Essential oil and leaves from Lantana camara significantly ameliorate different cancer cell lines by suppressing the NF-κB pathway

The anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities of wild-sage (Lantana camara) leaves essential oil were evaluated against various human cell lines. In this regard, steam hydro-distillation technique was used for oil extraction. Chemical characterization of L. camara essential oil (LCEO) was done by GC-MS, and forty one chemical components (98.69%) were detected in leaves of LCEO. The major constituents were caryophyllene oxide (19.63%), caryophyllene (6.68%), β-phellandrene (6.48%), humulene epoxide II (5.68%), spathulenol (4.17%), α-pinene (3.27%), eucalyptol (3.09%), α-cyclocitral (2.89%), β-pinene (2.38%), and nerolidol II (2.33%). Moreover, the antioxidant and antimicrobial potential of LCEO were also examined. LCEO also showed good anti-inflammatory activity. Interestingly, it was found that the L. camara essential oil was active against a set of microbial strains along with promising antioxidant activity. The MTT assay showed that LCEO possessed good anticancer potential against U-266, A-549, HCT-116, SCC-4, MiaPaCa 2, and KBM-5 cancer cell lines. In these cell lines, it was depicted that the LCEO blocked the tumor cell proliferation via NF-κB pathway suppression. The promising and potent bioactivities of LCEO support the candidature of these essential oils as an anticancer agent

Kaempferol: a key emphasis to its anticancer potential

A marked decrease in human cancers, including breast cancer, bone cancer, and cervical cancer, has been linked to the consumption of vegetable and fruit, and the corresponding chemoprotective e ect has been associated with the presence of several active molecules, such as kaempferol. Kaempferol is a major flavonoid aglycone found in many natural products, such as beans, bee pollen, broccoli, cabbage, capers, cauliflower, chia seeds, chives, cumin, moringa leaves, endive, fennel, and garlic. Kaempferol displays several pharmacological properties, among them antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitumor, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, and antidiabetic activities, and is being applied in cancer chemotherapy. Specifically, kaempferol-rich food has been linked to a decrease in the risk of developing some types of cancers, including skin, liver, and colon. The mechanisms of action include apoptosis, cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase, downregulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related markers, and phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathways. In this sense, this article reviews data from experimental studies that investigated the links between kaempferol and kaempferol-rich food intake and cancer prevention. Even though growing evidence supports the use of kaempferol for cancer prevention, further preclinical and clinical investigations using kaempferol or kaempferol-rich foods are of pivotal importance before any public health recommendation or formulation using kaempferol.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Biochemical characterization of wheat straw cell wall with special reference to bioactive profile

The core objective of the current study was to extract and characterize the wheat straw cell wall for its nutritional and bioactive profile. For the purpose, four different wheat straw varieties namely Ujala-16, Johar-16, Gold-16, and Galaxy-13 were procured from Ayub Agriculture Research Institute, Faisalabad, Pakistan. The whole research was conducted in three different phases. In first phase, nutritional composition and mineral profile of straw of different wheat varieties were determined. In second phase, wheat straw cell wall of different varieties was isolated and characterized for its important bioactive constituents, such as lignin, cellulose, hemicelluloses, phytosterol, and policosanol (PC) content. Results showed that straw of different wheat varieties contained 7.75–9.24, 3.98–5.06, 3.43–3.98, and 1.60–2.24 g/100 g moisture, ash, protein, and fat contents, respectively, whereas potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium were 1.19–2.03, 0.10–0.79, 0.10–0.98, 0.03–0.98 ppm, respectively. Moreover, lignocellulosic mass: cellulose 37.75–38.18 g/100 g raw material, lignin 15.67–16.07 g/100 g raw material, hemicelluloses 28.25–28.98 g/100 g raw material, was present in wheat straw and varied significantly among different varieties. In addition, phytosterol ranged from 854 to 1176 mg/kg in straw of different wheat cultivars, whilst PC from 196.09 to 236.48 mg/kg. Conclusively, wheat straw was an excellent source of many important bioactive moieties especially lignocelluloses and could have functional use

