Surgical Repair versus Conservative Treatment for Moderate Functional Tricuspid Regurgitation in Concomitant with Mitral Valve Surgery

Background: Management of moderate functional tricuspid regurgitation (FTR) secondary to left-sided valve lesion is controversial. The objective of this study was to compare the short-term results of surgical repair versus conservative treatment for moderate functional tricuspid regurgitation in concomitant with mitral valve surgery. Methods: Our study included 60 patients with mitral valve lesion and moderate functional tricuspid regurgitation. Patients were divided into 2 groups; group A included 30 patients whose tricuspid valve disease were managed conservatively, and group B included 30 patients who had tricuspid valve band annuloplasty. Results: Preoperative clinical and echocardiographic data were comparable between groups. There was no difference regarding mechanical ventilation time (6 .13 ± 3.02 vs. 7.01 ± 4.14 hours; p= 0.291), or intensive care unit stay (51.42 ± 12.1 vs. 52.31 ± 15.32 hours; p=0.614) in group A and B respectively. There was a significant improvement in the degree of tricuspid valve regurgitation in group B early postoperative (moderate tricuspid regurgitation reported in 22 (73.3%) vs. 4 (13.3%); p<0.001) and at 3 months (moderate tricuspid regurgitation 11 (36.7%) vs. 2 (6.7%); p<0.001) and 6 months follow up (moderate tricuspid regurgitation 10 (30%) vs.  2 (6.7%); p<0.001) in group A and B respectively. After 6-months, 20 (66.7%) patients in group A had dyspnea grade I compared to 26 (86.7%) patients in group B; p=0.021. Conclusion: Although the correction of the left-sided lesion improved the degree of TR in some patients, concomitant repair of the tricuspid valve could produce better improvement in the clinical outcome when compared to the conservative approach

Chemical Composition and in Vitro Evaluation of the Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Eucalyptus gillii Essential Oil and Extracts

In this study, essential oil and various extracts (hexane, petroleum ether, acetone, ethanol, methanol and water) of Eucalyptus gilii were screened for their chemical composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. The essential oil chemical composition was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID), respectively. Thirty four compounds were identified, corresponding to 99.5% of the total essential oil. Tannins [104.9-251.3 g catechin equivalent (CE)/Kg dry mass], flavonoids [3.3-34.3 g quercetin equivalent (QE)/Kg dry mass], phenolics [4.7-216.6 g gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/Kg dry mass] and anthocyannins [1.2-45.3 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside equivalent (C3GE)/Kg dry mass] of various extracts were investigated. Free radical scavenging capacity of all samples was determinedt. In the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, the IC50 of essential oil was 163.5 ± 10.7 mg/L and in the 2,2'-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonate (ABTS) assay, it was 94.7 ± 7.1 mg/L. Among the various extracts, the water extract showed the best result (IC50 = 11.4 ± 0.6 mg/L) in the DPPH assay which was comparable to vitamin C (IC50 = 4.4 ± 0.2 mg/L). The antimicrobial activities were evaluated against different bacterial and fungal strains. Gram positive bacteria were found to be more sensitive to the essential oil and extracts than Gram negative ones. Anthocyanins seem to have a major effect on the growth of Bacillus subtilis (R2 = 0.79). A significant antifungal activity was observed against the yeast and fungi. Correlations between chemical composition and antioxidant activities were studied and R2 values were about 0.96 for the effect of phenolics on the DPPH assay

The antiproliferative effect of mulberry (Morus alba L.) plant on hepatocarcinoma cell line HepG2

This study aimed to investigate the antiproliferative effect of aqueous and organic extracts of mulberry leaves (Morus Alba L.) on human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cell line. Mulberry leaf extracts were prepared using the solvents: water, 50% aqueous MeOH, and 100% MeOH for different time intervals, while the cells treated with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) served as control. The effects of aqueous and organic extracts of M. alba L. leaves on HepG2 cell viability, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) gene expression, alfa-fetoprotein (AFP), albumin (ALB), gammaglutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were measured. The results of the cell viability assays showed that water, 50% aqueous MeOH, and 100% MeOH extracts exhibited a highly significant inhibitory effect on HepG2 cell proliferation which was evidenced by a reduction in viable cell count. The results were confirmed by microscopical examination of cell morphology. Furthermore, the mulberry leaf extracts suppressed the activity of NF-κB gene expression of HepG2 cells compared to the control. Also a highly significant depression occurred at the levels of AFP, γ-GT and ALP in HepG2 cells compared with that of controls in a time dependent manner. By contrast, the mulberry leaf extracts increased the secretion of ALB. Therefore, the conclusion was that the organic and aqueous extracts of mulberry leaves inhibit the growth of HepG2 cells through suppressing the activity of NF-κB gene expression and modulate the biochemical markers.Keywords: HepG2 cell line; Morus alba L.; NF-κB; Antiproliferative effect; Alfa-fetoprotei

Dehydrocostus lactone from the root of Ajuga integrifolia (Buch.-Ham. Ex D. Don): Quantitative determination and in- silico study for anti-breast cancer activity

