Aesculus hippocastanum (the horse chestnut) seed extract has a wide variety of biochemical and pharmacological effects including anti-inflammatory, antianalgesic, and antipyretic activities. The main active compound of this plant is escin. It is known that several medicinal herbs with anti-inflammatory properties have been found to have a role in the prevention and treatment of cancer. In the present study, the cytotoxic effects of escin in the C6 glioma and A549 cell lines were analyzed by MTT. Apoptotic effects of escin on both cell lines were evaluated by Annexin V binding capacity with flow cytometric analysis. Structural and ultrastructural changes were also evaluated using transmission electron microscopy. The results indicated that escin has potent antiproliferative effects against C6 glioma and A549 cells. These effects are both dose and time dependent. Taken together, escin possesses cell cycle arrest on G0/G1 phase and selective apoptotic activity on A549 cells as indicated by increased Annexin V-binding capacity, bax protein expression, caspase-3 activity and morphological changes obtained from micrographs by transmission electron microscopy.

Extracts of Aesculus hippocastanum L. (horse chestnut) seed have been used in the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency, edema and hemorrhoids. Most of the beneficial effects of horse chestnut are attributed to its principal component β-escin or escin. We have evaluated the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of escin in the H-Ras 5RP7 cell line by analyzing cell growth inhibition, apoptosis and caspase-3 dependent activity. We have also shown structural and ultrastructural changes in these cell using confocal and transmission electron microscopy. The results indicated that escin has significant inhibitory effects on cell growth and the percentage of apoptotic cells increased after treatment with escin, and the micrographs confirmed that escin damaged these cells and induced apoptosis.

Thymoquinone (TQ) is one of the bioactive constituents of black cumin seed (Nigella sativa L.) oil. It is well known that this natural volatile quinone has remarkable antimicrobial effects, especially against Candida species. Consequently, in this present study TQ was evaluated for its anticandidal effects against 14 different pathogenic Candida strains by using the in vitro, partly modified, microdilution CLSI M27-A2 method. After TQ treatment at the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), ultra-thin sections of C. albicans cells were thoroughly evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The mode of action of TQ on different Candida cells was elaborated, where their disintegration and disorganization with amorphous nucleus were observed microscopically.

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the fifth most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The efficacy of novel combination treatments are increasingly evaluated with use of integrative biology research and development (R&D) strategies and methodological triangulation. We investigated the antitumor effect of e-viniferin alone, and the putative synergy of e-viniferin with vincristine on the growth of HepG2 cells in vitro. Growth inhibition and apoptosis induction were determined by MTT assay and annexin V/ propidium iodide (PI), respectively. Morphological changes and DNA fragmentation were investigated under electron microscopy and by agarose gel electrophoresis, respectively. The results collectively showed that treating cells with e-viniferin and vincristine significantly inhibited cell viability at lower doses as compared to each agent applied alone. IC 50 values for e-viniferin and vincristine were determined as 98.3 and 52.5 lM at 24 h, respectively. IC 50 value of e-viniferin in combination with vincristine was 15.8+11.25 lM (mean/SD) at 24 h. The viability of cells treated with 17.9 lM vincristine alone for 24 h was 79.62%; it reduced to 26.53% when 25 lM e-viniferin was added in combination with vincristine ( p < 0.05). We found that combination of drugs promoted the sensitivity of cells against to vincristine treatment. The effect of combined use was in support of a synergistic pharmacodynamic effect. Moreover, low doses of the combination regimen induced phosphatidyl relocalization, morphological changes, and DNA fragmentation, and therefore caused apoptotic death. This study thus suggests that low concentrations of e-viniferin and vincristine can enhance the anti-tumor effects efficiently by inducing HepG2 cell apoptosis. Further studies in other model systems are warranted with a view to potential future applications in the clinic of such combination regimens and their putative mechanism of action in the observed synergy reported here.

Background: Magnetic nanoparticles show great promise for use as tools in a wide variety of biomedical applications. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential effects of methacrylamido-folic acid (Ma-Fol)-modified magnetic nanoparticles on 5RP7 (H- ras -transformed rat embryonic fibroblasts) and NIH/3T3 (normal mouse embryonic fibroblasts). Methods: The cytotoxicity and viability of 5RP7 and NIH/3T3 cells were detected. The percentage of cells undergoing apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry using Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate staining. Nanoparticle internalization into 5RP7 and NIH/3T3 cells was visualized by transmission electron microscopy. Conclusion: In this study, folic acid coupled to the surface of iron oxide for selective binding to cancer cells and immobilized the surfaces of magnetic nanoparticles. This complex improves cell internalization and targeting of cancer cells. We detected increased apoptosis using flow cytometry and transmission electron microscopy. Results: Folic acid modification of magnetic nanoparticles could be used to facilitate uptake to specific cancer cells for cancer therapy and diagnosis. Our results showed that the uptake of folic-acid modified nanoparticles by 5RP7 cancer cells was also much higher than that of 3T3 cells. This modification can be used for successful targeting of cancer cells expressing the folate receptor.

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Buthidae familyasına ait Anadolu sarı akrebi olarak bilinen Mesobuthus gibbosus (Brullé, 1832) ülkemizde geniş bir dağılım gösterir ve bu nedenle halk sağlığı açısından önemli bir türdür. Bu çalışmada Mesobuthus gibbosus hemolenfinin A549 akciğer kanseri hücre hattı ve Beas-2B normal akciğer epitel hücre hattı üzerindeki sitotoksik etkisini belirlemek amacı ile MTT testi uygulanmıştır. Hücresel değişiklikler morfolojik olarak konfokal mikroskop ve geçirimli elektron mikroskop ile araştırılmıştır. Hemolenfin A549 akciğer kanseri ve Beas-2B normal akciğer epitel hücre hatları ile 24 saat süresince inkübasyonu sonucu doza bağlı olarak IC50 değerleri, A549 hücreleri için %1.35, Beas-2B hücreleri için ise %1.34 olarak belirlenmiştir. Konfokal mikroskopi ile her iki hücre için hücrelerde yuvarlaklaşma, membran tomurcuklanması, hücre çekirdeğinde kromatin yoğunlaşması görüntülenmiştir. Elektron mikroskopi ile hücre şekli bozulması, büzülme, hücre iskeletinde yırtıklar ve lizozom oluşumu, hücre zarlı organellerinde mitokondri kristalarında kayıp ve şişmeler görüntülenmiştir. Bu çalışma ile Mesobuthus gibbosus hemolenfinin her iki hücre hattı için de doza bağlı olarak antiproliferatif ve apoptotik etkileri bildirilmektedir.