The Alcoholic Bark Extract of Terminalia Arjuna Exhibits Cytotoxic and Cytostatic Activity on Jurkat Leukemia Cells

Abstract: Background: Natural products are characterized by complex chemical composition and are capable of concurrently modulate several signalling pathways. Considering the biological com- plexity of carcinogenesis, natural products represent key components of the therapeutic armamen- tarium for oncological diseases. The bark of Terminalia arjuna is used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine for its astringent, expectorant, cardiotonic, styptic, and antidysenteric properties. Along- side its traditional uses, Terminalia arjuna exhibits different biological activities including an- timutagenic and anticarcinogenic. Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the toxic effects of an alcoholic extract obtained from the bark of T. arjuna on a human T-lymphoblastic cell line (Jurkat). We explored the phyto- chemical composition and investigated the cytotoxic, cytostatic, genotoxic, and anti-genotoxic effects. Methods: The phytochemical composition was analyzed using spectrophotometric methods; all the biological endpoints were assessed through flow cytometry. Results: The phytochemical screening showed that polyphenols represent about 64% of the extract. Moreover, the extract was cytotoxic on Jurkat cells by inducing both apoptosis and necrosis and blocked the cell cycle in the G2/M phase. Additionally, it was found that the extract lacks any geno- toxic effect, but was not effective in protecting Jurkat cells from the DNA damage induced by H2O2 and etoposide. Conclusion: The results of our study show the toxic effects of Terminalia arjuna on Jurkat cells and confirm the pivotal role played by natural compounds in the oncological field. Further studies should be performed to better understand its clinical potential and deepen its toxicological profile

Different Strategies to Obtain Corn (Zea mays L.) Germ Extracts with Enhanced Antioxidant Properties

Maize ( Zea mays L.) germs are by-products from the milling industry. The objective of this work was to compare the phenolic and lipophilic antioxidant fractions of yellow and white corn varieties, provided by Corn Valley S.r.l. (Piumbega, Mantova, Italy) and among the raw materials most processed by the company. The phenolic fraction, extracted with ultrasound-assisted extraction, alone and in combination with chemical and enzymatic hydrolyses, was analyzed with high-performance thin-layer chromatography and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector. Among the various extraction techniques used, the combination of sonication and alkaline hydrolysis proved to be an effective method for the extraction of phenolic compounds from yellow and white germs, with the highest ferulic acid concentrations (636.54 ± 3.71 and 569.23 ± 1.69 mg FA/g dried extract, respectively), total phenolic contents (844.5 ± 64.6 and 742.8 ± 15.44 mg gallic acid equivalents/g dried extract, respectively), and the best antioxidant activity (14.33 ± 0.48 and 11.41 ± 1.1 µg/mL, respectively). The lipophilic fraction, extracted using supercritical carbon dioxide was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The unsaponifiable fractions were found to be 2.41% ± 0.24% in yellow corn and 1.85% ± 0.08% in white corn; β-sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol were identified as the main phytosterols characterizing both lipophilic extracts which showed the most effective antioxidant activity (1.29 ± 0.26 mg/mL and 1.33 ± 0.21 mg/mL, respectively) compared with the control. Finally, the phenolic and lipophilic extracts obtained from maize by-products may be reintroduced into the health-oriented market as extracts enriched of high-added value biomolecules with antioxidant activity both as active molecules and as additives of natural origin

polyphenols from vitis vinifera lambrusco by products leaves from pruning extraction parameters evaluation through design of experiment

Vitis vinifera L. leaves from pruning are by-products of the wine industry and represent an important source of secondary raw material, thanks to their polyphenols content. Optimization of the extraction processes is a key factor for their valorization, and Design of Experiment (DOE) could be a tool to obtain the most performing extract in terms of polyphenols quality/quantity and bioactivity. Vitis vinifera Lambrusco leaves were subjected to ultrasound-assisted extractions guided by a 23 factorial design. Three independent parameters (% solvent, time of extraction, and solvent:solid ratio) were considered to evaluate the extraction process by analyzing the extraction yield, the total phenolic content (Folin-Ciocalteu assay), and the antioxidant capacity (DPPH assay). Moreover, the content of the main molecules was identified and quantified by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection and mass spectrometry. The DOE highlighted the best extraction conditions that showed slight changes considering the different evaluating parameters. The highest extraction yield was obtained by extraction with 100% water, 60 minutes of extraction time, and 30:1 solvent:solid ratio, but it was neither the richest in polyphenols nor antioxidant capacity. The latter 2 characteristics were associated with the extraction performed using 50% ethanol, 35 minutes of extraction time, and a 20:1 solvent:solid ratio. That extract also exhibited the highest quantity of flavonols

Synthesis and evaluation of antioxidant and antiproliferative activity of 2-arylbenzimidazoles

