In vitro mass propagation of Typhonium flagelliforme as affected by plant growth regulators

Tubers were used as explants in in vitro mass propagation of Rodent Tuber (Typhonium flagelliforme). The explants were obtained from sterile plantlets and placed in shoot induction medium containing basal salts of Murashige and Skoog (MS) and various concentrations of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and -naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). Treatment containing 5 mg/l (w/v) of BAP with 1 mg/l (w/v) of NAA produced the highest number of shoots per explant (29.17) after 12 weeks of culture and also the highest mean fresh weight of shoots formed in treatment containing 5 mg/l (w/v) of BAP with 1 mg/l (w/v) of NAA. For ex vitro establishment, well- rooted plantlets were transferred in potting medium containing peatmoss, perlite and vermiculite (3:1:1)

Analysis of preliminary phytochemical screening of Typhonium flagelliforme

Typhonium flagelliforme (Araceae) is a medicinal herb which is endowed with curative properties against a variety of illness including injuries, oedema, coughs, pulmonary ailments, bleeding and cancer. In order to assess its phytochemical components, an experiment was conducted on one to six month old ex vitro and in vitro extracts of T. flagelliforme. The active (ex vitro and in vitro) extracts of T. flagelliforme were screened for phytochemicals components such as alkaloids, flavonlids, terpenoids and steroids. Alkaloids and flavonoids are the main phytochemical constituents of T. flagelliformewhich are found to be in the highest amount in two and four month old of ex vitro plants. High amounts of main phytochemical constituents were observed during the flowering process which started in two month old plant and finished at the end of the three month old plant

Bioactivity-Guided Isolation of Anticancer Agents from Bauhinia Kockiana Korth.

Background: Flowers of Bauhinia kockiana were investigated for their anticancer properties.Methods: Gallic acid (1), and methyl gallate (2), were isolated via bioassay-directed isolation, and they exhibited anticancer properties towards several cancer cell lines, examined using MTT cell viability assay. Pyrogallol (3) was examined against the same cancer cell lines to deduce the bioactive functional group of the phenolic compounds.Results: The results showed that the phenolic compounds could exhibit moderate to weak cytotoxicity towards certain cell lines (GI50 30 - 86 μM), but were inactive towards DU145 prostate cancer cell (GI50 > 100 μM).Conclusion: It was observed that pyrogallol moiety was one of the essential functional structures of the phenolic compounds in exhibiting anticancer activity. Also, the carboxyl group of compound 1 was also important in anticancer activity. Examination of the PC-3 cells treated with compound 1 using fluorescence microscopy showed that PC-3 cells were killed by apoptosis.Key words: Gallic acid; Bauhinia kockiana; pyrogallol; anticancer; apoptosis

A semisynthetic diterpenoid lactone inhibits NF-kB signalling to ameliorate inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness in a mouse asthma model

Andrographolide (AGP) and 14-deoxy-11,12-didehydroandrographolide (DDAG), two main diterpenoid constituents of Andrographis paniculata were previously shown to ameliorate asthmatic symptoms in a mouse model. However, due to inadequacies of both compounds in terms of drug-likeness, DDAG analogues were semisynthesised for assessment of their anti-asthma activity. A selected analogue, 3,19-diacetyl-14-deoxy-11,12-didehydroandrographolide (SRS27), was tested for inhibitory activity of NF-κB activation in TNF-α-induced A549 cells and was subsequently evaluated in a mouse model of ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma. Female BALB/c mice, 6–8 weeks old were sensitized on days 0 and 14, and challenged on days 22, 23 and 24 with OVA. Compound or vehicle (3% dimethyl sulfoxide) was administered intraperitoneally 1 h before and 11 h after each OVA aerosol challenge. On day 25, pulmonary eosinophilia, airway hyperresponsiveness, mucus hypersecretion, inflammatory cytokines such as IL-4, -5 and -13 in BAL fluid, gene expression of inflammatory mediators such as 5-LOX, E-selectin, VCAM-1, CCL5, TNF-α, AMCase, Ym2, YKL-40, Muc5ac, CCL2 and iNOS in animal lung tissues, and serum IgE were determined. SRS27 at 30 μM was found to suppress NF-κB nuclear translocation in A549 cells. In the ovalbumin-induced mouse asthma model, SRS27 at 3 mg/kg displayed a substantial decrease in pulmonary eosinophilia, BAL fluid inflammatory cytokines level, serum IgE production, mucus hypersecretion and gene expression of inflammatory mediators in lung tissues. SRS27 is the first known DDAG analogue effective in ameliorating inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness in the ovalbumin-induced mouse asthma model

Possible epigenetic role of vitexin in regulating neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been clinically characterized by a progressive degeneration of neurons which resulted in a gradual and irreversible cognitive impairment. The accumulation of Aβ and τ proteins in the brain contribute to the severity of the disease. Recently, vitexin compound has been the talk amongst researchers due to its pharmacological properties as anti-inflammation and anti-AD. However, the epigenetic mechanism of the compound in regulating the neuroinflammation activity is yet to be fully elucidated. Hence, this review discusses the potential of vitexin compound to have the pharmacoepigenetic property in regulating the neuroinflammation activity in relation to AD. It is with hope that the review would unveil the potential of vitexin as the candidate in treating AD

