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The family Bignoniaceae includes Handroanthus impetiginosus trees, which are sparsely distributed in the northeast of Brazil. Natural products play a vital role in the discovery of drugs for various diseases. Many plants have been used as sources of medicines because of their chemical diversity and potent bioactivity. Handroanthus impetiginosus has been used traditionally to cure a wide range of illnesses, such as cancer, oxidative stress, and inflammation. This work highlights the cytotoxicity, cell death, and routes of apoptosis in lung cancer cells (A549) and the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of roasted Handroanthus impetiginosus (lapacho/taheebo) in normal cells. The cell viability assay indicated that puffing roasted taheebo is nontoxic to a normal cell line up to 500 µg/mL but significantly toxic to A549 cells. The roasted lapacho/taheebo also increases reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in A549 lung cancer cells, and cellular apoptosis via a mitochondrial intrinsic pathway was confirmed. The roasted lapacho/taheebo significantly inhibited both colony formation and cell migration ability, highlighting its potential as an anticancer agent. Additionally, this study demonstrates that roasted taheebo enhanced the expression of genes for BAX accumulation and decreased Bcl-2 gene expression through the p53 signaling pathway. Furthermore, research on the anti-inflammatory properties of roasted taheebo revealed a strong NO inhibition as well as the inhibition of inflammatory mediators (TNF-α, iNOS, COX-2, IL-6, and IL-8) through the NF-κB signaling pathway. However, in H2O2-induced HaCaT cells, roasted taheebo extract significantly reduced oxidative stress by upregulating the level of expression of antioxidative markers (SOD, CAT, GPx, and GST) at 50 μg/mL. As a result, roasted taheebo justifies investigation in animal and clinical trials as a possible source of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory substances, and anti-cancer compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biogenic synthesis using medicinal plants has less harmful effects as compared to the chemical synthesis of nanoparticles. Here, for the first time, we successfully demonstrated the eco-friendly synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using an aqueous extract of Cissus antractica. The green synthesis method offers great potential for developing new medications that enhance drug bioavailability. The current work highlighted the cytotoxicity, cell death, and routes of apoptosis in lung cancer cells (A549) and inflammatory effects through synthesizing zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) from the Cissus antractica plant using an eco-friendly methodology. UV–visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were also used to characterize the synthesized ZnO nanoparticles. The average size of the NPs was 100 nm, and the NPs were crystalline in nature, as confirmed by FE-TEM and XRD analysis, respectively. In addition, the morphology of the nanoparticles analyzed by FE-TEM showed a spherical shape. The cell viability assay indicated that CA-ZnO NPs are non-toxic to normal cell lines at concentrations up to 20 µg/mL but showed significant toxicity in the A549 cell line. The nanoformulation also increased the ROS generation level in A549 lung cancer cells, and cellular apoptosis was confirmed via Hoechst and PI staining. The CA-ZnO NPs showed significant colony inhibition as well as cell migration ability that highlighted the CA-ZnO NPs as an anticancer agent. Additionally, this study demonstrated that NPs reduced the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and enhanced the expression of genes for BAX accumulation by releasing Cyto-c, but decreased Bcl-2 gene expression via the mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis pathway. In addition, the anti-inflammatory effect was also investigated; the CA-ZnO NPs showed significant NO inhibition ability with suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, iNOS, COX-2, IL-6, IL-8). In conclusion, Cissus antractica can be a source of significant Nano drugs with more advanced research in order to develop future anti-inflammatory and anticancer medications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The family Thymelaeaceae, which includes huge evergreen trees that are sparsely distributed in tropical rainforests, includes the genus Aquilaria. Numerous medical conditions, including inflammation, cancer, and oxidative stress have been traditionally treated using Aquilaria agallocha and Aquilaria malaccensis. In this study, we evaluated in silico and biological activity with A. agallocha and A. malaccensis sample for more conformation. Raw 264.7 macrophage cells and HacaT cells were used, together with the MTT, ROS, NO, and wound healing assays, to investigate the possible cytotoxicity in A549 lung cancer. Thus, A. agallocha and A. malaccensis showed significant cytotoxicity against A549 cancer cells at 1000 µg/mL. Furthermore, we observed an elevated ROS level in cancer cells. The wound healing assay showed cancer cell inhibition activity. While BCL-2 decreased in the intrinsic route, p53, Bax, Caspase 3, and Caspase 9 were elevated by A.A and A.M. Additionally, we have also conducted an in silico evaluation followed by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, along with ADMET and