Time related inhibition by methylguanidine in LPS-stimulated J774A.1 macrophages

Methylguanidine (MG) is a nitrogen compound deriving from protein catabolism that accumulates in Chronic kidney disease (CKD). Changes in monocyte functions have been recognised as one of the most important key factor responsible for the immunological disorders associated with uremia and it has been demonstrated that high blood concentrations of nitrogen compounds, as MG, could be responsible of immunodisfunctions associated to uremic syndrome. Inducibie nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cycloxygenase-2 (COX-2) and their respective metabolites, nitric oxide and prostaglandins, are a crucial step both in the activation of immunoresponsive cells and in the mechanism of citotoxicity, NO mediated. It has been previously reported the ability of MG to inhibit iNOS activity and expression both in vitro and in vivo. The aim of this study is to evaluate if MG could interfere with macrophagic immunoresponses also modulating iNOS and COX-2 at different time of incubation in J774A.1 stimulated with Lipopolysahharide from E.coli. Our results demonstrated that MG exerted inhibitory effect on iNOS and COX-2. These effects are related to incubation time thus highliting the detrimental effect of immune system by MG in uremic conditions

Total phenols and flavonoids content, antioxidant capacity and lipase inhibition of root and leaf horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) extracts

Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana Gaertn) is a perennial crop belonging to the Brassicaceae family, widely used as spice in foods and herbal ingredient in ethno-medicine. In this study, were evaluated the phenolic compounds content, antioxidant capacity and anti-lipase activity of methanol, methanol/water (70/30, v/v) and methanol/water (50/50, v/v) extracts of horseradish roots and leaves. Among the extracts tested, both roots and leaves aqueous methanolic (70/30, v/v and 50/50, v/v) extracts showed higher total phenol and flavonoid contents and antioxidant capacity than the corresponding methanol extracts. But extraction yield was high for methanol/water (50/50, v/v) extracts, in both roots and leaves. The extracts exhibited anti-lipase activity in dose-dependent manner. The results showed that the extraction yield and the antioxidant capacity were strictly dependent on the solvent polarity. The results suggest that A. rusticana could provide opportunities for the development of functional food and further in vivo studies for obesity treatment

Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Chronic Kidney Disease: Focus on Inflammation and Oxidative Stress Regulation

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a debilitating disease associated with several secondary complications that increase comorbidity and mortality. In patients with CKD, there is a significant qualitative and quantitative alteration in the gut microbiota, which, consequently, also leads to reduced production of beneficial bacterial metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids. Evidence supports the beneficial effects of short-chain fatty acids in modulating inflammation and oxidative stress, which are implicated in CKD pathogenesis and progression. Therefore, this review will provide an overview of the current knowledge, based on pre-clinical and clinical evidence, on the effect of SCFAs on CKD-associated inflammation and oxidative stress

Bioassay-Guided Isolation of Anti-Inflammatory Constituents of the Subaerial Parts of Cyperus articulatus (Cyperaceae)

Based on data from a previous ethnobotanical study in northern Angola, phytochemical investigations into the methanolic rhizomes and roots extract of Cyperus articulatus, monitored by in vitro assays, resulted in the recovery of 12 sesquiterpenes, 3 stilbenes, 2 phenolic acids, 1 monoterpene, and 1 flavonoid. Among them, 14 compounds were isolated for the first time from this species. Their inhibitory potential against nitric oxide (NO) production, as well as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression, was evaluated in LPS-treated J774A.1 murine macrophages. Especially, both stilbene dimer trans-scirpusin B and trimer cyperusphenol B showed promising inhibitory activity against the production of the inflammatory mediator, NO, in a concentration-dependent manner (10-1 mu M). The obtained data are the first results confirming the anti-inflammatory potential of C. articulatus and support its indigenous use as a traditional remedy against inflammation-related disorders

Synthesis, structural aspects and cytotoxicity of the natural cyclopeptides yunnanins A, C and phakellistatins 1, 10