Many biological activities were reported for the Ajuga species, specifically for Ajuga integrifolia and its synonyms. These include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antibacterial, blood purifier effects, and anticancer activity. This study quantitatively determines dehydrocostus lactone (DHCL) from the root of Ajuga integrifolia and its in silico study for anti-breast cancer activity. Camag HPTLC was used for TLC – densitometric estimation of dehydrocostus lactone. Estrogen receptor alpha (ER?) protein (PDB ID: 3ERT) was selected for its involvement in cell proliferation within the breast cancer cell. Tamoxifen is a reference drug commonly used in hormonal therapy, and DHCL was used as a ligand. Molecular docking was performed using AutoDock Vina in PyRx v.0.8 to get the bestconformational pose for forming the expected receptor-ligand complex. The docking result visualization was performed using LigPlot v.1.4.5 software for 2D, and the interactive visualization in 3D was done using Biovia Discovery Studio software. The presence of DHCL in the root of A. integrifolia was not reported so far. DHCL content in the root of A. integrifolia was estimated to be 16.5 ± 0.25 mg/g of crude extract using the TLC- densitometric method. From the molecular docking study, DHCL was found to be a promising inhibitor for estrogen receptor interaction in the breast cell and can be selected for further in vivo research to develop an anti-breast cancer drug

Cytotoxic labdane diterpenes and bisflavonoid atropisomers from leaves of Araucaria bidwillii

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The antiproliferative effect of mulberry (Morus alba L.) plant on hepatocarcinoma cell line HepG2

AbstractThis study aimed to investigate the antiproliferative effect of aqueous and organic extracts of mulberry leaves (Morus Alba L.) on human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cell line. Mulberry leaf extracts were prepared using the solvents: water, 50% aqueous MeOH, and 100% MeOH for different time intervals, while the cells treated with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) served as control. The effects of aqueous and organic extracts of M. alba L. leaves on HepG2 cell viability, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) gene expression, alfa-fetoprotein (AFP), albumin (ALB), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were measured. The results of the cell viability assays showed that water, 50% aqueous MeOH, and 100% MeOH extracts exhibited a highly significant inhibitory effect on HepG2 cell proliferation which was evidenced by a reduction in viable cell count. The results were confirmed by microscopical examination of cell morphology. Furthermore, the mulberry leaf extracts suppressed the activity of NF-κB gene expression of HepG2 cells compared to the control. Also a highly significant depression occurred at the levels of AFP, γ-GT and ALP in HepG2 cells compared with that of controls in a time dependent manner. By contrast, the mulberry leaf extracts increased the secretion of ALB. Therefore, the conclusion was that the organic and aqueous extracts of mulberry leaves inhibit the growth of HepG2 cells through suppressing the activity of NF-κB gene expression and modulate the biochemical markers

Renoprotective effect of tectorigenin glycosides isolated from Iris spuria L. (Zeal) against hyperoxaluria and hyperglycemia in NRK-49Fcells

Oxidative stress has been identified as an underlying factor in the development of insulin resistance, β-cell dysfunction, impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes mellitus and it also play major role in kidney stone formation. The present study is aimed to elucidate the in vitro nephroprotective activity of two isoflavonoid glycosides, tectorigenin 7-O-β-D-glucosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucoside (1) and tectorigenin 7-O-β-D-glucosyl-4'-O-β-D-glucoside (2) isolated from the n-BuOH fraction of Iris spuria L. (Zeal) rhizome MeOH extract against oxalate and high glucose-induced oxidative stress in NRK-49F cells. The results revealed that compounds 1 and 2 significantly increased the antioxidant enzyme activities and decreased MDA levels in both oxalate and high glucose stress. Treatment with these phytochemicals effectively down-regulated expression of crystal modulator genes and pro-fibrotic genes in oxalate and high glucose-mediated stress respectively. This study indicates cytoprotective, antioxidant, anti-urolithic and anti-diabetic effects of compounds 1 and 2 against oxalate and high glucose stress

Xanthones and sesquiterpene derivatives from a marine-derived fungus Scopulariopsis sp.

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Hypolipidemic and hypoglycemic effects of Orostachys japonicus A. Berger extracts in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

The hypolipidemic and hypoglycemic effects of two dietary dosages (0.1% and 0.5%) of water and 80% ethanol extracts from hot-air dried Orostachys japonicus A. Berger were evaluated in the serum and organ tissues of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The STZ-induced diabetic groups supplemented with the O. japonicus extracts showed significantly higher body weight compared to a diabetic control group at the end of experiment. The extracts exhibited substantial hypoglycemic effects by significant reductions of fasting blood glucose levels at all time points tested compared to the initial stage before treatment of the extracts. Declines of serum and hepatic triglyceride levels were greater than declines of total cholesterol in the groups treated with the 0.5% O. japonicus extract (DBW2 and DBE2) when compared to the DBC group. Hepatic glycogen content was higher in the groups treated with O. japonicus extract, while lipid peroxide content was decreased in these treated groups compared to the DBC group. Hepatic antioxidant activity was significantly increased in the groups supplemented with the O. japonicus ethanol extract. The hypolipidemic and hypoglycemic effects of the O. japonicus ethanol extract were significantly greater than the effects of the water extract. Based on this study, it seems that O. japonicus ethanol extract, due to its higher phenolic and flavonoid components than the water extract, may control blood glucose and alleviate hyperlipidemia in diabetes