biological activity prediction to further validate the experimental results. In normal cells, both samples showed less toxicity at 1000 µg/mL and suppressed the LPS-treated NO and ROS levels against the inflammation. Additionally, A.A and A.M suppressed the pro-inflammatory gene expression of COX-2, iNOS, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-8 in RAW 264.7 cells. On the other hand, A.A and A.M extract effectively suppressed oxidative stress by increasing the antioxidative gene expression in H2O2-induced HaCat cells at 50 μg/mL. This study revealed that the plant extracts from A. agallocha and A. malaccensis could exert a cytotoxic effect on lung adenocarcinoma cells through the activation of an intrinsic signaling pathway. Moreover, it could be a potential source of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-cancer agents after consideration of in vivo and clinical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postmenopausal women experience several symptoms, including inflammation and a sharp rise in oxidative stress caused by estrogen deprivation. Although estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) is generally regarded as an effective treatment for menopause, it has been used less frequently due to some adverse effects and high costs. Therefore, there is an immediate need to develop an effective herbal-based treatment that is affordable for low-income populations. Acordingly, this study explored the estrogen-like properties of methanol extracts from Cynanchum wilfordii (CW) and Poligonum multiflorum (PM), two important medicinal plants in Republic of Korea, Japan, and China. Due to the similar names and morphologies of these two radixes, they are frequently confused in the marketplace. Our previous colleagues discriminated between these two plants. In this study, we investigated the estrogenic activity of PM and CW using several in vitro assays with their possible mechanism of action. First, their phytochemical contents, such as gallic acid, 2,3,5,4′-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-glucoside (TSG) and emodin, were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Secondly, estrogen-like activity was assessed utilizing the well-known E-screen test and gene expression analysis in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive MCF7 cells. ROS inhibition and anti-inflammatory effects were analyzed using HaCaT and Raw 264.7 cells, respectively. Our findings demonstrate that PM extracts significantly increased the expression of the estrogen-dependent genes (ERα, ERβ, pS2) and boosted MCF7 cell proliferation in comparison to CW extracts. Additionally, PM extract demonstrated a significant reduction in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production as well as an enhanced antioxidant profile compared to the CW extract. Further, the PM extract treatment significantly reduced the generation of nitric oxide (NO) in RAW 264.7 cells, a murine macrophage cell line, demonstrating the anti-inflammatory properties of the extract. Finally, this research offers an experimental foundation for the use of PM as a phytoestrogen to minimize menopausal symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unique and tailorable physicochemical features of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) synthesized from green sources make them attractive for use in cancer treatment. Hydroponic-cultured ginseng-root-synthesized ZnO-NPs (HGRCm-ZnO NPs) were coated with O-carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC) polymer, which stabilized and enhanced the biological efficacy of the nanoparticles. Nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The flower-shaped nanoparticles were crystalline in nature with a particle size of 28 nm. To evaluate if these NPs had anti-lung cancer activity, analysis was performed on a human lung carcinoma cell line (A549). HGRCm-ZnO nanoparticles showed less toxicity to normal keratinocytes (HaCaTs), at concentrations up to 20 µg/mL, than A549 cancer cells. Additionally, these NPs showed dose-dependent colony formation and cell migration inhibition ability, which makes them more promising for lung cancer treatment. Additionally, Hoechst and propidium iodide dye staining also confirmed that the NP formulation had apoptotic activity in cancer cells. Further, to evaluate the mechanism of cancer cell death via checking the gene expression, HGRCm ZnO NPs upregulated the BAX and Caspase 3 and 9 expression levels but downregulated Bcl-2 expression, indicating that the nanoformulation induced mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis. Moreover, these preliminary results suggest that HGRCm ZnO NPs can be a potential candidate for future lung cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ginsenoside Rh1 (G-Rh1), a possible bioactive substance isolated from the Korean Panax ginseng Meyer, has a wide range of pharmacological effects. In this study, we have investigated the anticancer efficacy of G-Rh1 via in silico and in vitro methodologies. This study mainly focuses on the two metastatic regulators, Rho-associated protein kinase 1 (ROCK1) and RhoA, along with other standard apoptosis regulators. The ROCK1 protein is a member of the active serine/threonine kinase family that is crucial for many biological processes, including cell division, differentiation, and death, as well as many cellular processes and muscle contraction. The abnormal activation of