• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.17
• /
• pp.7641-7651
• /
• 2015

It has been shown previously that nutritional supplements rich in polyphenolic compounds play a significant role in prostate cancer chemoprevention. Propolis is a natural, resinous hive product that has several pharmacological activities including antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antitumoral activities. The aim of this study was to compare the cytotoxic, antioxidant and antitumoral activities of an ethanolic extract of Egyptian propolis (EEP) in vitro with an established chemotherapeutic drug such as doxorubicin (DOX), and the effects of their combination against the PC3 human prostate cancer cell line. Cellular viability and $IC_{50}$ levels with EEP, DOX and their (v/v) combination were detected by sulphorhodamine-B (SRB) assay after incubation of PC3 cells for 72h with different doses (0, 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10 and $100{\mu}g/ml$). Two selected doses of $IC_{50}$ and $IC_{25}$ were applied to cells for 24h for antitumor evaluation assay of treatment compounds. EEP and its (v/v) combination with DOX showed significant antitumor potential besides high antioxidant properties of superoxide dismutase (SOD), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), catalase (CAT), nitric oxide (NO) and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels when compared with the control untreated cells. DNA fragmentation assay and semi quantitative RT-PCR analyses for p53 and Bax genes showed that EEP activated cellular apoptosis and increased the mRNA expression levels more than other treatment. In conclusion, EEP alone or in combination with DOX at both doses used here showed greater antioxidant, antiproliferative and apoptotic effects against the PC3 cell lines as compared to treatment with DOX alone. Therefore, EEP could be considered as a promising candidate for prostate cancer chemotherapy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.17 no.9
• /
• pp.4267-4273
• /
• 2016

Previous studies suggested that dithio-carbamates are potent apoptosis and anti-apoptosis inducing agents in various cancer cells. Here, the anti-proliferative and apoptosis inducing effects of a new derivative (2-NDC) from the dithio-carbamate family was examined in human leukemia K562 cells. We use thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide (MTT) to measure viability and cell growth inhibition. The 2-NDC showed effects on viability in a dose and time-dependent manner, inhibiting proliferation at concentrations of $10-30{\mu}M$ after 24-48 hours of treatment and increasing values after 72 hours at $40-120{\mu}M$. The cytotoxic effect of the compound was calculated with an $IC_{50}$ of $30{\mu}M$ after 24-hour. Apoptosis induction was confirmed by acridine orange-ethidium bromide (AO/EtBr) staining, DNA fragmentation assay, flow cytometric assessment and also caspase-3 activation assay. Furthermore, enzymes level such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) involved in oxidative stress were evaluated. The results of this study demonstrated insignificant increase of intracellular ROS levels for 24 hours and reduction after 48-72 hours. In addition to reduction of intracellular thiol, caspase-3 like activity was also decreased in a time-dependent manner in cells treated with 2-NDC. Thus 2-NDC can be considered as a good candidate for further pharmaceutical evaluations.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.69-75
• /
• 2018

The red algae Gracilaria vermiculophylla is widely spread around seaside areas across the globe, and has been used as a food resource in Southeast Asian countries. Previous studies have shown that Gracilaria red algae extracts have beneficial antihypercholesterolemic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial effects. In this study, we investigated the antioxidant effects of Gracilaria vermiculophylla extracts (GV-Ex) on human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs). The acetone and DMSO/ethanol solvents of the tested GV contain higher total flavonoid and polyphenolic contents that can strongly scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS). Pre-treatment with GV-Ex protected hBM-MSCs against oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide treatment. The protective effects of GV-Ex treatment were confirmed by MTT assay. The elevated levels of ROS in hBM-MSCs caused by hydrogen peroxide induced oxidative stress were significantly decreased by GV extract treatment. The levels of the antioxidant proteins superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), and catalase (CAT) were also restored or protected by GV-Ex treatment, suggesting that GV extracts moderate excess ROS levels and prevent cells from oxidative damage.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
• /
• 2017.06a
• /
• pp.235-235
• /
• 2017

