BackgroundBerberis vulgaris is a well known plant with traditional herbal medical history. The aims of this study was to bioscreen and compare the in vitro biological activity (antioxidant, cholinergic, antidaibetic and the anticancer) of barberry crude extract and berberine active compound.MethodsThe effect of B. vulgaris extract and berberine chloride on cellular thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) formation, diphenyle–α-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) oxidation, cellular nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging capability, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and α-gulcosidase activities were spectrophotometrically determined. On the other hand, the effect of extract and berberine as anticancer was estimated on three different cell lines which were MCF-7, HepG-2, and Caco-2 cells by using neutral red uptake assay which compared with control normal cells (PBMC).ResultsOur results showed that barberry crude extract contains 0.6 mg berberine/mg crude extract. Barberry extract showed potent antioxidative capacity through decreasing TBARS, NO and the oxidation of DPPH that associated with GPx and SOD hyperactivation. Inhibitory effect of berberis crude extract on α-glucosidase was more potent than that of berberine chloride, while both had the same AChE inhibitory effect. Besides, different concentrations of both berberine chloride and barberry ethanolic extract showed to have no growth inhibitory effect on normal blood cells (PBMC). Otherwise, both berberine chloride and barberry ethanolic extract showed to have inhibitory effect on the growth of breast, liver and colon cancer cell lines (MCF7, HepG2 and CACO-2, respectively) at different incubation times starting from 24 hrs up to 72 hrs and the inhibitory effect increased with time in a dose dependant manner.ConclusionThis work demonstrates the potential of the barberry crude extract and its active alkaloid, berberine, on suppressing lipid peroxidation, suggesting a promising use in the treatment of hepatic oxidative stress, Alzheimer and idiopathic male factor infertility. Beside, berberis vulgaris ethanolic extract is safe non-toxic extract as it was not inhibit the growth of PBMC that can induce cancer cell death that could return to its powerful antioxidant activity.

BackgroundChronic liver disease (CLD) is a global medical problem. This disease is associated with increased hepatic oxidative stress. One of the antioxidant enzymes that protect cells against this stress is heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1).ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the mRNA expression of HO-1 in Egyptian patients with CLD and its relation to oxidative stress biomarkers.Patients and MethodsLevels of serum ferritin, carboxyhemoglobin, malondialdehyde (MDA), and erythrocyte-reduced glutathione (GSH) were measured, and HO-1 mRNA expression was detected in 45 CLD patients (15 with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis [NASH], 15 with chronic hepatitis C, and 15 with liver cirrhosis) and 15 healthy controls.ResultsHO-1 mRNA expression was increased in patients with NASH, chronic hepatitis C, and liver cirrhosis compared to controls. The expression in cirrhotic patients was significantly higher than that in patients with NASH and chronic hepatitis C. Compared to controls, patients with NASH, chronic hepatitis C, and liver cirrhosis had higher levels of ferritin, carboxyhemoglobin, and MDA and lower levels of GSH. HO-1 mRNA expression was positively correlated with levels of carboxyhemoglobin, serum ferritin, and serum MDA and negatively correlated with levels of erythrocyte GSH in CLD patients.ConclusionsHO-1 mRNA expression was significantly increased in CLD patients, and the increase reflected the severity of the disease. The significant relationship between the increased HO-1 expression and oxidative stress biomarkers in patients with CLD suggests that HO-1 may play an important role in protecting the liver from oxidative stress-dependent damage. Therefore, induction of HO-1 could be a novel therapeutic option for CLD.

Medicinal mushrooms have been used for centuries against cancer and infectious diseases. These positive biological effects of mushrooms are due in part to the indirect action of stimulating immune cells. The objective of the current study is to investigate the possible immunomodulatory effects of mushroom polysaccharides on NK cells against different cancer cells. In this current study, fruiting bodies isolated from cultured Pleurotus ostreatus were extracted and partially purified using DEAE ion-exchange chromatography. The activation action of the collected fractions on Natural Killer cells was quantified against three different cancer cell lines in the presence or absence of human recombinant IL2 using three different activation and co-culture conditions. The possible modes of action of mushroom polysaccharides against cancer cells were evaluated at the cellular and molecular levels. Our results indicate that P. ostreatus polysaccharides induced NK-cells cytotoxic effects against lung and breast cancer cells with the largest effect being against breast cancer cells (81.2%). NK cells activation for cytokine secretion was associated with upregulation of KIR2DL genes while the cytotoxic activation effect of NK cells against cancer cells correlated with NKG2D upregulation and induction of IFNγ and NO production. These cytotoxic effects were enhanced in the presence of IL2. Analysis of the most active partially purified fraction indicates that it is predominantly composed of glucans. These results indicate bioactive 6-linked glucans present in P. ostreatus extracts activate NK-cell cytotoxicity via regulation of activation and induction of IFNγ and NO. These studies establish a positive role for bioactive P. ostreatus polysaccharides in NK-cells activation and induction of an innate immune response against breast and lung cancer cells.

