Evaluation and Comparison of the In Vitro Cytotoxic Activity of Withania somnifera Methanolic and Ethanolic Extracts against MDA-MB-231 and Vero Cell Lines

Withania somnifera Dunal (WS), commonly known as Ashwagandha in India, belongs to the family Solanaceae. It is extensively used in most of the Indian herbal pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals. In the current study, the in vitro cytotoxic activity of methanolic, ethanolic, and aqueous extracts of WS stems was evaluated using cytometry and the MTT assay against the MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell line. Methanolic and ethanolic extracts of WS showed potent anticancer activity on the MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell line, whereas the aqueous extract did not exhibit any significant activity at 100 µg/ml. The percentage viability of the cell lines was determined by using the Trypan blue dye exclusion method. Cell viability was reduced to 21% and 0% at 50 and 100 µg/ml of the methanolic extract, respectively, as compared to 19% and 0% at 50 and 100 µg/ml for the ethanolic extract and 37% at 100 µg/ml in sterile Milli-Q water after 48 hours of treatment. Methanolic and ethanolic extracts of WS were shown to possess IC₅₀ values of 30 and 37 µg/ml, respectively, by the MTT assay and cytometer-based analysis, with the methanolic extract being more active than the other two. On the other hand, methanolic and ethanolic extracts of WS did not exhibit any significant in vitro activity against the normal epithelial cell line Vero at 50 µg/ml. HPLC was carried out for the analysis of its phytochemical profile and demonstrated the presence of the active component Withaferin A in both extracts. The methanolic and ethanolic extracts of Withania should be studied further for the isolation and characterization of the active components to lead optimization studies.     

Phytochemical and biological studies of Solanum schimperianum Hochst

Chemical reinvestigation of the aerial parts of Solanum schimperianum Hochst led to the isolation of ten compounds, lupeol (1), β-sitosterol (2), β-sitosterol glucoside (3), oleanolic acid (4), teferidin (5), teferin (6), ferutinin (7), 5-hydroxy-3,7,4′-trimethoxyflavone (8), retusin (9) and kaempferol-3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (10). Compounds 5–7 were isolated for the first time from Solanaceae and compounds 1–4 and 8–9 for the first time from Solanum schimperianum. The structure elucidation of the isolated compounds was based on careful inspection of spectral data including 1D (¹H and ¹³C NMR), 2D (¹H–H COSY, HMQC and HMBC, ROESY), UV, MS and IR, in addition to, comparison with literatures. The antimicrobial activity of the extracts as well as the isolated compounds was tested. Only hexane extract showed activity against Bacillus subtilus and Staphylococcus aureus.     

Ophiobolin A from Bipolaris oryzae Perturbs Motility and Membrane Integrities of Porcine Sperm and Induces Cell Death on Mammalian Somatic Cell Lines

Bipolaris oryzae is a phytopathogenic fungus causing a brown spot disease in rice, and produces substance that strongly perturbs motility and membrane integrities of boar spermatozoa. The substance was isolated from the liquid culture of the fungal strain using extraction and a multi-step semi-preparative HPLC procedures. Based on the results of mass spectrometric and 2D NMR techniques, the bioactive molecule was identified as ophiobolin A, a previously described sesterterpene-type compound. The purified ophiobolin A exhibited strong motility inhibition and viability reduction on boar spermatozoa. Furthermore, it damaged the sperm mitochondria significantly at sublethal concentration by the dissipation of transmembrane potential in the mitochondrial inner membrane, while the plasma membrane permeability barrier remained intact. The study demonstrated that the cytotoxicity of ophiobolin A toward somatic cell lines is higher by 1–2 orders of magnitude compared to other mitochondriotoxic mycotoxins, and towards sperm cells unique by replacing the progressive motility by shivering tail beating at low exposure concentration.     

