Aspartame is an artificial sweetener used as an alternate for sugar in several foods and beverages. The study reports that consumption of aspartame containing product could lead to cancer. However, the effect of aspartame on apoptosis process in cancer is not yet understood clearly. HeLa cells were exposed to different concentrations (0.01-0.05 mg/ml) of aspartame for 48 h. Cytotoxicity of aspartame on cancer cells was determined by SRB assay. The result indicates no significant changes on cell viability. Aspartame suppresses apoptosis process in cancer cells by down-regulation of mRNA expression of tumor suppressor gene p53, and pro-apoptotic gene bax. It up-regulates anti-apoptotic gene bcl-2 mRNA expression. In addition, Ki 67 and PCNA mRNA, and protein expressions were determined. Taking all these together, we conclude that aspartame may be a potent substance to slow-down the apoptosis process in HeLa cells. Further works are ongoing to understand the biochemical and molecular mechanism of aspartame in cancer cells.

The effect of plant growth regulators on shoot proliferation from shoot tip explants of Ajuga multiflora was studied. The highest number of shoots (17.1) was observed when shoot tip explants were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium fortified with 8.0 µM 6-Benzyladenine (BA) and 2.7 µM α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). The mean number of shoots per explant was increased 1.6-fold in liquid medium as compared with semi-solid medium. Maximum rooting (100 %) with an average of 7.2 roots per shoot was obtained on MS basal medium. Rooted plantlets were successfully acclimatised in the greenhouse with 100 % survival rate. Composition of carotenoids, fatty acids and tocopherols was also studied from leaves of greenhouse-grown plants and in vitro-regenerated shoots of A. multiflora. The greatest amounts of carotenoids, fatty acids and tocopherols were obtained from leaves of in vitro-regenerated shoots cultured on MS basal medium, followed by leaves of greenhouse-grown plants and leaves of in vitro-regenerated shoots cultured on MS basal medium with 2.0 µM BA or thidiazuron. The most abundant carotenoid in A. multiflora leaves was all-E-lutein (89.4–382.6 μg g−1 FW) followed by all-E-β-carotene (32.0–156.7 μg g−1 FW), 9′-Z-neoxanthin (14.2–63.4 μg g−1 FW), all-E-violaxanthin (13.0–45.9 μg g−1 FW), all-E-zeaxanthin (1.3–2.5 μg g−1 FW) and all-E-β-cryptoxanthin (0.3–0.9 μg g−1 FW). α-Tocopherol was the predominant tocopherol in A. multiflora leaves. Linolenic acid (49.03–52.59 %) was detected in higher amounts in A. multiflora leaf samples followed by linoleic acid (18.95–21.39 %) and palmitic acid (15.79–18.66 %).Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13205-016-0376-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have well-known anti-bacterial properties and have been widely used in daily life as various medical and general products. There is limited information available on the cytotoxicity of AgNPs. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the cytotoxicity of AgNPs in HeLa cells. Cytotoxicity and apoptosis have been observed in the AgNPs treated in the HeLa cells. Sulphorhodamine-B assay (SRB assay) showed the cytotoxic effect in the AgNP-treated HeLa cells. Inverted microscope, fluorescence microscope, and confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) analyses showed the apoptosis-induced morphological changes such as rounding in shape, nuclear fragmentation, cytoplasm reduction, loss of adhesion, and reduced cell volume. Necrosis and apoptosis were observed in the AgNP-treated HeLa cells by DNA fragmentation study. Mitochondria-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) have increased in AgNP-treated HeLa cells. Up-regulation of messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of p53, bax, and caspase 3 were found in AgNP-treated HeLa cells. Caspase 3 enzyme activity was found to increase in AgNP-treated HeLa cells. The AgNPs showed the right cytotoxic effect in cervical carcinoma cells. Our results suggest that metal-based nanoparticles might be a potential candidate for the treatment of cervical cancer.

The 9-demethylated derivative of the isoquinoline alkaloid berberine was derivatised in its isoquinoline moiety using enamines derived from formaldehyde and morpholine, piperidine, carbazole and six variously substituted piperazines to form Mannich base products which were evaluated for their in vitro biological effects. Standard tests determined their radical scavenging potential and their ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). Cancerous growth inhibitory efficacies were assessed using cervical cancer cell lines HeLa and CaSki and their cytotoxicities towards normal cell lines were evaluated using Madin–Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cell lines. Piperazine derivatives bearing a heterocyclic nitrogen substituent such as a pyridyl or a pyrimidyl ring were the most active antioxidant and anticancer agents. A carbazole moiety attached to the berberine core also demonstrated excellent inhibitory effects on cancerous cells.

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