Background:
Medicinal plants and herbal preparations in the form of traditional medicines have been used in healthcare worldwide. The extracts of Ginkgo biloba L. seeds and leaves contain a complex mixture of numerous components, such as flavonol glycosides, terpene lactones, and a group of alkylphenols (anacardic or ginkgolic acids, cardanols and cardols) that have been a part of traditional Chinese medicine. These extracts are also sold as dietary supplements worldwide. G. biloba extract (EGb 761 and LI 1370) represent the standard form of G. biloba extract. Six different 6-alkylsalicylic acids (syn. ginkgolic acids) with alkyl substituents (C13:0, C15:0, C15:1, C17:1, and C17:2) have been identified.
Objective:
To aim of this review is to unravel scientific evidences on anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities of ginkgolic acids to understand its therapeutic potential against inflammatory and oncologic diseases.
Methods:
A structured literature search was independently performed by the authors on PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Web of Science. Accordingly, this review article critically analyses available scientific evidences on anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities of ginkgolic acids. Moreover, the review only included articles written in English language.
Results:
Several forms of ginkgolic acids, especially C13:0, C15:0 and C17:1, isolated from the leaves of G. biloba exhibited cytotoxic activity against a variety of human cancers by suppressing various pro-inflammatory signaling cascades and oncogenic transcription factors through multiple modes of action in various in vitro and in vivo preclinical models. Ginkgolic acids have also been reported to be potent post-translational small ubiquitin-related modifiers (SUMO)ylation inhibitors.
Conclusion:
In this review, we present updated information on the anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties of ginkgolic acids both in vitro and in vivo. Although ginkgolic acids show significant therapeutic potential in inflammatory and oncologic diseases, more investigations regarding the safety and efficacy of these natural agents are warranted before clinical transition.
Tea and coffee are popular beverages. Both are also used in topical applications, such as ultraviolet (UV) protection, anti-aging, and wound healing. However, the impact of tea and coffee extract on skin cells is minimally explored. This study investigated the direct exposure of tea and coffee extract on skin cells using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. It was found that direct exposure of tea and coffee to skin cells can be toxic at a high dose on prolonged exposure (72 h). Therefore, it was hypothesized that a formulation providing a controlled release of tea and coffee could improve their skin compatibility. Thermally cross-linked poly(acrylic acid) hydrogels loaded with tea and coffee extracts (with and without milk) were formulated and optimized. The release profiles of these hydrogels were studied at varying loading efficiency. Milk addition with tea extract retarded the tea extract release from hydrogel while minimally affecting the coffee release. This effect was due to the molecular interaction of tea with milk components, showing changes in size, zeta potential, and polydispersity index. The release study best fitted the Korsmeyer–Peppas release model. Skin cells exposed to tea or coffee-loaded hydrogel showed normal skin cell morphology under fluorescence microscopic analysis. In conclusion, the hydrogels controlled the tea and coffee release and showed biocompatibility with skin cells. It can potentially be used for skin applications.
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