Cytotoxic Indole Alkaloids against Human Leukemia Cell Lines from the Toxic Plant Peganum harmala

Bioactivity-guided fractionation was used to determine the cytotoxic alkaloids from the toxic plant Peganum harmala. Two novel indole alkaloids, together with ten known ones, were isolated and identified. The novel alkaloids were elucidated to be 2-(indol-3-yl)ethyl-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-β-d-glucopyranoside (2) and 3-hydroxy-3-(N-acetyl-2-aminoethyl)-6-methoxyindol-2-one (3). The cytotoxicity against human leukemia cells was assayed for the alkaloids and some of them showed potent activity. Harmalacidine (compound 8, HMC) exhibited the highest cytotoxicity against U-937 cells with IC₅₀ value of 3.1 ± 0.2 μmol/L. The cytotoxic mechanism of HMC was targeting the mitochondrial and protein tyrosine kinase signaling pathways (PTKs-Ras/Raf/ERK). The results strongly demonstrated that the alkaloids from Peganum harmala could be a promising candidate for the therapy of leukemia.     

In vitro cytotoxicity of mitoxantrone-incorporated albumin microspheres on acute promyelocytic leukaemia cells

In the present study, the preparation and characterization of bovine serum albumin (BSA) microspheres and the evaluation of the in vitro cytotoxicity of these microspheres on acute promyelocytic leukaemia (HL-60) cells were described. Mitoxantrone (MTZ)-incorporated microspheres were evaluated for particle size, drug loading, release characteristics and surface morphology. The biological effect of MTZ released from BSA microspheres was determined on an in vitro cultured HL-60 cell line, showing that, after encapsulation, MTZ still retains cytotoxic activity. For this purpose, methyl-thiazol-tetrazolium (MTT) assay was used to evaluate the in vitro cytotoxicity of MTZ-loaded microspheres. Particle size of BSA microspheres was determined between 17.61–20.38?µm and they were smooth and spherical in shape. Encapsulation efficiency of the drug-loaded microspheres was between 22.26–60.50%. For MTZ-containing microspheres, the cell death ratios were greater than 80% for all formulations. This study demonstrate that BSA microspheres were well suited for the controlled release of MTZ and were promising for anti-cancer chemotherapy.     

MTT法检测树突状细胞杀伤肿瘤细胞活性的实验研究

目的:用MTT法检测树突状细胞(DC)杀伤肿瘤细胞的活性.方法:将人外周血分离出单个核细胞,在细胞因子的刺激下形成DC,观察其细胞形态、增殖情况,采用MTT法检测DC对肿瘤K562细胞的杀伤活性.结果:DC培养至第1l天时,增殖高达120倍,经MTT法检测证实,DC对K562细胞的4h杀伤活性为3l%.结论:MTT法检测进一步证实了DC对肿瘤细胞有较强的细胞毒作用.     

顺铂和卡铂对胃癌细胞系的毒性作用比较

目的：体外比较顺铂和卡铂对胃癌细胞系的毒性作用,为临床化疗提供参考。方法：采用二甲基噻唑基四氮唑试验（MTT）在不同的培养时间,用不同浓度的药物,通过其细胞抑制率和半数抑制率（IC50）比较两种药物的细胞毒性。结果：不同培养时间的肿瘤细胞抑制率顺铂明显高于卡铂（P＜0．05）,顺铂的IC50也远小于卡铂。结论：顺铂对胃癌细胞系的体外细胞毒性作用大于卡铂。     

MTT法对白血病细胞株化疗药物敏感性检测

本文采用MTT法，观察白血病细胞林K562、HL60细胞对临床常用的抗癌药物的敏感性反应。实验结果显示，KS62细胞数与A570值之间有很强的相关性；5种抗癌药物对NL60、K562细胞的抑制率均大于30％，提示了MTT法可以作为一种简单、准确的方法用于抗癌药物的体外敏感性检测。     

In Vitro Anticancer Activity of the Root, Stem and Leaves of Withania Somnifera against Various Human Cancer Cell Lines

