In vitro antiproliferative and apoptosis-inducing activities of crude ethyle alcohole extract of Quercus brantii L. acorn and subsequent fractions

Cancer cell resistance to widely used chemotherapeutic agents is gradually developed. Natural products, mainly isolated from medicinal plants, have been considered as valuable sources for herbal anticancer drugs. The present study aimed to evaluate in vitro antiproliferative and apoptosis-inducing activities of crude ethyle alcohole extract and four fractions of Q. brantii acorn. Crude ethyle alcohole extract of Q. brantii acorn was prepared and subjected to fractionation with different polarity. Subsequently, the extract and the fractions wereevaluated for their in vitro antiproliferative activity in two cancerous (Hela and AGS) and one normal (HDFs) cell lines using MTT 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2ol) 2, 5 diphenyltetrazoliumbromide] assay. To determine whether the cytotoxicity of these compounds involved the induction of apoptosis, Hela cells were treated with IC50 concentrations of test compounds, stained with both propidium iodide (PI) and Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), and analyzed by flow cytometry. In vitro cytotoxicity assay showed that the cell viability was significantly reduced in a dose-dependent manner following treatment with crude ethyle alcohole extract and Cholophorm and n-Butanol fractions. Based on the probit regression model, antiproliferative activities of crude ethyle alcohole extract, Cholophorm fraction, and n-Butanol fraction on Hela and AGS cells and HDFs cells were significantly different (P < 0.001). The results of flow cytometric analysis showed that crude ethyle alcohole extract and two fractions of Q. brantii acorn induced early apoptotic cell death. These findings suggest that crude ethyle alcohole extract and Cholophorm and n-Butanol fractions of Q. brantii acorn suppress the proliferation of cancer cells through induction of early apoptosis

In vitro Anti-adenovirus activity of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) peel extract

Background and aims: Human adenoviruses can cause a diversity of clinical diseases, but there is no antiviral therapy formally approved by adenovirus infections. Thus, antiviral agents derived from medicinal plants which are effective against adenoviruses infections are urgently required. Therefore, this research was aimed to evaluate in vitro antiadenovirus activity of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) peel extract. Methods: In this research, crude ethanol extract of pomegranate peel was prepared. Anti-adenovirus activity of the extract was evaluated on Hela cell line using MTT (3-4,5-dimethylthiazol–2-yl-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) and 50% Cytotoxicity Concentration (CC50) of the extract were determined using regression analysis. To determine antioxidant activity, total phenol content, and flavonoids content of the extract, the 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay; Folin-Ciocalteu method and aluminum chloride colorimetric method was used, respectively. Results: The CC50 and IC50 of the extract were 165±10.1 and 18.6±6.7µg/ml, respectively. The selectivity index (SI), the ratio of CC50 and IC50, was 8.89. The IC50 of DPPH radical was 7.7±1.21 μg/ml, compare with butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), with IC50 of 25.41±1.89 μg/ml. The total phenol and Flavonoid contents were 282.9 mgGAE/g and 136.6mg/g, respectively. This study revealed that the pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) Conclusion: peel extract exhibited Anti-adenovirus activity, with SI value of 8.9, suggesting its potential use as Anti-adenovirus agents. Also this extract with high phytoconstituents could be a promising source of medicinally important natural compound

Cytotoxicity and in vitro antioxidant potential of Quercus Brantii acorn extract and the corresponding fractions

The present study was mainly aimed to evaluate antioxidant activity and cytotoxicity of hydroalcoholic extract and three corresponding fractions of Quercus brantii acorn. A 70% ethyle alcohole extract of the plant were prepared and sequentially partitioned with n-hexane, chloroform, ethylacetate and n-butanol. The antioxidant potential of all these fractions was evaluated by the 2,2 diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity method. Cytotoxic activity was tested against two normal cell lines (African green monkey kidney [Vero] and human dermal fibroblasts [HDFs]) by MTT assay. The results revealed that the n-butanol fraction exhibited the lowest IC50value (6.5±0.6 μg/ml) with the highest antioxidant activity as compared to the other fractions. The IC50values of the chloroform fraction, the n-butanol fraction, the crude extract, and the n-hexane fraction were found to be significant (p<0.05) as compared with butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). The results of cytotoxicity showed that the chloroform fraction exhibited the highest cytotoxicity toward Vero and HDFs cell lines at concentration of 60.6±23 and 287.8±38 μg/ml, respectively. We conclude that at least, n-butanol fraction of this plant with high phytoconstituents and less toxicity could be a promising source of medicinally important natural compound. Our findings, therefore, suggest that overall the studied extract/fractions exhibit low cytotoxicity on normal cell lines. © 2016, International Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemical Research. All Rights reserved

Application of artificial neural network and multiple linear regression in modeling nutrient recovery in vermicompost under different conditions

