIN1 exhibit common phenotypic anti-cancer effects in MDA-MB-231 cells.

BackgroundEarlier, we have identified PTOV1 as a novel interactome of PIN1 in PC-3 cells. This study aims to explore the functional similarity and the common role of both genes in breast cancer cell proliferation.MethodsCTG, crystal violet assay, clonogenic assay, wound healing assay, cell cycle analysis, Hoechst staining and ROS measurement were performed to assess cell viability, colony forming potential, cell cycle arrest, nuclear condensation and ROS production after knocking down of PTOV1 and PIN1 by siRNAs in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells. CO-IP, qPCR and western blot were performedto study interaction, transcriptional and translational regulation of both genes.ResultsKnockdown of PTOV1 and PIN1 inhibited the cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, cell cycle, and induced nuclear condensation as well as ROS production. Interaction of PTOV1 and PIN1 was validated by Co-IP in MDA-MB-231 cells. Genes involved in cell proliferation, migration, cell cycle, and apoptosis were regulated by PIN1 and PTOV1. PTOV1 knockdown inhibited Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and inducedBAX, LC3 and Beclin-1expression. Overexpression of PIN1 increased the expression of PTOV1. Knockdown of both genes inhibited the expression of cyclin D1, c-Myc, and β-catenin.ConclusionsPTOV1 and PIN1 interact and exert oncogenic role in MDA-MB-231 cells by sharing the similar expression profile at transcriptional and translational level which can be a promising hub for therapeutic target