Withania Somnifera Dunal know as Ashwagandha belong Solanaceae family. It is extensively used in most of the Indian herbal pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals. The current study, evaluate in vitro cytotoxicity in 50% ethanol extract of root, stem and leaves of Withania Somnifera against five human cancer cell lines of four different tissues i.e. PC-3, DU-145 (prostrate), HCT-15 (colon), A-549 (lung) and IMR-32 (neuroblastoma). Root, stem and leaves extracts showed cytotoxicity activity ranging 0-98% depending on the cell lines but maximum activity was found in 50% ethanol extract of leaves of Withania Somnifera. Ethanol extract of leaves obtained from treatments T2, T3, T4 and T5 showed strong activity against PC-3 and HCT-15 with 80-98% growth inhibition, while the 50% ethanol extract of leaves from T1 treatment showed a minimum of 39% and T3 treatment showed a maximum of 98% growth inhibition against HCT-15. This investigation is the first report of the anticancer activity in various parts of Withania Somnifera cultivated in fly ash amended soil.     

西他滨联合丙戊酸钠对白血病细胞株的促分化效应研究

目的 探讨地西他滨(decitabine,DCA)和丙戊酸钠(valproic acid,VPA)联用对白血病细胞株HL-60的促分化影响。方法 设立分组如下：对照组,DCA A组(1.0 μmol·L^-1),DCA B组(4.0 μmol·L^-1),VPA组(2.0 mmol·L^-1),联合用药A组(DCA 1.0 μmol·L^-1+VPA 2.0 mmol·L^-1),联合用药B组(DCA 4.0 μmol·L^-1+VPA 2.0 mmol·L^-1),作用48 h。流式细胞术检测CD34、CD117 MFI以及CD11b、CD14表达率。结果 联合用药A、B组的CD117和CD34 MFI显著低于其各自的单药组(P<0.01);联合用药A组的CD11b和CD14表达率和联合用药B组CD11b表达率显著低于其各自的单药组(P<0.01)。结论 VPA与DCA联用对HL-60细胞具促分化作用。     

应用中空纤维测定法评价藤甲酰苷对人癌细胞生长的抑制作用

目的应用中空纤维测定法评价藤甲酰苷（garcinia glycosides,GG）对8种人癌细胞的体内生长的抑制作用,通过裸鼠体内异位移植瘤实验,验证中空纤维测定法在抗肿瘤药效学研究中的可靠性。方法采用中空纤维测定法,将载有肿瘤细胞的中空纤维管植入NOD/SCID小鼠背部皮下,给药结束后取出中空纤维管,应用二苯基溴化四氮唑蓝（MTT）比色法检测GG对各种肿瘤细胞在体内的抑瘤率;选取HL-60及B16人癌细胞,异位移植于BALb/c裸鼠右下肢外侧皮下,以环磷酰胺（CTX）为阳性对照,各组连续给药10 d,于给药结束24 h后解剖小鼠,取出瘤块,计算CTX及GG的抑瘤率。结果应用中空纤维测定法及裸鼠体内异位移植瘤法测得GG高剂量组8 mg/（kg·d）、中剂量组4 mg/（kg·d）能明显抑制HL-60及B16人癌细胞在裸鼠体内的生长,实验测得结果与溶剂对照组比较,有显著性差异（P〈0.01）。结论应用中空纤维测定法测定样品GG对肿瘤细胞的生长抑制作用,实验结果与裸鼠体内异位移植瘤实验结果基本一致。该模型节约成本、效率提高、实验结果准确可靠,为GG的后续研究提供了指导和可靠证据。     

Alkaloid profiling of crude and processed Veratrum nigrum L. through simultaneous determination of ten steroidal alkaloids by HPLC-ELSD