The wonderful activities of the genus Mentha: not only antioxidant properties

Medicinal plants and their derived compounds have drawn the attention of researchers due to their considerable impact on human health. Among medicinal plants, mint (Mentha species) exhibits multiple health beneficial properties, such as prevention from cancer development and anti-obesity, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and cardioprotective effects, as a result of its antioxidant potential, combined with low toxicity and high efficacy. Mentha species are widely used in savory dishes, food, beverages, and confectionary products. Phytochemicals derived from mint also showed anticancer activity against different types of human cancers such as cervix, lung, breast and many others. Mint essential oils show a great cytotoxicity potential, by modulating MAPK and PI3k/Akt pathways; they also induce apoptosis, suppress invasion and migration potential of cancer cells lines along with cell cycle arrest, upregulation of Bax and p53 genes, modulation of TNF, IL-6, IFN-γ, IL-8, and induction of senescence phenotype. Essential oils from mint have also been found to exert antibacterial activities against Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and many others. The current review highlights the antimicrobial role of mint-derived compounds and essential oils with a special emphasis on anticancer activities, clinical data and adverse effects displayed by such versatile plants

Luteolin, a flavonoid, as an anticancer agent: A review.

Many food-derived phytochemicals and their derivatives represent a cornucopia of new anti-cancer compounds. Luteolin (3,4,5,7-tetrahydroxy flavone) is a flavonoid found in different plants such as vegetables, medicinal herbs, and fruits. It acts as an anticancer agent against various types of human malignancies such as lung, breast, glioblastoma, prostate, colon, and pancreatic cancers. It also blocks cancer development in vitro and in vivo by inhibition of proliferation of tumor cells, protection from carcinogenic stimuli, and activation of cell cycle arrest, and by inducing apoptosis through different signaling pathways. Luteolin can additionally reverse epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) through a mechanism that involves cytoskeleton shrinkage, induction of the epithelial biomarker E-cadherin expression, and by down-regulation of the mesenchymal biomarkers N-cadherin, snail, and vimentin. Furthermore, luteolin increases levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) by activation of lethal endoplasmic reticulum stress response and mitochondrial dysfunction in glioblastoma cells, and by activation of ER stress-associated proteins expressions, including phosphorylation of eIF2α, PERK, CHOP, ATF4, and cleaved-caspase 12. Accordingly, the present review article summarizes the progress of recent research on luteolin against several human cancers

Measurement of Off-Flavoring Volatile Compounds and Microbial Load as a Probable Marker for Keeping Quality of Pasteurized Milk

(1) Background: Multiple attempts have been conducted to correlate milk keeping quality with chemical, physical or bacteriological parameters. These methods only measure the chemical changes in milk produced by bacteria. Headspace solid-phase micro-extraction (HS-SPME) is an economic and recent method used to measure both volatile compounds and microbial load in milk, also allowing to keep the quality of the milk product. (2) Methods: The present study was conducted to identify and measure the off-flavoring volatile compounds through gas chromatography coupled with flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and the microbial load of pasteurized fluid milk stored at different temperatures, as a possible indicator of its keeping quality. (3) Results: The highest results were obtained to acetone, followed by butanone, pentanal and ethanol. These mean values were significantly enhanced from the 0 to 19th day of storage, at 10 °C. At day 19th, the minimum score for aroma, flavor and overall acceptability were also recorded as 4.33 ± 0.17, 4.02 ± 0.06, 4.00 ± 0.04, respectively. Likewise, maximum values for standard plate count (Log10 CFU 15.54 ± 0.40 mL−1) and total psychotroph count (Log10 CFU 11.67 ± 0.30mL−1) were reported at 10 °C and 4 °C. (4) Conclusion: HS-SPME/GC-FID methodology revealed to be very sensitive and capable to be applied in volatile compounds quantification in pasteurized milk produced during the storage period at different temperatures