Doxorubicin (Dox) has been used for more than four decades to treat cancer, particularly solid tumours and haematological malignancies. However, the administration of this drug is a matter of concern in the clinical community, since Dox therapy is commonly associated with dose-dependent cardiotoxicity. Attempts at alleviating drug generated cardiac damage using naturally occurring compounds with radical scavenging property are a promising area of research. p-Coumaric acid (pCA) is one such compound which has significant antiradical scavenging effect. This study aims to investigate the effect of pre and co-administration of pCA on mitigating or preventing Dox induced cardiotoxicity in vitro using H9c2 cardiomyoblast cell lines. Addition of pCA and Dox were performed for both treatment and control sets on H9c2 cells. Sulphorhodamine B assay was used to study the cytotoxic effect of pCA and Dox. The effect of the drug on cell morphology, cell viability and nuclear damage was studied using AO/EB and DAPI staining. ROS production was studied using DCFH-DA staining. Mitochondrial membrane potential and intracellular calcium levels were assessed by rhodamine 123 and Fura 2AM staining. pCA showed strong ABTS cation radical scavenging activity and FRAP activity in a dose dependent manner. The results showed that Dox has significant cytotoxic effect in a dose dependent manner while pCA, even at higher concentrations did not display any significant cytotoxicity on H9c2 cells. Both pre treatment and co- administration of pCA reduced the drug induced toxic effects on cell morphology and enhanced the number of viable cells in comparison to the Dox treated cells as evident from the AO/EB and DAPI staining images. The Dox induced ROS production was found to be significantly reduced in pCA pre-treated and co-administered cells. Dox induced changes in mitochondrial membrane potential and intracellular calcium levels were remarkably improved following pre and co-treatment of H9c2 cells with pCA. These results clearly suggest that pre-treatment and co-administration of pCA is a promising therapeutic intervention in managing Dox mediated cardiotoxicity.

Introduction: Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers ex Hook F and Thomas commonly called as gudduchi or amrita is a widely used plant in traditional medicinal system of Ayurveda. A UPLC MS/MS Q-tof method for the identification and characterization of berberine in Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers. ex HooK.F. and Thomas. and to evaluate the anti inflammatory potential of bioactive fraction. Materials and Methods: The presence of berberine in Tinospora cordifolia was determined by HPLC and was subsequently isolated by HPTLC. The anti inflammatory property of the fraction containing berberine was demonstrated to have an inhibitory activity on 5 lipoxygenase, an enzyme involved in inflammatory pathway and its IC 50 value was obtained. The binding interactions between berberine and 5-LOX were demonstrated by docking studies. Result: The presence of berberine in Tinospora cordifolia methanolic extract was identified by HPLC and HPTLC analysis and confirmed by UPLC MS/ MS Q-tof. The fraction containing berberine inhibited 5-LOX with an IC 50 of 0.041± 0.0003µg/mL as compared to that of NDGA (positive control) which showed an IC 50 of 2.75 ± 0.05 µg/mL. Molecular docking of berberine with 5-LOX showed a binding energy of-8.942 ± 0.039665 kcal/mol and Ki of 273.16 ± 3.026 nM as compared to the NDGA which has a binding energy of-7.186 ± 0.170503 kcal/mol and Ki 5.604± 1.618 µM. Conclusion: Tinospora cordifolia can be used as a source of berberine and possible anti inflammatory activity of Tinospora cordifolia may be attributed to the presence of berberine.

Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers ex Hook. f. & Thomson, a known immunomodulatory agent extensively used in ayurveda, has not been effectively validated for the mechanisms involved in immunomodulation and the identification of the active principles. The bioactive fraction of T. cordifolia (TBF) in methanol was used for nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging activity, lipoxygenase (LOX) and cyclooxygenase (COX) dual inhibition and cytotoxicity studies. Production of the proinflammatory cytokines, tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in dendritic cell (DC) suspensions treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was also studied. The bioactive principles involved were identified with ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometric (UPLC-Q-ToF MS/MS) system. The results indicate significantly higher potency of TBF as compared to positive standards for LOX/COX inhibition with moderate NO radical scavenging activity and the fraction was also found to be non-cytotoxic to monocyte cells. A significant inhibition was also observed in TNF-α and IL-1β production in LPS-treated DC suspensions as compared to standards, rolipram and dexamethasone, respectively. 11 compounds were identified from TBF by MS/MS system. The potent inhibition of LOX and COX enzymes with moderate NO scavenging was indicative of a free radical scavenging-independent mechanism of immunomodulation. Further investigations into the active principles identified would result in the development of lead candidates with potent therapeutic implications.

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Background Guggulutiktaka ghritam is an ayurvedic medicine which has been traditionally used to treat various chronic inflammatory conditions. However, the mechanism of action of the Ayurvedic medication in control of inflammatory conditions has not been clearly evaluated. Objective In the current study, the effect of the Guggulutiktaka ghritam extract (GTG) on the lipoxygenase pathway and in the production of proinflammatory cytokines involved in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammation was studied. Materials and methods The effect of GTG in the production of leukotriene was determined by enzyme inhibition studies on 12- lipoxygenase. The assay was carried out by ferrous oxidation of xylenol orange (FOX assay) and was compared to a positive control nordihydroguaiaretic acid. The effect of GTG on the production of proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β in monocytes were studied. For this, the monocytes were pretreated with various concentrations of GTG and subsequently stimulated with lipopolysaccharide. The cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β produced were quantified by ELISA and the results were compared to positive controls Rolipram and Dexamethasone respectively. The gene expression studies were carried out using qRT-PCR. The IC 50 values were calculated and evaluated statistically. Results The result indicates that GTG in comparison to the positive control Nordihydroguaiaretic acid significantly reduced the activity of 12- lipoxygenase. Also, there was significant inhibition in the production of proinflammatory cytokines in LPS stimulated monocytes pretreated with GTG as compared to positive control Rolipram and Dexamethasone. There was significant downregulation of IL-1β gene in LPS stimulated monocytes pretreated with GTG as compared to control. These changes are further supported by Raman spectra obtained for GTG treated and untreated cells. Conclusion The study revealed that GTG is a leukotriene and cytokine inhibitor. The inhibition in the production of cytokines may be due to the down-regulation of genes for TNF-α and IL-1β. The study provides a scientific validation on the possible anti-inflammatory mechanism of action of this traditionally used medicine. Identification of bioactive molecules would aid in developing newer therapeutics for control of chronic inflammation.

The methanolic extract of E. scaber Linn was evaluated for anti-inflammatory activity by determining its effects on production of pro-inflammatory cytokines like Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated monocytes. The cytotoxicity of the extract was analyzed prior to the cytokine quantification assays. The extract was further subjected to UPLC MS Q-TOF, for the identification of bioactive components present in the crude extract. The extract was found not to be cytotoxic against monocytes, and exhibited significant inhibition in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The presence of 34 components in the methanolic extract was detected through mass spectrum analysis.

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