ROCK1 kinase causes several disorders, whereas numerous studies have also shown that RhoA is expressed highly in various cancers, including colon, lung, ovarian, gastric, and liver malignancies. Hence, inhibiting both ROCK1 and RhoA will be promising in preventing metastasis. Therefore, the molecular level interaction of G-Rh1 with the ROCK1 and RhoA active site residues from the preliminary screening clearly shows its inhibitory potential. Molecular dynamics simulation and principal component analysis give essential insights for comprehending the conformational changes that result from G-Rh1 binding to ROCK1 and RhoA. Further, MTT assay was employed to examine the potential cytotoxicity in vitro against human lung cancer cells (A549) and Raw 264.7 Murine macrophage cells. Thus, G-Rh1 showed significant cytotoxicity against human lung adenocarcinoma (A549) at 100 µg/mL. In addition, we observed an elevated level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, perhaps promoting cancer cell toxicity. Additionally, G-Rh1 suppressed the mRNA expression of RhoA, ROCK1, MMP1, and MMP9 in cancer cell. Accordingly, G-Rh1 upregulated the p53, Bax, Caspase 3, caspase 9 while Bcl2 is downregulated intrinsic pathway. The findings from our study propose that the anticancer activity of G-Rh1 may be related to the induction of apoptosis by the RhoA/ROCK1 signaling pathway. As a result, this study evaluated the functional drug-like compound G-Rh1 from Panax ginseng in preventing and treating lung cancer adenocarcinoma via regulating metastasis and apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ginseng and ginsenosides have been reported to have various pharmacological effects, but their efficacies depend on intestinal absorption. Compound K (CK) is gaining prominence for its biological and pharmaceutical properties. In this study, CK-enriched fermented red ginseng extract (DDK-401) was prepared by enzymatic reactions. To examine its pharmacokinetics, a randomized, singledose, two-sequence, crossover study was performed with eleven healthy Korean male and female volunteers. The volunteers were assigned to take a single oral dose of one of two extracts, DDK-401 or common red ginseng extract (DDK-204), during the initial period. After a 7-day washout, they received the other extract. The pharmacokinetics of DDK-401 showed that its maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) occurred at 184.8 ± 39.64 ng/mL, Tmax was at 2.4 h, and AUC0-12h was 920.3 ± 194.70 ng h/mL, which were all better than those of DDK-204. The maximum CK absorption in the female volunteers was higher than that in the male volunteers. The differentially expressed genes from the male and female groups were subjected to a KEGG pathway analysis, which showed results in the cell death pathway, such as apoptosis and necroptosis. In cytotoxicity tests, DDK-401 and DDK- 204 were not particularly toxic to normal (HaCaT) cells, but at a concentration of 250 μg/mL, DDK-401 had a much higher toxicity to human lung cancer (A549) cells than DDK-204. DDK-401 also showed a stronger antioxidant capacity than DDK-204 in both the DPPH and potassium ferricyanide reducing power assays. DDK-401 reduced the reactive oxygen species production in HaCaT cells with induced oxidative stress and led to apoptosis in the A549 cells. In the mRNA sequence analysis, a signaling pathway with selected marker genes was assessed by RT-PCR. In the HaCaT cells, DDK-401 and DDK-204 did not regulate FOXO3, TLR4, MMP-9, or p38 expression; however, in the A549 cells, DDK-401 downregulated the expressions of MMP9 and TLR4 as well as upregulated the expressions of the p38 and caspase-8 genes compared to DDK-204. These results suggest that DDK- 401 could act as a molecular switch for these two cellular processes in response to cell damage signaling and that it could be a potential candidate for further evaluations in health promotion studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orchid-flower-shaped ZnO nanomaterials were successfully synthesized via green synthesis and an eco-friendly approach using an aqueous extract of Lycium chinense fruit as a reducing and capping agent. The synthesized Lycium chinense orchid-flower-shaped ZnO (LC-ZnO/OF) nanoparticles (NPs) were characterized using different analytical methods through X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and photoluminescence (PL). The FE-TEM analysis revealed the orchid flower shape of the nanoparticles, and the elemental composition was confirmed via XPS analysis. The photocatalytic activity of the nanoparticles was determined by the degrading cationic dye methylene blue (MB) and the anionic dye Eosin Y (EY) under visible light irradiation at (400 w) within 180 min time, where it showed a significant ability to degrade both cationic and anionic dye by almost 50%. The LC-ZnO/OF photocatalyst was also used to check the toxicity level in human cancer cells, where it exhibited remarkable cytotoxicity to the human lung cancer (A549 cell line) and human gastric adenocarcinoma hyperdiploid (AGS cell line). The present investigation suggests that LC-ZnO/OF has the potential photocatalytic ability to degrade toxic dye as well as have anti-cancer effects. These preliminary results suggest that LC-ZnO/OF could have a significant impact on the environmental and biomedical fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoscience is a multidisciplinary skill with elucidated nanoscale