Veratrum nigrum L., a traditional Chinese herb, has been used for treatment of hypertension, blood-stroke, excessive phlegm, epilepsy, etc. Steroidal alkaloids were well-known as both bioactive and toxic constituents of Veratrum species, the toxicity of which the traditional processing procedure can reduce. To reveal the mechanism of processing V. nigrum L., a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of ten steroidal alkaloids in crude and processed V. nigrum L., comparison with ultrasound extract of crude V. nigrum L. With a Venusil XBP-C(18) analytical column, the analytes were separated efficiently using the mobile phase consisted of (A) 0.03% aqueous triethylamine (TEA) and (B) acetonitrile in a gradient program. The parameters for ELSD were set: S.C. (Spray Chamber)=35 degrees C, D.T. (Drift Tube)=70 degrees C, GAS=50 psi. All calibration curves showed good linear regression (gamma>or=0.9990) within the tested range. Additionally, reproducibility for the quantification of ten alkaloids in V. nigrum L. with intra- and inter-day variations of less than 5.0% was observed. The obtained alkaloid profiles performed by this newly established method, provided valuable information for the differentiation of crude and processed V. nigrum L. and for the explanation of the different toxicity.     

In vitro antioxidant activity of pet ether extract of black pepper

Objective:

To investigate the in vitro antioxidant activity of different fractions (R1, R2 and R3) obtained from pet ether extract of black pepper fruits (Piper nigrum Linn.)

Materials and Methods:

The fractions R1, R2 and R3 were eluted from pet ether and ethyl acetate in the ratio of 6:4, 5:5 and 4:6, respectively.1,1-Diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical, superoxide anion radical, nitric oxide radical, and hydroxyl radical scavenging assays were carried out to evaluate the antioxidant potential of the extract.

Results:

The free radical scavenging activity of the different fractions of pet ether extract of P. nigrum (PEPN) increased in a concentration dependent manner. The R3 and R2 fraction of PEPN in 500 µg/ml inhibited the peroxidation of a linoleic acid emulsion by 60.48±3.33% and 58.89±2.51%, respectively. In DPPH free radical scavenging assay, the activity of R3 and R2 were found to be almost similar. The R3 (100µg/ml) fraction of PEPN inhibited 55.68±4.48% nitric oxide radicals generated from sodium nitroprusside, whereas curcumin in the same concentration inhibited 84.27±4.12%. Moreover, PEPN scavenged the superoxide radical generated by the Xanthine/Xanthine oxidase system. The fraction R2 and R3 in the doses of 1000µg/ml inhibited 61.04±5.11% and 63.56±4.17%, respectively. The hydroxyl radical was generated by Fenton''s reaction. The amounts of total phenolic compounds were determined and 56.98 µg pyrocatechol phenol equivalents were detected in one mg of R3.

Conclusions:

P. nigrum could be considered as a potential source of natural antioxidant.     

Effect of Baliospermum montanum Root Extract on Phagocytosis by Human Neutrophils

Aqueous extract of roots of Baliospermum montanum was evaluated on preliminary basis for immunomodulatory activity by studying neutrophil phagocytic function. The different concentration of (25, 50, 100 μg/ml) of aqueous extract of roots of Baliospermum montanum was subjected to study its effect on different in vitro methods of phagocytosis such as neutrophil locomotion, chemotaxis, immunostimulant activity of phagocytosis of killed Candida albicans and qualitative nitroblue tetrazolium test by using human neutrophils. This preliminary study revealed that Baliospermum montanum extract has stimulated chemotactic, phagocytic and intracellular killing potency of human neutrophils at the different concentration. From the results obtained it can be observed that the aqueous extract of Baliospermum montanum stimulate cell-mediated immune system by increasing neutrophil function.     