© 2020 Elsevier Ltd Vermicomposting is one of the best technologies for nutrient recovery from solid waste. This study aims to assess the efficiency of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) models in predicting nutrient recovery from solid waste under different vermicompost treatments. Seven chemical and biological indices were studied as input variables to predict total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) recovery. The developed ANN and MLR models were compared by statistical analysis including R-squared (R2), Adjusted-R2, Root Mean Square Error and Absolute Average Deviation. The results showed that vermicomposting increased TN and TP proportions in final products by 1.5 and 16 times. The ANN models provided better prediction for TN and TP with R2 of 0.9983 and 0.9991 respectively, compared with MLR models with R2 of 0.834 and 0.729. TN and C/N ratio were key factors for TP and TN prediction by ANN with percentages of 17.76 and 18.33

In vitro anti-herpes simplex virus activity, antioxidant potential and total phenolic compounds of selected iranian medicinal plant extracts

Drug resistant strains of herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) have been increased recently. Essentially, medicinal plant-based new antiviral agents that are effective against HSV-1 infections are urgently required. Therefore, this research was conducted to evaluate in vitro anti HSV-1 activity of 25 plant extracts. In this study, the hydroalchoholic extracts of different parts of 25 medicinal plants belonging to 16 different families were prepared. Anti-HSV-1 activity was evaluated on Vero cell line using MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol–2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. The 50 % effective concentration (EC50) and 50 % cytotoxicity concentration (CC50) of the extract were determined using regression analysis. The inhibitory effect of the plant materials on adsorption and/or post-adsorption stages of HSV-1 replication cycle was determined. Antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and total flavonoid content of the extracts were determined using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, Folin-Ciocalteu reagent, and aluminum chloride colorimetric method, respectively. Results showed that Pistacia atlantica Desf., Equisetum arvense L., Melissa officinalis L., Anthyllis vulneraria L., Punica granatum L., Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & L.M. Perry, Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze, and Crataegus azarolus L., were active against HSV-1. There was a significant association of total phenolic contents (R = 0.773, p < 0.001) and the free radical scavenging property (R = -0.684, p < 0.01) with the antiviral activity of the extracts. Some of the Iranian plant extracts studied showed potent antiviral activity against HSV-1 and can be used to develop new and effective anti-HSV-1 agents. © 2018, National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (NISCAIR). All rights reserved

&ITIn vitro&IT anti-herpes simplex virus activity, antioxidant potential and total phenolic compounds of selected Iranian medicinal plant extracts

Abstract Drug resistant strains of herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) have been increased recently. Essentially, medicinal plant-based new antiviral agents that are effective against HSV-1 infections are urgently required. Therefore, this research was conducted to evaluate in vitro anti HSV-1 activity of 25 plant extracts. In this study, the hydroalchoholic extracts of different parts of 25 medicinal plants belonging to 16 different families were prepared. Anti-HSV-1 activity was evaluated on Vero cell line using MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. The 50 % effective concentration (EC50) and 50 % cytotoxicity concentration (CC50) of the extract were determined using regression analysis. The inhibitory effect of the plant materials on adsorption and/or post-adsorption stages of HSV-1 replication cycle was determined. Antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and total flavonoid content of the extracts were determined using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, Folin-Ciocalteu reagent, and aluminum chloride colorimetric method, respectively. Results showed that Pistacia atlantica Desf, Equisetum arvense L., Melissa officinalis L., Anthyllis vulneraria L., Punica granatum L., Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Men. & L.M. Perry, Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze, and Crataegus azarolus L., were active against HSV-1. There was a significant association of total phenolic contents (R = 0.773, p < 0.001) and the free radical scavenging property (R = -0.684, p < 0.01) with the antiviral activity of the extracts. Some of the Iranian plant extracts studied showed potent antiviral activity against HSV-1 and can be used to develop new and effective anti-HSV-1 agents

Platelet-rich plasma for bone healing and regeneration

Introduction: Successful healing of large bone defects (LBDs) is a complicated phenomenon because the bodys natural ability often fails to effectively repair the LBDs. New modalities should be utilized to increase the quality and accelerate bone healing. Platelet concentrates in different forms can be considered an attractive option for such purpose.Areas covered: Platelets as a natural source of growth factors, cytokines, and other micro and macromolecules are hypothesized to improve bone healing. This review has covered important concepts regarding platelet-rich plasma (PRP) including mechanisms of action, preparation protocols and their differences, and factors affecting the PRP efficacy during bone healing. In addition, the most recent studies in different levels which evaluated the role of PRP on bone repair has been reviewed and discussed to clarify the controversies and conflicts, and to illustrate a future prospective and directions for orthopedic surgeons to overcome current limitations and difficulties.Expert opinion: As the efficacy of PRP is dependent on various factors, the outcome of PRP therapy is variable and unpredictable in orthopedic patients. Therefore, it is still too soon to suggest PRP as the first line treatment option in complicated bone injuries such as LBDs and nonunions. However, combination of PRP with natural and synthetic biomaterials can enhance the effectiveness of PRP. © 2015 Taylor & Francis