Yunnanins A and C, two cyclic heptapeptides occurring in the roots of Stellaria yunnanensis, and phakellistatins 1 and 10, a hepta- and an octacyclopeptide first isolated from marine sponges of the genus Phakellia, were efficiently synthesized using a combination of solid and solution-phase techniques. Structural analysis on the synthetic members of the yunnanin series showed that the synthetic sample of yunnanin A exhibited a configurational pattern at the Pro peptide linkages identical to the natural product (trans-Pro3, trans-Pro5), while yunnanin C was obtained as a complex mixture of geometric/conformational isomers; the major isomer (trans-Pro3) was indistinguishable from the natural cyclopeptide and co-occurred along with lower amounts of a mixture (1:1 ratio) of two different rotamers, both displaying cis geometry at the Pro3 linkage. In the phakellistatin series, the synthetic phakellistatin 1 (determined as cis-Pro1, cis-Pro3, cis-Pro5) was identical to the natural one, while two different isomeric products of phakellistatin 10 could be obtained: a major one (trans-Pro1, trans-Pro4, trans-Pro6) showing spectral properties superimposable with the natural metabolite, and a minor geometric isomer of the natural cyclopeptide. Interestingly, the synthetic cyclopeptides, although found to be chemically identical with their natural counterparts, did not display the same biological properties (in vitro cytotoxicity against a panel of cancer cell lines), leaving presently open the question whether or not the potent bioactivity reported in the literature should really be attributed to these natural cyclic peptides. q 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Cytotoxic Activity and Composition of Petroleum Ether Extract from Magydaris tomentosa (Desf.) W. D. J. Koch (Apiaceae).

The petroleum ether extract of Magydaris tomentosa flowers (Desf.) W. D. J. Koch has been analyzed by GC-MS. It is mainly constituted by furanocoumarins such as xanthotoxin, xanthotoxol, isopimpinellin, and bergaptene. Other coumarins such as 7-methoxy-8-(2-formyl-2-methylpropyl) coumarin and osthole also occurred. The antiproliferative activity of Magydaris tomentosa flower extract has been evaluated in vitro on murine monocyte/macrophages (J774A.1), human melanoma (A375) and human breast cancer (MCF-7) tumor cell lines, showing a major activity against the latter

Citrus sinensis and Vitis vinifera Protect Cardiomyocytes from Doxorubicin-Induced Oxidative Stress: Evaluation of Onconutraceutical Potential of Vegetable Smoothies

The interest towards nutraceuticals able to counteract drug side effects is continuously growing in current chemotherapeutic protocols. In the present study, we demonstrated that smoothies containing mixtures of Citrus sinensis and Vitis vinifera L. cv. Aglianico N, two typical fruits of the Mediterranean diet, possess bioactive polyphenols that protect cardiomyocytes against doxorubicin-induced oxidative stress. The polyphenolic extracts isolated from Citrus sinensis- and Vitis vinifera-based functional smoothies were deeply characterized by Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry methods. Subsequently, the functional smoothies and relative mixtures were tested to verify their ability to affect cellular viability and oxidative stress parameters in embryonic cardiomyocyte cells (H9c2), and human breast adenocarcinoma cell line (MCF-7) exposed to doxorubicin. Interestingly, we found that the mix resulting from Citrus sinensis and Vitis vinifera association in ratio 1:1 was able to reduce cardiomyocytes damage induced by anthracyclines, without significantly interfering with the pro-apoptotic activity of the drug on breast cancer cells. These results point out the potential use of vegetable smoothies as adjuvants functional foods for chemotherapeutic anticancer protocols

Potential Role of Natural Antioxidant Products in Oncological Diseases

Nutrition has a significant effect and a crucial role in disease prevention. Low consumption of fruit and vegetables and a sedentary lifestyle are closely related with the onset and development of many types of cancer. Recently, nutraceuticals have gained much attention in cancer research due to their pleiotropic effects and relatively non-toxic behavior. In fact, although in the past there have been conflicting results on the role of some antioxidant compounds as allies against cancer, numerous recent clinical studies highlight the efficacy of dietary phytochemicals in the prevention and treatment of cancer. However, further investigation is necessary to gain a deeper understanding of the potential anticancer capacities of dietary phytochemicals as well as the mechanisms of their action. Therefore, this review examined the current literature on the key properties of the bioactive components present in the diet, such as carotenoids, polyphenols, and antioxidant compounds, as well as their use in cancer therapy. The review focused on potential chemopreventive properties, evaluating their synergistic effects with anticancer drugs and, consequently, the side effects associated with current cancer treatments

. Evaluation of the antioxidant and antiproliferative potential properties of phytocomplexes extracted from Mediterranean area fruits

Breast and cervical cancer represents the first and the second cause of death for women worldwide1,2. Therefore, new advanced chemotherapies applications are very urgently needed this cancer. High attention has been paid to natural compounds in fruits and vegetables with potential nutraceutical properties. In this regard, dietary polyphenols have been widely demonstrated to be able to not only reduce oxidative and inflammatory stress, but also decrease proliferation of cancer cells. However, the biological activity of various food plants has not yet been studied. This work aims to characterize the nutraceutical potential of four fruits such as, Malpighia emarginata (MEE), Arbutus unedo (AUE), Goji berries (LBE), Annona cherimola (ACE). For this reason, our study focused on the evaluation of antioxidant potential and antiproliferative activity of polyphenol extracts on cervical cancer (HeLa) and breast cancer (MCF-7) cell line