Anticancer activity and phytochemical composition of wild Gundelia tournefortii

Artichoke‑like wild thistles are often used in Palestinian cuisine. One of the most commercially recognized species of these wild edible thistles is Gundelia tournefortii, a common plant in the Mediterranean region. G. tournefortii, or ‘Akoob’ in Arabic, remains uncultivated, harvested wild by local populations and considered highly valuable due to its reputed health benefits. The present study aimed to investigate the anticancer effects of G. tournefortii on the human colon carcinoma HCT‑116 cell line. Methanol and hexane extracts were identified to exert considerable antitumor activity against the HCT‑116 cancer cell line, while the aqueous extract was inactive. The phytochemical profiles of the methanol and hexane extracts were investigated using gas chromatography‑mass spectrometry. A total of 6 of the 27 natural compounds identified, including sitosterol, stigmasterol, lupeol, gitoxigenin, α‑amyrin and artemisinin, have been previously validated as being active against cancerous cells. Therefore, the presence of these phytochemicals in G. tournefortii is of importance in its role in preventing and treating cancer. according to different localities. In Palestinian traditional medicine and ethno‑botany, this plant is believed to possess nutritive and curing benefits for diabetes, epilepsy, stomach and intestinal diseases (3,4). According to the literature, it has been validated to exert antioxidant, hepatoprotective and antibacterial effects (1,5). A previous study (2) conducted among Palestinians eating Akoob on a regular basis revealed a consensus belief of its capability to prevent and cure cancer. However, an intensive search of PubMed (using the terms gundelia tournefortii and cancer; on 12th September 2016) indicates that there is no single study on the effects of G. tournefortii extracts against cancer. The present study aimed to investigate the anticancer effects of G. tournefortii on the human colon cancer HCT‑116 cell line. Gas chromatography‑mass spectrometry (GC‑MS) was utilized to explore the potential phytochemicals responsible for the anticancer activity. A total of 27 constituents were identified in G. tournefortii, of which 6 phytochemicals, including sitosterol, stigmasterol, lupeol, gitoxigenin, α‑amyrin and artemisinin have been demonstrated to exhibit anticancer activities. To the best of our knowledge, the present study was the first to investigate the potential benefits of consuming wild edible G. tournefortii for cancer, and to analyze the phytochemical contents known for their anticancer effects.The present study was supported by unrestricted grants from Al‑Qasemi Research Foundation (Baqa‑El‑Gharbia, Israel; grant no. 898002) and Ministry of Science, Technology and Space, Israel

Correlation between Antibacterial Activity and Free-Radical Scavenging: In-Vitro Evaluation of Polar/Non-Polar Extracts from 25 Plants

Objectives: The current study aimed to measure the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of 25 wild Palestinian edible plants, which were subjected to extraction by polar and non-polar solvents. Correlations between free radical scavenging activity and antibacterial activity of the extracts were assessed for both polar and non-polar fractions. Materials: Twenty-five wild edible plant species that are frequently consumed by people in Palestine (mainly in a rural area) were examined. Among them, 10 plant species were among those with the highest mean cultural importance values, according to an ethnobotanical survey that was conducted in the West Bank, Palestine, a few years ago. Method: The protocol of the DPPH assay for testing free-radical scavenging was utilized for determining EC50 values, while microdilution tests were conducted to determine the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of the extracts for the microorganism Staphylococcus mutans. Results and Discussion: Eight extracts (non-polar fractions) were found to possess an antibacterial IC50 of less than 20 ppm, such as Foeniculum vulgare, Salvia palaestinafruticose, Micromeria fruticose, Trigonella foenum-graecum, Cichorium pumilum jacq, Salvia hierosolymitana boiss, Ruta chalepensis, and Chrysanthemum coronarium. The polar fractions possess higher antioxidant activity, while non-polar fraction possess higher antibacterial activity. Looking at all the results together can deceive and lead to the conclusion that there is no correlation between antibacterial activity against S. mutans and free radical scavenging (R2 equals 0.0538). However, in-depth analysis revealed that non-polar plant extracts with an EC50 of free radical scavenging 100 ppm have a four-fold order of enrichment toward more activity against S. mutans. These findings are of high importance for screening projects. A four-fold order of enrichment could save plenty of time and many in screening projects. The antibacterial active extracts marked by low-medium free radical scavenging might act through a mechanism of action other than that of highly active, free radical scavenging extracts. Conclusion: The screening of antioxidant and antimicrobial activity performed on 25 selected wild plant extracts revealed a satisfactory free radical scavenging and antimicrobial potential that could be of value in the management of oxidative stress. Further studies are recommended to explore novel and highly active natural antibacterial products.The Al-Qasemi Research Authority, and the Faculty of Medicine of Al Najah University, supported this work. We declare that the funders had no role in the study design, data collection, analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Nature is the best source of anti-inflammatory drugs: indexing natural products for their anti-inflammatory bioactivity

