Antitumor activity of Bulgarian herb Tribulus terrestris L. on human breast cancer cells

Medicinal plants have been intensively studied as a source of antitumor compounds. Due to the beneficial climate conditions Bulgarian herbs have high pharmacological potential. Currently, the antitumor effect of the Bulgarian medicinal plant Tribulus terrestris L. on human cancer cell lines is not studied. The main active compounds of the plant are the steroid saponins.The present study aims to analyze the effect on cell viability and apoptotic activity of total extract and saponin fraction of Bulgarian Tribulus terrestris L. on human breast cancer (MCF7) and normal (MCF10A) cell lines. Antitumor effect was established by МТТ cell viability assay and assessment of apoptotic potential was done through analysis of genomic integrity (DNA fragmentation assay) and analysis of morphological cell changes (Fluorescence microscopy). The results showed that total extract of the herb has a marked dose-dependent inhibitory effect on viability of MCF7 cells (half maximal inhibitory concentration is 15 μg/ml). Cell viability of MCF10A was moderately decreased without visible dose-dependent effect. The saponin fraction has increased inhibitory effect on breast cancer cells compared to total extract. Morphological changes and DNA fragmentation were observed as markers for early and late apoptosis predominantly in tumor cells after treatment. Apoptotic processes were intensified with the increase of treatment duration.The obtained results are the first showing selective antitumor activity of Bulgarian Tribulus terrestris L. on human cancer cells in vitro. Apoptotic processes are involved in the antitumor mechanisms induced by the herb. This results give directions for future investigations concerning detailed assessment of its pharmacological potential

Amino Acid Functionalization of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Enhanced Apatite Formation and Biocompatibility

The limitation in bone tissue engineering is the lack of available natural or synthetic biomaterials to replace bone tissue under need. Carbon nanotubes have great potential as bone tissue scaffolds because of their remarkable mechanical and electrical properties combined with high aspect ratio. In this work, we demonstrated for the first time a novel approach based on the sol-gel technique for functionalization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with two amino acids: L-arginine, L(+) Arg and L-aspargine, L(+) Asp. We have examined the effect of both functionalities on physico-chemical properties of MWCNTs, cytotoxicity in osteosarcoma MG63 and normal fibroblastic BJ cells and the ability to induce nucleation and growth of hydroxyapatite (HA) crystals in vitro under physiological concentrations of Ca2+ and PO4+ (SBF). The scaffolds were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), dynamic light scattering technique (DLS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that both functionalized MWCNTs have a particle size of 269 and 411 nm, a zeta potential of –12.8 and –8.8 mV, respectively, high colloidal stability, enhanced biocompatibility, and enhanced formation of an apatite layer on the scaffolds surface in comparison to ox-MWCNTs. Altogether, the results confirmed the important role of the amino acids L(+) Arg and L(+) Asp in ox-MWCNTs-based composites for bone tissue engineering applications

Antiviral, Cytotoxic and Antioxidant Effects of Tanacetum Vulgare L. Crude Extract In Vitro

Introduction: Due to the high prevalence of viral infections having no specific treatment and the constant emergence of resistant viral strains, searching for effective antiviral compounds is crucial. The present study explores in vitro the antiviral activity of ethanolic extract from aerial parts of Tanacetum vulgare L. against viral strains of three taxonomic groups, including agents that cause socially significant diseases in humans for which antiviral chemotherapy is indicated, namely coxsackievirus B1 (family Picornaviridae), herpes simplex virus type 1 (family Herpesviridae) and influenza A virus (family Orthomyxoviridae). Aim: The aim of the current study was to evaluate antiviral activity of ethanolic extract from herbaceous plant Tanacetum vulgare L. against some important human viruses for which antiviral chemotherapy is needed and to characterize extract for its antioxidant activity in vitro. Materials and methods: The crude aqueous ethanolic extract from aerial parts of Tanacetum vulgare L. contained flavonoids determined as apigenin, coumarins determined as aesculin, tannic compounds determined as tannin, and others. Antiviral activity of ethanolic extract from herbaceous plant Tanacetum vulgare L. against coxsackievirus B1, influenza A and herpes simplex virus type 1 was evaluated by viral yield reduction technique. The total antioxidant activity was determined by measuring the capacity of the sample to inhibit the generation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). Results: The results show that the extract has the lowest toxicity on the MDBK cell line and similar cytotoxicity in Hep-2, whereas in the MDCK cells it has more than twice the highest toxicity. Testing the antiviral activity of Tanacetum vulgare L. extract revealed a slight inhibition of replication of HSV-1 with a selective index of 7.07 and IAV/H3N2 (SI = 3.69) but no specific antiviral effect against CVB1 replication was found. The evaluation of the antioxidant activity showed great antioxidant activity of the ethanolic extract from T. vulgare – 26 mmol/l for the applied 20 mg/ml extract. Conclusion: The crude extract from aerial parts of the medicinal plant Tanacetum vulgare L. demonstrated low cytotoxicity in Hep-2, MDBK and moderate cytotoxic effects in MDCK cells. It exerted significant antiviral activity against HSV-1 as determined by the recorded inhibition of viral replication, the blockage of virus entry - absorption stage and direct virucidal effects on extracellular virions. The observed effect when testing Tanacetum’s extract on influenza A H3N2 virus infection in vitro was milder, which probably resulted from the interference with the cellular pathways involved in the replication cycle. The presence of virucidal and adsorption-suppressing activity but the absence of viral replication inhibitory effects against CBV-1 suggests a possible interaction of the extract’s components with viral capsid proteins or related cell receptors

Cotinus coggygria Scop. induces cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, genotoxic effects, thermodynamic and epigenetic events in MCF7 breast cancer cells.

Current plant-derived anticancer therapeutics aim to reach higher effectiveness, to potentiate chemosensitivity and minimize the toxic side effects compared to conventional chemotherapy. Cotinus coggygria Scop. is a herb with high pharmacological potential, widely applied in traditional phytotherapy. Our previous study revealed that leaf aqueous ethanolic extract from C. coggygria exerts in vitro anticancer activity on human breast, ovarian and cervical cancer cell lines. The objective of the present research was to investigate possible molecular mechanisms and targets of the antitumor activity of the extract in breast cancer MCF7 cells through analysis of cell cycle and apoptosis, clonogenic ability assessment, evaluation of the extract genotoxic capacity, characterization of cells thermodynamic properties, and analysis on the expression of genes involved in cellular epigenetic processes. The obtained results indicated that in MCF7 cells C. coggygria extract causes S phase cell cycle arrest and triggers apoptosis, reduces colony formation, induces DNA damage, affects cellular thermodynamic parameters, and tends to inhibit the relative expression of DNMT1, DNMT3a, MBD3, and p300. Further studies on the targeted molecules and the extract anti-breast cancer potential on animal experimental model system, need to be performed in the future