Nutritional, phytochemical and pharmacological properties of Mikania micrantha Kunth

Mikania micrantha Kunth (Asteraceae) is a perennial creeping vine that can be found in South and North America, Africa, Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia, including Southern China and Malaysia. Previous studies have reported that this plant possesses several pharmacological properties which can be used to prevent and cure several diseases. Phytochemicals found from various parts of M. micrantha have been linked to beneficial medicinal properties such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antitumour, anti-inflammatory, anti-stress, and also anti-diabetic activities. The primary aim of this paper is to review available scientific information on the nutritional, phytochemical and pharmacological properties of M. micrantha to provide baseline information for future studies

Nutritional, Phytochemical and Pharmacological Properties of Mikania micrantha Kunth

Mikania micrantha Kunth (Asteraceae) is a perennial creeping vine that can be found in South and North America, Africa, Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia, including Southern China and Malaysia. Previous studies have reported that this plant possesses several pharmacological properties which can be used to prevent and cure several diseases. Phytochemicals found from various parts of M. micrantha have been linked to beneficial medicinal properties such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antitumour, anti-inflammatory, anti-stress, and also anti-diabetic activities. The primary aim of this paper is to review available scientific information on the nutritional, phytochemical and pharmacological properties of M. micrantha to provide baseline information for future studies

Rice bran phytic acid (IP6) induces growth inhibition, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis on human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells

Phytic acid (inositol hexaphosphate or IP6) is one of the bioactive compound that is present in cereals, nuts and legumes. IP6 is a naturally occurring polyphosphorylated carbohydrate, recognized to posses various significant health benefits including anticancer effects. Several in vitro and in vivo studies provide convincing evidence for the anticarcinogenic properties of commercial rice IP6 whilst the underlying mechanisms by which IP6 exerts anti-tumorigenic effects are still not fully known. The purpose of this present study is to investigate the growth inhibitory effects of IP6 extracted from rice bran on human colorectal cancer cell line (HT-29). IP6 extracted from rice bran induced marked growth inhibition in HT-29 with an IC50 value of 12.0 ± 2 μg/ml, in a dose and time dependent manner. Flow cytometry was performed for the analysis of cell cycle and apoptosis. Rice bran IP6-extract induced cell cycle arrest in HT-29 cell at G0/G1 phase. Staining with Annexin V-based assay and propidium iodide confirmed that apoptosis occurred early and late in the HT-29. IP6 is expected to exert anticarcinogenic activity through disruption of cell cycle progression and induction of apoptosis. Our study further supports the function of rice bran IP6 as a chemopreventive agent for human colorectal cancer

Total phenolics and antioxidant properties of red hot chili peppers of different varieties in Malaysia as potent nutraceutical

Chili pepper is a plant that belongs to the genus of Capsicum originated from the family of Solanaceae. Despite the unstable taxonomy and the lack of a generally agreed upon nomenclature, only five species are domesticated. They are Capsicum annuum L., Capsicum chinense Jacq., Capsicum frustescens L., Capsicum baccatum L. and Capsicum pubescens1. In the current study, five different varieties of red hot chilli peppers are purchased. Among them, there are 4 different varieties that are derived from the species of Capsicum annuum L. (Kulai 151, Kulai 568 , Bara and Pelita), while Centil or bird eyes chilli is a variety that come from Capsicum frustescens L.. Kulai 151 and Kulai 568 are the varieties with larger size, with length of fruits ranging from 15-18cm. Bara, Pelita and Centil are small-sized chillies or known as Bird’s eye chilli, with stronger pungent smell compared to Kulai varieties. Centil is commonly planted in urban areas in Malaysia. It is later cultured under program of ‘Fertigasi’ for better plantation quality. Its fruit length ranging from 2-3cm. Both of the variety of Bara and Peilta are small-sized chillies, ranging from 2-4cm in length. They are both originally breed in Indonesia. Lately, they are introduced and planted in Malaysia. According to the local farmers, Pelita is a new hybrid offspring from Bara variety

Lipid and Blood Pressure Lowering Effects of Mikania micrantha Through En-zymatic Inhibition