Analysis of three genetic polymorphisms in Malaysian essential hypertensive and type 2 diabetic subjects

Genetic polymorphisms were associated with an increase in the risk of developing disease and they are integral to the development of genetic marker to identify the individuals at risk. The genotypic distribution of various genetic polymorphisms involved in essential hypertension (EHT) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Malaysian subjects has not been well characterized. The main objective of this study was to determine the association of S477X polymorphism of LPL gene, A6244G polymorphism of IRS-1 gene and C825T polymorphism of GN3 gene with EHT and T2DM in Malaysian subjects. This study includes 70 EHT, 60 T2DM, 65 EHT with T2DM and 75 control subjects. Genotyping of all the three polymorphisms was performed by PCR-RFLP method with the respective primers and restriction enzymes. The genotypic and allelic frequencies of the respective polymorphisms of the genes did not differ significantly (p>0.05) with EHT and T2DM in Malaysian subjects. The results of this study suggested that, S477X genotypes of LPL gene, A6244G genotypes of IRS-1 gene and C825Tgenotypes of GN3 gene was not associated with EHT and T2DM in Malaysian subjects

Pancreatic cancer treatment with targeted therapies: are we there yet

Objective: Pancreatic cancer (PaCa) is a disease that is extremely difficult to treat and is associated with a high fatality rate. The majority of patients present to hospitals with metastatic or end-stage cancer, making the ultimate cure impossible. End-stage PaCa has no specific treatment, though surgery, irradiation, and chemotherapy can help patients live longer. Consequently, it is vital to accumulate all information on potential targeted therapies for this cancer into a single report. Materials and methods: This review has been compiled using relevant keywords and a thorough web search utilising PubMed, ScienceDirect, GoogleScholar, Scopus, MEDLINE, and SpringerLink. Results: Conventional medicines that target various biological processes have a significant negative impact on normal cells. As a result, targeted therapies are required, which include the use of small-molecule inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies to target cancer cell surface receptors, growth factors, and other proteins involved in disease progression. In this review, we summarize the known targeted PaCa therapies, which include inhibitors of the KRAS, mTOR, and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways, as well as PARP, hedgehog, EGFR/ErbB, and TGF-β signaling pathways, along with inhibitors of the neurotrophic tropomyosin receptor kinase (NTRK). Conclusions: An adequate understanding of PaCa pathogenesis and the adoption of tailored medicines can increase patients’ overall survival. We believe targeted therapy can help patients with PaCa to have a better prognosis. As such, more research is needed to find appropriate biomarkers to aid in early tumor diagnosis and to discover novel prospective therapeutics based on the drugs listed in this article

Phytochemicals from Phyllanthus niruri Linn. and their pharmacological properties: a review

This review discusses the medicinal plant Phyllanthus niruri Linn. (Euphorbiaceae), its wide variety of phytochemicals and their pharmacological properties. The active phytochemicals, flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, lignans, polyphenols, tannins, coumarins and saponins, have been identified from various parts of P. niruri. Extracts of this herb have been proven to have therapeutic effects in many clinical studies. Some of the most intriguing therapeutic properties include anti-hepatotoxic, anti-lithic, anti-hypertensive, anti-HIV and anti-hepatitis B. Therefore, studies relating to chemical characteristics and structural properties of the bioactive phytochemicals found in P. niruri are very useful for further research on this plant as many of the phytochemicals have shown preclinical therapeutic efficacies for a wide range of human diseases, including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B

Antitumor polycyclic acridines. Part 12. Physical and biological properties of 8,13-diethyl-6-methylquino[4,3,2-kl]acridinium iodide: a lead compound in anti-cancer drug design

The biophysical and biological characterization of 8,13-diethyl-6-methylquino[4,3,2-kl]acridinium iodide (6) is reported. The compound binds to DNA, as measured by UV, fluorescence, and circular dichroism studies, and stabilizes the double helix and higher order DNA structures (DNA triplexes and quadruplexes) against thermal denaturation. Unlike many DNA ligands, (6) shows no specificity for binding to specific base pair combinations and does not inhibit topoisomerase I (topo 1) or topo II activity. Furthermore, the biological fingerprint elicited by (6) in in vitro evaluations does not compare with clinical agents of the topo H inhibition class. The compound provokes cell cycle arrest in response to DNA damage and the biological sequelae are dependent on the p53 status of the cell line. DNA damage by (6) upregulates p53 and p2l(CIP/) WAR proteins. The unusual structure of (6) and its ease of synthesis in a "one-pot" reaction are features that are being exploited in the design and development of a new series of G-quadruplex stabilizing telomerase inhibitors. However, although the second-generation compounds that resulted from (6) present strong telomerase inhibition, (6) in itself presents yet a different mode of action, with a strong preference for triplex DNA, sequences often found in a number of genes

Toxicological and pharmacokinetic analysis at therapeutic dose of SRS27, an investigational anti-asthma agent

10.1007/s00210-020-01966-3Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology394195-10