Chromium (Cr) toxicity is hazardous to the seed germination, growth, and development of plants. ${\gamma}$-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a non-protein amino acid and is involved in stress tolerance in plants. To investigate the effects of GABA in alleviating Cr toxicity, we treated eight-d-old mustard (Brassica juncea L.) seedlings with Cr (0.15 mM and 0.3 mM $K_2CrO_4$, 5 days) alone and in combination with GABA ($125{\mu}M$) in a semi-hydroponic medium. The roots and shoots of the seedlings accumulated Cr in a dose-dependent manner, which led to an increase in oxidative damage [lipid peroxidation; hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$) content; superoxide ($O{_2}^{{\cdot}-}$) generation; lipoxygenase (LOX) activity], MG content, and disrupted antioxidant defense and glyoxalase systems. Chromium stress also reduced growth, leaf relative water content (RWC), and chlorophyll (chl) content but increased phytochelatin (PC) and proline (Pro) content. Furthermore, supplementing the Cr-treated seedlings with GABA reduced Cr uptake and upregulated the non-enzymatic antioxidants (ascorbate, AsA; glutathione, GSH) and the activities of the enzymatic antioxidants including ascorbate peroxidase (APX), monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glyoxalase I (Gly I), and glyoxalase II (Gly II), and finally reduced oxidative damage. Adding GABA also increased leaf RWC and chl content, decreased Pro and PC content, and restored plant growth. These findings shed light on the effect of GABA in improving the physiological mechanisms of mustard seedlings in response to Cr stress.

• Natural Product Sciences
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.54-60
• /
• 2007

The plant Ichnocarpus frutescens (Linn) R.Br. (Family-Apocynaceae) has been indicated for the treatment of various diseases, one amongst it is cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate experimentally the possible antitumor activity and antioxidant role of Ichnocarpus frutescens in the mice transplanted with Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC). The chloroform and methanol extract of whole plant of Ichnocarpus frutescens (CEIF and MEIF) were administered intraperitoneally at the dose of 150 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg, body weight per day for 7 days after 24 h of tumor inoculation in mice. Treatment with CEIF at the dose of 150 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg remarkably decreased the tumor volume, packed cell volume, viable cell count and increased the nonviable cell count of EAC tumor bearing mice when compared to e effect of MEIF at 150 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg. Further the EAC mice treated with CEIF and MEIF showed significant decrease in the level of lipid peroxidation and significant increase in the level of antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), however the decreasing and increasing capacity of CEIF was less in both doses as compared to MEIF. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the chloroform and methanol extact of Ichnocarpus frutescens exhibit significant antitumor and antioxidant activity in EAC bearing mice.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.369-377
• /
• 2014

Obesity increases oxidative stress, which could contribute to the development of insulin resistance and hyperglycemia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the hypoglycemic and antioxidant effect of sanchae-namul (SN) in mice with diet-induced obesity. Five-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were fed a basal or high-fat and high-sucrose (HFHS) diet with or without 3% freeze-dried SN powder composed of chamnamul, daraesoon, miyeokchwi, bangpung namul, and samnamul for 12 weeks after a 1-week adaptation. After sacrifice, serum glucose and insulin were measured and the homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was determined as well. Hepatic lipid peroxidation, glutathione (GSH), and activities of the antioxidant enzymes were determined. SN given at 3% of the total diet did not significantly influence body weight and food intake in mice fed the HFHS diet. Serum glucose and insulin levels, as well as HOMA-IR values, were significantly lower in the SN group than those in the HFHS group. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels in the liver were decreased significantly in the SN group compared with those in the HFHS group. SN significantly increased the GSH levels and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the liver compared with those in the HFHS group. Overall, these findings suggest that SN may be useful in alleviating insulin resistance and hyperglycemia in mice fed HFHS diet; further, the improvement of insulin resistance could partly occur by reducing the oxidative stress.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.37 no.5
• /
• pp.618-624
• /
• 2004

All members of R. glutinosa show the unique characteristic of intrinsic tolerance to paraquat (PQ). Antioxidant enzymes have been proposed to be the primary mechanism of PQ resistance in several plant species. Therefore, the antioxidant enzyme systems of R. glutinosa were evaluated by comparatively analyzing cellular antioxidant enzyme levels, and their responses of oxidative stresses and hormones. The levels of ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR), non-specific peroxidase (POX), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were 7.3-, 4.9-, 2.7- and 1.6-fold higher in PQ-tolerant R. glutinosa than in PQ-susceptible soybeans. However, the activity of catalase (CAT) was about 12-fold higher in the soybeans. The activities of antioxidant enzymes reduced after PQ treatment in the two species, with the exception of POX and SOD in R. glutinosa, which increased by about 40%. Interestingly, the activities of APX, SOD and POX in R. glutinosa, relative to those in soybeans, were further increased by 49, 67 and 93% after PQ treatment. The considerably higher intrinsic levels, and increases in the relative activities of antioxidant enzymes in R. glutinosa under oxidative stress support the possible role of these enzymes in the PQ tolerance of R. glutinosa. However, the relatively lower levels of SOD versus PQ tolerance, and the mixed responses of antioxidant enzymes to stresses and hormones, suggest a possible alternative mechanism(s) for PQ tolerance in R. glutinosa.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.342-348
• /
• 2014