Biological testing  Safety assay  In vitro anti-proliferative activity.  In vitro VEGFR-2 kinase assay.  Selectivity index (SI)  Wound healing assay (Migration assay).  Gene expression pattern alternation of cancer cell after 9 treatment. In silico studies  Docking studies  ADMET studies  Toxicity studies  MD simulation  MMPBSA Chemistry and materials Characterization of the target compounds 8,9, 12, 13, and 14 Spectral data Molecular docking of compound 9, 12, 13, and 14 Raw data for biological testing 1-Biological testing a-Mammalian cell lines culture CaCo-2, and A549 cell lines were cultured on DMEM media, meanwhile MDA-MB-231 and hepG-2 cell line were cultured on RBMI media. The cultured media were supplemented with 200 mM L-glutamine, 10.0% fetal bovine serum (Lonza), and 1.0% penicillin/streptomycin. Cells were seeded into 25.0 cm tissue culture flasks and incubated at 37 • C in a 5.0% CO2 incubator for 24 h or till confluency. b-Safety assayThe safety profiles of the tested compounds were checked on one non-cancerous cell line (Vero and WI-38) to determine the treatments concentrations that do not depict toxic effects against the tested cells. A portion of 100.0 µl of 6×10 4 cell/ml cells was seeded into each well of a 96-well plate and then the plates were incubated at 37 ⁰ C in a humidified 5.0% CO2 incubator for 24 h. At the end of incubation period, the exhausted medium was replaced with 100.0 µl of different concentrations of the designated treatment (prepared in RPMI medium starting from 1.0 mM). The inoculated plates were incubated at the same growth conditions for another 24 h. At the end of incubation, cellular viability was assessed using MTS assay kit (Promega) according to the manual instruction. c-In-vitro anticancer activityAnticancer activities of the tested compounds against CaCo-2, A549, MDA-MB-231, and hepG-2 cell lines were quantified using MTS assay kit (Promega) as described by the Manufacturer. d-Selectivity index (SI)The selectivity index values of the tested compounds on cancer cells were calculated as described by Koch et al with slight modifications; SI=IC50nc/IC50cc, where IC50nc: the IC50 value of the tested compound on normal cells and IC50cc: IC50 of the tested compound on cancer cell line. e-Wound healing assay (Migration assay)CaCo-2 cells were grown to 95.0% confluency in a complete DMEM medium and then the wounds were formed using a plastic tip. After washing with pre-warmed PBS, the cells were incubated in the specific medium or the 9 treatment. After incubation at 37°C and 5.0% CO2 for 24h, the cells were washed with PBS and the wounds distance was determined as the scratch width of the treated and untreated groups using ImageJ software. f-Gene expression pattern alternation of cancer cell after 9 treatmentThe molecular anticancer mode of action of 9 was investigated by screening their ability to affect the gene expression levels of Bcl2, Bcl-xl, TGF and Survivin genes using specific forward and reverse primers and RTq-PCR technique (Table 1) in CaCo-2 cells ...

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The significant relations between the increased HO-1 expression and oxidative stress biomarkers in patients with CLD suggest that HO-1 may play an important role to protect the liver from oxidative stress-dependent damage. Reading this article is recommended to all internists and hepatologists.Background: Chronic liver disease (CLD) is a global medical problem. This disease is associated with increased hepatic oxidative stress. One of the antioxidant enzymes that protect cells against this stress is heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1).Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the mRNA expression of HO-1 in Egyptian patients with CLD and its relation to oxidative stress biomarkers. Patients and Methods: Levels of serum ferritin, carboxyhemoglobin, malondialdehyde (MDA), and erythrocyte-reduced glutathione (GSH) were measured, and HO-1 mRNA expression was detected in 45 CLD patients (15 with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis [NASH], 15 with chronic hepatitis C, and 15 with liver cirrhosis) and 15 healthy controls. Results: HO-1 mRNA expression was increased in patients with NASH, chronic hepatitis C, and liver cirrhosis compared to controls. The expression in cirrhotic patients was significantly higher than that in patients with NASH and chronic hepatitis C. Compared to controls, patients with NASH, chronic hepatitis C, and liver cirrhosis had higher levels of ferritin, carboxyhemoglobin, and MDA and lower levels of GSH. HO-1 mRNA expression was positively correlated with levels of carboxyhemoglobin, serum ferritin, and serum MDA and negatively correlated with levels of erythrocyte GSH in CLD patients. Conclusions: HO-1 mRNA expression was significantly increased in CLD patients, and the increase reflected the severity of the disease. The significant relationship between the increased HO-1 expression and oxidative stress biomarkers in patients with CLD suggests that HO-1 may play an important role in protecting the liver from oxidative stressdependent damage. Therefore, induction of HO-1 could be a novel therapeutic option for CLD.

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