Objectives The aim was to index natural products for less expensive preventive or curative anti-inflammatory therapeutic drugs. Materials A set of 441 anti-inflammatory drugs representing the active domain and 2892 natural products representing the inactive domain was used to construct a predictive model for bioactivity-indexing purposes. Method The model for indexing the natural products for potential anti-inflammatory activity was constructed using the iterative stochastic elimination algorithm (ISE). ISE is capable of differentiating between active and inactive antiinflammatory molecules. Results By applying the prediction model to a mix set of (active/inactive) substances, we managed to capture 38% of the anti-inflammatory drugs in the top 1% of the screened set of chemicals, yielding enrichment factor of 38. Ten natural products that scored highly as potential antiinflammatory drug candidates are disclosed. Searching the PubMed revealed that only three molecules (Moupinamide, Capsaicin, and Hypaphorine) out of the ten were tested and reported as anti-inflammatory. The other seven phytochemicals await evaluation for their anti-inflammatory activity in wet lab. Conclusion The proposed anti-inflammatory model can be utilized for the virtual screening of large chemical databases and for indexing natural products for potential antiinflammatory activity.This work was partially supported by the Al- Qasemi Research Foundation (Grant no. 954000) and the Ministry of Science, Space and Technology, Israel. We declare that the funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Sesamin from Cuscuta palaestina natural plant extracts: Directions for new prospective applications

The aim of this study is to disclose the potential bioactive components of Cuscuta palaestina, a native parasitic natural plant of flora palaestina and to open direction towards new prospective application. GC-MS analysis identified 18 components in the methanolic extract of C. palaestina for the first time. The most appealing among them are Sesamin and two other phytosterols (Campesterol and Stigmasterol), all of which are documented in the scientific literature for their anticancer activity. Quantitation of Sesamin extracted from C. palaestina by HPLC-PDA with the use of three organic solvents showed that the Sesamin content in the methanolic extract was the highest. Following the disclosure of Sesamin presence in C. palaestina, we raised the question of whether it is produced naturally in C. palaestina or acquired from the host plant. The quantitation of Sesamin in C. palaestina was performed while being with five different host plants, and was compared with the amount of Sesamin in C. palaestina grown alone. The findings reveal that Sesamin is an endogenous secondary metabolite in C. palaestina. Thus, further studies are required to prove if C. palaestina can be used as an alternative source of anticancer phytochemicals, mainly Sesamin, and if proteins in the Sesamin production pathway could be valid biological targets for the development of novel and selective pesticides for control/ eradication of C. palaestina and maybe some other Cuscuta species. As well, the findings from this study raise a big question of whether inferring Sesamin production in C. palaestina could reduce its attack ability to host plants.This study was supported by unrestricted grants from Al-Qasemi Academic College and the Institute of Applied Research±Galilee Society. We acknowledge the Ministry of Science, Space and Technology. We declare that the funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Phytochemical Composition and Biological Activities of Wild Scolymus maculatus L.