Mikania micrantha Kunth (Asteraceae) is a plant traditionally used to reduce the risk of hyperlipidemia and hypertension. There is limited information on the anti-hyperlipidemic and anti-hypertensive effects of the various M. micrantha leaves and stem extracts. This study aimed to examine the in vitro potential of different parts of M. micrantha (leaves and stem) extracts in inhibiting hyperlipidemia-related enzymes, i.e., pancreatic lipase (PL), lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGR), in addition to the hypertension-related, i.e., angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE). This study spectrophotometrically determined the inhibitory activities of hot water, cold water, 70% ethanol, and ethyl acetate M. micrantha leaves and stem extracts against the above-said enzymes using PL, LPL, HMGR, and ACE inhibition assays. The study found that the ethanol stem (ETS) extract exhibited the highest PL inhibitory activity (IC50=4.49±2.50 μg/mL), albeit the difference was insignificant (p > 0.05) compared to orlistat (IC50=0.31±0.01 μg/mL). Meanwhile, the ethanol leaves (ETL) extract yielded the highest LPL (IC50=1.42±0.48 μg/mL) and HMGR inhibitory activity (50.12±3.44%), although the greatest ACE inhibition was observed for the hot water stem (HWS) extract (97.47±1.19%). However, the result was insignificant (p > 0.05) compared to other extracts and captopril (98.42±0.93%). In brief, the extracts generally exhibited remarkable inhibitory activity against PL, LPL, HMGR, and ACE, thus conveying the M. micrantha extracts' anti-hyperlipidemic and anti-hypertensive potentials

Dual-specificity phosphatase 6 (DUSP6): a review of its molecular characteristics and clinical relevance in cancer

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are the main regulators of cellular proliferation, growth, and survival in physiologicalor pathological conditions. Aberrant MAPK signaling plays a pivotal role in carcinogenesis, which leads to development andprogression of human cancer. Dual-specificity phosphatase 6 (DUSP6), a member of the MAPK phosphatase family, interacts withspecifically targeted extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 via negative feedback regulation in the MAPK pathway of mammaliancells. This phosphatase functions in a dual manner, pro-oncogenic or tumor-suppressive, depending on the type of cancer. Todate, the tumor-suppressive role of DUSP6 has been demonstrated in pancreatic cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, esophagealsquamous cell and nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and ovarian cancer. Its pro-oncogenic role has been observed in humanglioblastoma, thyroid carcinoma, breast cancer, and acute myeloid carcinoma. Both roles of DUSP6 have been documented inmalignant melanoma depending on the histological subtype of the cancer. Loss- or gain-of-function effects of DUSP6 in thesecancers highlights the significance of this phosphatase in carcinogenesis. Development of methods that use the DUSP6 gene as atherapeutic target for cancer treatment or as a prognostic factor for diagnosis and evaluation of cancer treatment outcome hasgreat potential. This review focuses on molecular characteristics of the DUSP6 gene and its role in cancers in the purview ofdevelopment, progression, and cancer treatment outcome

Anti-proliferative and apoptosis-inducing effects of Morinda citrifolia L. shoot on breast, liver, and colorectal cancer cell lines

Introduction: Morinda citrifolia or also known as noni is commonly consumed raw or blanched as side dishes or ‘ulam’. As cancer is one of the most leading causes of death in the world, we aimed to evaluate the anti-proliferative potential of noni shoot against various types of cancer cell lines. Methods: The breast cancer (MDA-MB-231), liver cancer (HepG2), and colorectal cancer (HT-29) cell lines were treated with 70% ethanol extract of noni shoot for cytotoxicity testing using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Apoptosis induction effects were examined using AO/PI dual fluorescent assay and cell cycle analysis using flow cytometry. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS) was also carried out to characterize the active compounds in noni shoot. Results: The cytotoxicity assay demonstrated noni shoot had IC50 of 49.72 μg/mL, 307.5 μg/mL and 65.43 μg/mL against MDA-MB-231, HepG2, and HT-29 cell lines, respectively. The AO/PI staining showed apoptotic bodies such as cell blebbing, chromatin condensation, and nuclear fragmentation was markedly induced in the selected cancer cell lines-treated with noni shoot extract. Apoptosis induction by noni shoot was showed by a significant increase in sub G0/G1 phase in MDA-MB-231 and HT-29 cell lines of cell cycle analysis. It was found that noni shoot extract contained mostly acetic acid and ethriol that may contribute to its anti-cancer properties. Conclusion: These findings showed the potential anticancer properties of noni shoot extract thereby, further studies are needed to understand the mechanism of noni as anti-cancer agent and possibility to be developed as a nutraceutical or functional food products

