In this study, effect of an ethanolic extract from rhizome of Costus igneus were investigated on activity of following enzyme in liver, kidney, pancreas of streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats: carbohydrate metabolic enzymes such as glucokinase glucose-6-phosphatase, and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase in the liver; hepatoproductive enzymes such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in plasma and liver; and antioxidative enzymes such as superoxide dimutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), reduced glutathione content (GSH), total sulfhydryl groups (TSH), lipid peroxides (LPO) in liver, kidney and pancreas. An ethanol extract from Costus igneus rhizome was administrated orally at a single dose of 100 or 200 mg/kg per day to diabetes induced rats for 30 days. This study demonstrated that glucose-6-phosphatase fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, AST, ALT, ALP and LPO levels were significantly increased (p < 0.05), whereas glycolytic enzyme glucokinase, SOD, CAT, GPx, GSH and TSH levels were significantly decreased (p < 0.05) in STZ induced diabetic rats. Oral administration of Costus igneus rhizome ethanol extract [CiREE, 100 or 200 mg/kg per body weight (bw)] and glibenclamide to diabetic rats for 30 days significantly (p < 0.05) reversed levels of these enzymes to normal. Bioactive compound quercetin and diosgenin were isolated from Costus igneus rhizome by high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). These results suggest that, components of CiREE quercetin and diosgenin exhibit antioxidant activity, which was sufficient to reverse oxidative stress in the liver, pancreas and kidney of diabetic rats as well as to stimulate glycolytic enzymes and control gluconeogenesis in diabetic animals.
Biomass fuels (wood) are commonly used indoors in under-ventilated environments for cooking in the developing world, but the impact on lung physiology is poorly understood. Quantitative computed tomography (qCT) can provide sensitive metrics to compare the lungs of women cooking with wood vs. liquified petroleum gas (LPG). We prospectively assessed (qCT and spirometry) 23 primary female cooks (18 biomass, 5 LPG) with no history of cardiopulmonary disease in Thanjavur, India. CT was obtained at coached total lung capacity (TLC) and residual volume (RV). qCT assessment included texture-derived ground-glass-opacity (GGO: Adaptive Multiple Feature Method (AMFM)), air-trapping (expiratory voxels ≤-856HU) and image registration-based assessment (Disease Probability Measure (DPM)) of emphysema, functional small airways disease (%AirTrapDPM) and regional lung mechanics. Additionally, within-kitchen exposure assessments included particulate matter <2.5μm(PM2.5), black carbon, β-(1,3)-D-glucan (surrogate for fungi), and endotoxin. Air-trapping went undetected at RV via the threshold-based measure (voxels≤-856HU), possibly due to density shifts in the presence of inflammation. However, DPM, utilizing image-matching, demonstrated significant air-trapping in biomass vs. LPG cooks (p=0.049). A subset of biomass cooks (6/18), identified using k-means clustering, had markedly altered DPM-metrics: greater air-trapping (p<0.001); lower TLC-RV volume change (p<0.001), a lower mean anisotropic deformation index (ADI) (p<0.001) and elevated % GGO (p<0.02). Across all subjects, a texture measure of bronchovascular bundles was correlated to the log-transformed β-(1,3)-D-glucan concentration (p=0.026, R=0.46), and black carbon (p=0.04, R=0.44). This pilot study identified environmental links with qCT-based lung pathologies and a cluster of biomass cooks (33%) with significant small airways disease.
Cancer is a multifaceted disease and is a major health burden in the world. Breast cancer is leading cause of mortality among women worldwide. Plant derived compounds have also been used in the treatment of cancer. Amongst them, flavonoids have been well documented for their therapeutic potential against cancer cells. Naringenin is a flavanone abundantly available in grapefruit and tomato among other sources. Several natural and synthetic derivatives of naringenin have been reported for anticancer activity. In this study, naringenin (Nar) and its derivative, naringenin 2-hydroxy benzoyl hydrazone (Nar-Bhz) were studied for their inhibitory potential against proteins involved in breast cancer. Molecular docking simulation by AutoDock was utilized to investigate the interaction of Nar and Nar-Bhz with Survivin, Estrogen receptor ? (ER?), progesterone receptor (PR), Akt1, and Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Doxorubicin was used as positive control because of its clinical importance in breast cancer treatment. Discovery Studio Visualizer was used to visualize the interactions and the docking results showed that the protein ligand complexes were stabilized by hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. The binding energies ranged between -7.66 to -7.91 kcal/mol with Nar-Bhz and between -5.49 and -11.05 kcal/mol for Nar. Significant inhibition constant was observed for Nar-Bhz interaction with Akt1 and EGFR. Also, several residues of Akt1 interacted with both the ligands. It can be concluded that naringenin and its derivative have promising inhibitory potential against the breast cancer proteins. The findings of this study may pave the way for detailed exploration of naringenin as breast cancer drug and as a nutraceutical or dietary supplement in daily intake.
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