Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is progressively increasing tumor with lack of accurate prognosis and inadequate systemic treatment approaches. Solanum sp. (such as Solanum melongena) is a folk herb which is reported to possess anticancer properties. In a continuity for our interest in pursuing the anticancer activity of compounds isolated from the fruit peels of Solanum melongena, the HPLC profiling and ESI-MS assessment for the methanolic extract evidenced the presence of bioactive glycoalkaloids (solasonine, solasodine and solamargine). These glycoalkaloids were isolated, purified and proved to possess in vitro cytotoxicity against human liver cancer cell lines (Huh7 and HepG2). Herein, we investigated the potential mechanism of action of these compounds using DNA content flow-cytometry and apoptosis/necrosis differential anaylsis using annexin-V/FITC staining. Solasonine, solasodine and solamargine inducd significant antiproliferative effect against liver cancer cells (Huh7 and HepG2) which was attributed to cell cycle arrest at S-phase. Solamargine, solasodine and solasonine induced significant apoptosis in Huh7 cells. Only solamargine-induced cell cycle arrest, was reflected as apoptotic cell killing effect against HepG2 cells. In conclusion, glycoalkaloids derived from Solanum melongena and particularly, solamargine are promising antiproliferative agents with potential anticancer effects.

When given at birth, monovalent type 1 oral poliovirus vaccine is superior to trivalent oral poliovirus vaccine in inducing humoral antibodies against type 1 poliovirus, overcoming high preexisting levels of maternally derived antibodies, and increasing the resistance to excretion of type 1 poliovirus after administration of a challenge dose. (Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN76316509.)

HSARE revealed pronounced antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential where SOD and INF-γ were significantly improved. HSARE possesses the added value of being more water-soluble and of natural origin with fewer side effects expected compared to silymarin.

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SUMMARYSteam distillation of essential oils of aerial parts of Thymus capitatus and Marrubium vulgare L. collected at North cost of Egypt yielded 0.5% and 0.2%, respectively. Results of Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses of the two samples identified 96.27% and 90.19% of the total oil composition for T. capitatus and M. vulgare, respectively. The two oil samples appeared dominated by the oxygenated constituents (88.22% for T. capitatus and 57.50% for M. vulgare), composed of phenols, mainly carvacrol (32.98%) and thymol (32.82%) in essential oil of T. capitatus, and thymol (34.55%) in essential oil of M. vulgare. It was evaluated the molluscicidal activity of T. capitatus and M. vulgare essential oils on adult and eggs of Biomphalaria alexandrina as well as their mosquitocidal activity on Culex pipiens. The LC 50 and LC 90 of T. capitatus essential oil against adult snails was 200 and 400 ppm/3hrs, respectively, while for M. vulgare it was 50 and 100 ppm/3hrs, respectively. Moreover, M. vulgare showed LC 100 ovicidal activity at 200 ppm/24 hrs while T. capitatus oil showed no ovicidal activity. It was verified mosquitocidal activity, with LC 50 and LC 90 of 100 and 200 ppm/12hrs respectively for larvae, and 200 and 400 ppm/12hrs respectively for pupae of C. pipiens.

The in vitro activity of the methanol extracts of 51 plants randomly collected from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and some of their fractions (petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and aqueous) were evaluated against Plasmodium falciparum, Trypanosoma brucei brucei, T. cruzi and Leishmania infantum, as well as toxicity against MRC-5 fibroblast cells. Ten crude methanolic extracts that demonstrated potent and adequately selective antiprotozoal activity were subjected to solvent fractionation using petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and chloroform. Only three samples showed promising antiprotozoal activity. Argemone ochroleuca (CHCl(3) fraction) showed pronounced activity against P. falciparum(GHA) (IC(50) 0.32 microg/mL) and T. cruzi (IC(50) 0.30 microg/mL) with low cytotoxicity against MRC-5 cells (CC(50) 11.6 microg/mL). Capparis spinosa (EtOAc fraction) showed pronounced activity against P. falciparum(GHA) with an IC(50) 0.50 microg/mL in the absence of toxicity against MRC-5 cell line (CC(50) > 30 microg/mL). Heliotropium curassavicum (CHCl(3) fraction) showed similar activity against P. falciparum (IC(50) 0.65 microg/mL; MRC-5 CC(50) > 30 microg /mL). These three extracts will be subjected for further extensive studies to isolate and identify their active constituents.

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