From weed to medicinal plant: antioxidant capacities and phytochemicals of various extracts of Mikania micrantha

Mikania micrantha is commonly consumed as traditional medicine in some countries, including Malaysia. Little is known about the antioxidant properties and phytochemicals of M. micrantha. This study was aimed to investigate the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and antioxidant capacities of the leaves and stems of M. micrantha of hot water, cold water, 70% ethanol, ethyl acetate, and hexane extracts. Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminium chloride colorimetric assays were used to determine the TPC and TFC, respectively. The antioxidant capacities were determined using rapid, inexpensive and small-scale microplate of five different antioxidant assays. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to chemically profile and characterize the phytochemicals. In comparison with different solvents, the ethyl acetate stems (EAS) and leaves (EAL) extracts of M. micrantha had the significantly greatest TPC (141±0.51 mg gallic acid equivalent/g) and TFC (70.1±0.92 catechin equivalent/g), respectively. Moreover, EAS extract had the significantly greatest antioxidant capacities using DPPH (EC50=324±61.4 μg/mL), ABTS (0.53±0.01 mmol trolox equivalent/g), FRAP (1.28±0.05 mmol Fe2+/g), phosphomolybdenum antioxidative power (219±7.03 mg ascorbic acid equivalent/g), and β-carotene bleaching (108±2.23%) assays. GC-MS analysis of EAS showed the presence of sesquiterpenes (30.46%), phenol (16.38%), and alkane hydrocarbons (10.45%), which may contribute to its antioxidant capacities. These findings suggest the stems extract of M. micrantha using ethyl acetate as the potential source of natural antioxidant agents and its utilization to prevent oxidative damage-related diseases could be further explored

Functional food mixtures: inhibition of lipid peroxidation, HMGCoA reductase, and ACAT2 in hypercholesterolemia‐induced rats

Mixtures of selected functional foods (MSFF) were composed of nattokinase (fermented soybean), red yeast rice extract, Ginkgo biloba, oat fiber, garlic, bee pollen, and propolis as anti‐hypercholesterolemic were studied. The goal of this study was to determine the bioactive compounds in these mixtures and their cholesterol‐lowering potential effects (biochemical profiles, lipid peroxidation, liver tissue histopathology, and enzymatic activity analysis; HMGCoA reductase and ACAT2. The LC‐MS/MS analysis showed that bioactive compounds such as Monacolin K, naringin, tocopherol, and glutamate, which have potential as anti‐hypercholesterolemic agents, were present in these functional food mixtures. MSFF supplementation at 50 mg/kg 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg showed substantial reductions in serum lipid profiles (TC and LDL) (p < .05). The serum liver profiles of AST (115.33 ± 8.69 U/L) and ALT (61.00 ± 1.00 U/L) were significantly reduced (p < .05) with MSFF supplementation at 200 mg/kg. MDA lipid peroxidation has also decreased significantly (p < .05) in serum (3.69 ± 0.42 μmol/L) and liver (15.04 ± 0.97 μmol/mg) tissues and has been shown to protect against hepatic steatosis. The significant (p < .05) inhibition activity of HMGCoA reductase (163.82 ± 3.50 pg/ml) and ACAT2 (348.35 ± 18.85 pg/ml) was also attributed by the supplementation of MSFF at 200 mg/kg

Pro-apoptotic effect of rice bran inositol hexaphosphate (IP6) on HT-29 colorectal cancer cells

Inositol hexaphosphate (IP6), or phytic acid is a natural dietary ingredient and has been described as a “natural cancer fighter”, being an essential component of nutritional diets. The marked anti-cancer effect of IP6 has resulted in our quest for an understanding of its mechanism of action. In particular, our data provided strong evidence for the induction of apoptotic cell death, which may be attributable to the up-regulation of Bax and down-regulation of Bcl-xl in favor of apoptosis. In addition, the up-regulation of caspase-3 and -8 expression and activation of both caspases may also contribute to the apoptotic cell death of human colorectal adenocarcinoma HT-29 cells when exposed to IP6. Collectively, this present study has shown that rice bran IP6 induces apoptosis, by regulating the pro- and anti-apoptotic markers; Bax and Bcl-xl and via the activation of caspase molecules (caspase-3 and -8