Three series of arylbenzimidazole derivatives 3-40, 45 have been simply synthesized and tested for their antioxidant capacity. The 2-arylbenzimidazoles were tested against various radicals by the DPPH, FRAP and ORAC tests and showed different activity profiles. It has been observed that the number and position of the hydroxy groups on the 2-aryl portion and the presence of a diethylamino group or a 2-styryl group are related to a good antioxidant capacity. Furthermore, benzimidazoles showed satisfactory SPF values ​​in vitro compared to the commercial PBSA filter, proving to have a good photoprotective profile. In particular, 2-arylbenzimidazole-5-sulphonic acids 15 and 38, the 2-styryl-benzimidazole 45 showed broad spectrum solar protection against UVA and UVB rays. The antiproliferative effect of the benzimidazoles was tested on human skin melanoma Colo-38 cells. The styrylbenzimidazole 45 exhibited antiproliferative effect at low micromolar concentration against Colo-38 cells and very low antiproliferative activity on normal HaCat keratinocyte cells

RV longitudinal deformation correlates with myocardial fibrosis in patients with end-stage heart failure

Objectives This study was performed to determine the accuracy of right ventricular (RV) longitudinal strain (LS) in predicting myocardial fibrosis in patients with severe heart failure (HF) undergoing heart transplantation. Background RVLS plays a key role in the evaluation of its systolic performance and clinical outcome in patients with refractory HF. Methods We studied 27 patients with severe systolic HF (ejection fraction 25% and New York Heart Association functional class III to IV, despite full medical therapy and cardiac resynchronization therapy) using echocardiography before heart transplantation. RV free wall LS, right atrial LS, sphericity index (SI), and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) were all measured. Upon removal of the heart, from the myocardial histologic analysis, the ratio of the fibrotic to the total sample area determined the extent of fibrosis (%). Results RV myocardial fibrosis correlated with RV free wall LS (r = 0.80; p < 0.0001), SI (r = 0.42; p = 0.01) and VO max (r = -0.41; p = 0.03), with a poor correlation with TAPSE (r = -0.34; p = 0.05) and right atrial LS (r = -0.37; p = 0.03). Stepwise multivariate analysis showed that RV free wall LS (β = 0.701, p < 0.0001) was independently associated with RV fibrosis (overall model R= 0.64, p < 0.0001). RV free wall LS was the main determinant of myocardial fibrosis. In the subgroup of patients with severe RV fibrosis, RV free wall LS had the highest diagnostic accuracy for detecting severe myocardial fibrosis (area under the curve = 0.87; 95% confidence interval: 0.80 to 0.94). Conclusions In late-stage HF patients, the right ventricle is enlarged, with reduced systolic function due to significant myocardial fibrosis. RV free wall myocardial deformation is the most accurate functional measure that correlates with the extent of RV myocardial fibrosis and functional capacity

The ICT monitoring system of the ASTRI SST-2M prototype proposed for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

In the framework of the international Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) observatory, the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) has developed a dual mirror, small sized, telescope prototype (ASTRI SST-2M), installed in Italy at the INAF observing station located at Serra La Nave, Mt. Etna. The ASTRI SST-2M prototype is the basis of the ASTRI telescopes that will form the mini-array proposed to be installed at the CTA southern site during its preproduction phase. This contribution presents the solutions implemented to realize the monitoring system for the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure of the ASTRI SST-2M prototype. The ASTRI ICT monitoring system has been implemented by integrating traditional tools used in computer centers, with specific custom tools which interface via Open Platform Communication Unified Architecture (OPC UA) to the Alma Common Software (ACS) that is used to operate the ASTRI SST-2M prototype. The traditional monitoring tools are based on Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and commercial solutions and features embedded in the devices themselves. They generate alerts by email and SMS. The specific custom tools convert the SNMP protocol into the OPC UA protocol and implement an OPC UA server. The server interacts with an OPC UA client implemented in an ACS component that, through the ACS Notification Channel, sends monitor data and alerts to the central console of the ASTRI SST-2M prototype. The same approach has been proposed also for the monitoring of the CTA onsite ICT infrastructures. <P /

Biological and chemo-diverse characterization of Amazonian (Ecuador) Citrus petitgrains

Six Amazonian petitgrains samples from C. nobilis Lour., C. aurantium L., C. limon L. and mixture of Citrus spp.(Rutaceae), named CN, CA, CL1, CL2, C1 and C2, were chemically characterized by GC-MS and 13C NMR and evaluated for antioxidant acitivity (DPPH and b-carotene bleaching tests), for antimicrobial properties (disk diffusion method) and for antifungal capacity (agar vapour assay). CN, C1, C2 samples evidenced the most interesting results: CN (g-terpinene/linalool chemotype: 14.3%/41.6%, with a considerable amount of thymol: 9.0%), and C1 (linalool, 18.3%; sabinene, 11.6%; thymol, 5.5%), showed relevant antioxidant activity with both DPPH (IC50=3.52 and 5.48 mg/ml, respectively) and b-carotene (IC50=0.387and 0.491 mg/ml, respectively). Antibacterial properties of CN and C1 against P. mirabilis (MIC=0.61 mg/ml for both)and B. subtilis (MIC=0.61 and 0.44 mg/ml, respectively) were most probably due to thymol.C2 (geranial: 34.7%, neral: 33.1%) evidenced a valuable bioactivity against Candida albicans (MIC=0.44 mg/ml).The 50% growth inhibition (IC50) of the dermatophytes T. mentagrophytes and N. cajetani was reached with amounts ofC1, C2 and CN less than 4 ml/plate. Bioactivity of Amazonian Citrus spp. CN, C1 and C2 essential oils suggests their potential use as food preservatives or additives in cosmeceuticals as preventive against dermatophytic fungal infections