Comparison of the nutritional value and biological activities of the acetone,methanol and water extracts of the leaves of Solanum nigrum and Leonotis leonorus

The nutritional, phytochemical, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the acetone, methanol and water extracts of the leaves of Solanum nigrum and Leonotis leonorus were investigated using standard analytical methods in order to assess the numerous potential of the leaves of these plants. The proximate analysis showed the that the leaves of the two plants were rich in moisture content, ash content, crude protein, crude lipid, crude fibre and carbohydrate. Elemental analysis in mg/100 g (DW) indicated that the leaves contained sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, copper, manganese, and nitrogen. The chemical composition in mg/100 g (DW) for alkaloid, saponins, and phytate were moderate. The plants were also rich in polyphenols and had good antioxidant activities. The different extracts of the plants had activities against some of the organisms used in this study. Comparing the nutrient and chemical constituents with recommended dietary allowance (RDA) values, the results reveal that the leaves contain an appreciable amount of nutrients, minerals, and phytochemicals and low levels of toxicants.     

A cytotoxic hydroperoxy sterol from the brown alga,Nizamuddinia zanardinii

Background

The marine environment is a unique source of bioactive natural products, of which Nizamuddinia zanardinii is an important brown algae distributed in Oman Sea. Literature revealed that there is no report on phytochemistry and pharmacology of this valuable algae.

Methods

Bioguided fractionation of the methanolic extract of Nizamuddinia zanardinii, collected from Oman Sea, led to the isolation of a hydroperoxy sterol. Its structure was determined by analysis of the spectroscopic data as 24-hydroperoxy-24-vinyl cholesterol (HVC). In vitro cytotoxic activity of this compound was evaluated against HT29, MCF7, A549, HepG2 and MDBK cell lines.

Results

Although 24(R)-hydroproxy-24-vinylcholesterol has been previously reported from Sargassum and Padina species, it is the first report on the presence of this compound from N. zanardinii. This compound exhibited cytotoxicity in all cell lines (IC₅₀, 3.62, 9.09, 17.96, 32.31 and 37.31 μg/mL respectively). HVC was also evaluated for apoptotic activity and demonstrated positive results in terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP Nick End labeling (TUNEL) assay suggesting it a candidate for further apoptotic studies.

Conclusions

Nizamuddinia zanardinii, a remarkable brown algae of Oman Sea, is a good source of hydroproxy sterols with promising cytotoxic on various cell lines particularly human colon adenocarcinoma.     

雷公藤内酯醇体内外对HL-60细胞作用的研究

目的探讨雷公藤内酯醇(triptolide,TPL)在体内外对人髓系白血病细胞株HL-60的作用。方法运用MTT比色法检测TPL对HL-60细胞的增殖抑制作用,采用TdT酶介导的缺口末端标记法(TUNEL)检测TPL对HL-60细胞的诱导凋亡作用;建立HL-60裸鼠异种移植瘤模型,观察经TPL治疗后的肿瘤抑制率。结果在体外,TPL对HL-60细胞的增殖具有明显的抑制及诱导凋亡作用,呈时间和剂量依赖性;在体内,TPL可抑制HL-60细胞裸鼠异种移植瘤生长,抑制率最高可达53.5%。结论TPL在体内外均可抑制HL-60细胞增殖,并诱导其凋亡。     

灯盏花素增强马利兰抑制HL-60细胞作用的实验研究

目的:研究灯盏花素增强马利兰抑制HL-60细胞的作用。方法:MTT法检测细胞活性,流式细胞仪检测细胞凋亡情况,Western blotting法检测肿瘤抑制基因(p53)/B细胞淋巴瘤-白血病-2(Bcl-2)的表达,ELISA、比色法和分光光度法分别检测细胞色素C、Caspase-3、Caspase-8和谷胱甘肽(GSH)的含量。结果:灯盏花素能增强马利兰抑制HL-60细胞生长的作用,促进小鼠淋巴细胞对马利兰的抵抗,上调p53/Bcl-2表达比率,激活Caspase-3和Caspase-8,升高细胞色素C,降低GSH。结论:灯盏花素对马利兰抗肿瘤具有增效减毒作用,其机制可能与激活肿瘤耐药细胞凋亡通路有关。