This study was conducted to examine the effects of condensed tannins (CT) from Ficus bengalensis leaves on the feed utilization, milk production and health status of crossbred cows. Eighteen crossbred dairy cows at their second and mid lactation (avg. BW $351.6{\pm}10.6$ kg) were randomly divided into two groups of nine each in a completely randomized block design and fed two iso-nitrogenous supplements formulated to contain 0% and 1.5% CT through dried and ground leaves of Ficus bengalensis. The diets were designated as CON and FBLM, respectively and fed to cows with a basal diet of rice straw to meet requirements for maintenance and milk production. The daily milk yield was significantly (p<0.05) increased due to supplementation of FBLM diet. The 4% fat corrected milk yield was also significantly (p<0.01) higher due to increased (p<0.05) milk fat in cows under diet FBLM as compared to CON. The inclusion of CT at 1.5% in the supplement did not interfere with the feed intake or digestibility of DM, OM, CP, EE, NDF, and ADF by lactating cows. Digestible crude protein (DCP) and total digestible nutrients (TDN) values of the composite diets were comparable between the groups. The blood biochemical parameters remained unaltered except significantly (p<0.05) lowered serum urea concentration in cows fed FBLM diet. There was a significant (p<0.05) increase intracellular reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activity in cows supplemented with condensed tannins. The total thiol group (T-SH) was found to be higher with reduction in lipid peroxidation (LPO) in cows of FBLM group. The cost of feeding per kg milk production was also reduced due to supplementation of Ficus bengalensis leaves. Therefore, a perceptible positive impact was evident on milk production and antioxidant status in crossbred cows during mid-lactation given supplement containing 1.5% CT through Ficus bengalensis leaves.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.50 no.6
• /
• pp.750-755
• /
• 2017

Flatfish Paralichthys olivaceus raised in biofloc system (mean length $27.6{\pm}3.1cm$, mean weight $280.4{\pm}26.5g$) were exposed for to different concentrations of ammonia (0, 8, 16, 32, and $64mg\;{NH_4}^+/L$) for 7 days. Following ammonia exposure, hematological parameters such as hemoglobin and hematocrit were significantly reduced. Plasma components such as magnesium, glucose, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransaminase (ALT) were significantly altered by ammonia exposure, whereas there were no significant changes in calcium, cholesterol, or total protein. Antioxidant responses, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) levels were significantly elevated following ammonia exposure. The results of this study indicate that ammonia exposure induces significant changes in hematological parameters and antioxidant responses in biofloc-reared Paralichthys olivaceus as a toxic response.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.277-284
• /
• 2014

The ethanol extraction yield of Meliae toosendan fructus(MT) was about 24.5% by extract apparatus. This study was done to investigate the carbohydrate metabolism related enzyme activities and antioxidative effects of MT in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. The contents of serum glucose, triglyceride (TG) were significantly decreaed in MT treated group compared to the those of STZ-control group, also content of Total cholesterol was decreased. High density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol was increased in MT treated group. The activity of glucose-6-pase(G-6-Pase) was significantly decreased in MT treated group. Also the activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase(G-6-PDH) and glucokinase(Gk) were increaed in MT treated group. The content of hepatic glycogen was significantly increaed in MT treated group, in addition, content of malondialdehyde(MDA) was significanly decreased in MT treated group. Also, content of glutathione(GSH)was dereased in MT treated froup. whereas, activity of catalase(CAT) was significantly increaed in MT treated group compared to the those of STZ-control group. activity of glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px) was inecreaed. In conclusion, these results indicated that ethanol extract of MT would have carbohydrate metabolism antioxidative effects in STZ-induced diabetic rats.