The wild population of spotted golden thistle, Scolymus maculatus, which belongs to the Compositae family, is believed to be one of the multi-curative wild plants mentioned in Flora Palaestina. This study aims to disclose the phytochemical composition, antioxidant potential, and antimicrobial activity of wild S. maculatus collected from the farms of Kabul, a village in northwest Galilee, for the first time. Methods: The phytochemical components of crude S. maculatus extracts from methanol, ethyl acetate, and n-hexane solvents were separated and identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in the electron impact (EI) mode. The free radical scavenging of the plant extracts was measured by DPPH assay. The microdilution test was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of di erent S. maculatus extracts and to evaluate their antimicrobial activities. Results: Thirty-two phytochemicals were found in S. maculatus extracts including stigmasterol, -sitosterol, lupeol, lupeol acetate, and -amyrin. Phytochemicals, such as 2-linoleoylglycerol, -sitosterol, -amyrin, lupeol, (3 )-12-oleanen-3-yl acetate, and lupenyl acetate, were found to dominate the methanol extract. Most of these compounds were also observed in ethyl acetate and n-hexane extracts, but at di erent levels, in addition to some other minor compounds. The various extracts were investigated for their antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. The ethanolic and the methanolic extracts were shown to exhibit the highest free radical scavenging by DPPH assay with a half-maximally e ective concentration (EC50) of 0.37 and 0.65 mg/mL respectively, while the other three extracts (aqueous, ethyl acetate and n-hexane) were less active and their EC50 (e ective concentration at which DPPH radical was scavenged by 50%) were above 1.0 mg/mL. Moreover, MICs were determined to be e ective against Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium, and Candida albicans microorganisms. Ethyl acetate and the ethanolic extracts are active against the three types of microorganisms at a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.5 mg/mL, while aqueous and the n-hexane extracts are inactive against Salmonella typhimurium. Conclusions: The results show that S. maculatus extracts are a rich source of compounds that can play an important role in human health, and in a broader context, in the treatment of various diseases, such antimicrobial and antioxidant-related ailments.Funding: Al-Qasemi Research and Development Authority as well as the Ministry of Science, Technology and Space. Acknowledgments: We would like to thank the Central Public Health Laboratory in Ramallah for facilitating the use of the GC-MS instrument

Inhibitory capacity of Rhus coriaria L. extract and its major component methyl gallate on Streptococcus mutans biofilm formation by optical profilometry: Potential applications for oral health

Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) bacterium is the most well recognized pathogen involved in pathogenesis of dental caries. Its virulence arises from its ability to produce a biofilm and acidogenicity, causing tooth decay. Discovery of natural products capable to inhibit biofilm formation is of high importance for developing health care products. To the best of our knowledge, in all previous scientific reports, a colorimetric assay was applied to test the effect of sumac and methyl gallate (MG) on S. mutans adherence. Quantitative assessment of the developed biofilm should be further performed by applying an optical profilometry assay, and by testing the effect on both surface roughness and thickness parameters of the biofilm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report the effect of sumac extract and its constituent MG on biofilm formation using an optical profilometry assay. Testing antibacterial activity of the sumac extract and its fractions revealed that MG is the most bioactive component against S. mutans bacteria. It reduced S. mutans biofilm biomass on the polystyrene surface by 68‑93%, whereas 1 mg/ml MG was able to decrease the biofilm roughness and thickness on the glass surface by 99%. MG also prevented a decrease in pH level by 97%. These bioactivities of MG occurred in a dose‑dependent manner and were significant vs. untreated bacteria. The findings are important for the development of novel pharmaceuticals and formulations of natural products and extracts that possess anti‑biofilm activities with primary applications for oral health, and in a broader context, for the treatment of various bacterial infections.The present study was supported by the Al‑Qasemi Research Foundation, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Space (Israel) and the Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University (Lithuania)

From medicinal plant extracts to defined chemical compounds targeting the histamine H4 receptor: Curcuma longa in the treatment of inflammation

Objectives The aim was to evaluate the activity of seven medicinal, anti-inflammatory plants at the hH4R with focus on defined chemical compounds from Curcuma longa. Materials Activities were analyzed with membrane preparations from Sf9 cells, transiently expressing the hH4R, Gai2 and Gb1c2 subunits. Methods From the methanolic extract of C. longa curcumin (1), demethoxycurcumin (2) and bis(4-hydroxycinnamoyl) methane (3) were isolated, purified with HPLC (elution-time 10.20, 9.66, 9.20 min, respectively) and together with six additional extracts, were characterized via radioligand binding studies at the hH4R. Results Compounds from C. longa were the most potent ligands at the hH4R. They exhibited estimated Ki values of 4.26–6.26 lM (1.57–2.31 lg/mL) (1); 6.66––8.97 lM (2.26–3.04 lg/mL) (2) and 10.24–14.57 lM (3.16–4.49 lg/ mL) (3) (95% CI). The estimated Ki value of the crude extract of curcumawas 0.50–0.81 lg/mL. Fractionated curcumin and the crude extract surpassed the effect of pure curcumin with a Ki value of 5.54 lMor2.04 lg/mL[95%CI (4.47–6.86 lM), (1.65–2.53 lg/mL)]. Conclusion Within this study, defined compounds of C. longa were recognized as potential ligands and reasonable lead structures at the hH4R. The mode of anti-inflammatory action of curcumin was further elucidated and the role of extracts in traditional phytomedicine was strengthened

Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10 years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37 years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020