particles and their advantages in applications to various fields. Owing to their economical synthesis, biocompatible nature, and widespread biomedical and environmental applications, the green synthesis of metal nanoparticles using medicinal plants has become a potential research area in biomedical research and functional food formulations. Gynostemma pentaphyllum (GP) has been extensively used in traditional Chinese medicine to cure several diseases, including diabetes mellitus (DM). This is the first study in which we examined the efficacy of G. pentaphyllum gold nanoparticles (GP-AuNPs) against obesity and related inflammation. GP extract was used as a capping agent to reduce Au2+ to Au0 to form stable gold nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were characterized by using UV–VIS spectroscopy, and TEM images were used to analyze morphology. In contrast, the existence of the functional group was measured using FTIR, and size and shape were examined using XRD analysis. In vitro analysis on GP-AuNPs was nontoxic to RAW 264.7 cells and 3T3-L1 cells up to a specific concentration. It significantly decreased lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 obese and reduced NO production in Raw 264.7 macrophage cells. The significant adipogenic genes PPARγ and CEPBα and a major pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α expression were quantified using RT-PCR. The GP-AuNPs decreased the face of these genes remarkably, revealing the antiadipogenic and anti-inflammatory activity of our synthesized GP-AuNPs. This study represents thorough research on the antiobesity effect of Gynostemma pentaphyllum gold nanoparticles synthesized using a green approach and the efficacy instead of related inflammatory responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terminalia ferdinandiana (Kakadu plum) is an Australian native plant that has recently gained the attention of researchers due to its highly antioxidant compounds that have substantial health benefits. To raise the value, in this study, it is used for the first time to synthesize ZnO nanoparticles for anti-lung cancer and anti-inflammatory activities. The formation of KKD-ZnO-NPs (ZnO particles obtained from Kakadu plum) were confirmed using a UV-Visible spectrophotometer. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis confirmed the functional groups that are responsible for the stabilization and capping of KKD-ZnO-NPs. The flower shape of the synthesized KKD-ZnO-NPs was confirmed by field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and field emission-transmission electron microscopy (FE-TEM) analyses. The crystallites were highly pure and had an average size of 21.89 nm as measured by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The dynamic light scattering (DLS) revealed size range of polydisperse KKD-ZnO-NPs was 676.65 ± 47.23 nm with a PDI of 0.41 ± 0.0634. Furthermore, the potential cytotoxicity was investigated in vitro against human lung cancer cell lines (A549) and Raw 264.7 Murine macrophages cells as normal cells to ensure safety purposes using MTT assay. Thus, KKD-ZnO-NPs showed prominent cytotoxicity against human lung adenocarcinoma (A549) at 10 μg/mL and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production as well, which could promote toxicity to cancer cells. Moreover, upregulation of p53 and downregulation of bcl2 gene expression as apoptosis regulators were confirmed via RT-PCR. In addition, KKD-ZnO-NPs possess a similar capacity of reduction in proinflammatory-nitric oxide (NO) production when compared to the L-NMMA as inflammation's inhibitor, indicating anti-inflammatory potential. Incorporation of Kakadu plum extract as reducing and stabilizing agents enabled the green synthesis of flower-shaped KKD-ZnO-NPs that could be an initiative development of effective cancer therapy drug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focused on developing Panos nanoemulsion (P-NE) and enhancing the anti-inflammatory efficacy for the treatment of inflammation. The effects of P-NE were evaluated in terms of Nitric oxide (NO production) in Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), induced RAW 264.7 cells, Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation using Human Keratinocyte cells (HaCaT), and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis. Sea buckthorn oil, Tween 80, and span 80 were used and optimize the process. Panos extract (P-Ext) was prepared using the fermentation process. Further high-energy ultra-sonication was used for the preparation of P-NE. The developed nanoemulsion (NE) was characterized using different analytical methods. Field emission transmission electron microscopy (FE-TEM) analyzed the spherical shape and morphology. In addition, stability was analyzed by Dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis, where particle size was analyzed 83 nm, and Zeta potential −28.20 ± 2 (mV). Furthermore, 90 days of stability was tested using different temperatures conditions where excellent stability was observed. P-NE are non-toxic in (HaCaT), and RAW264.7 cells up to 100 µg/mL further showed effects on ROS and NO production of the cells at 50 µg/mL. The qPCR analysis demonstrated the suppression of pro-inflammatory mediators for (Cox 2, IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α, NF-κB, Ikkα, and iNOS) gene expression. The prepared NE exhibited anti-inflammatory effects, demonstrating its potential as a safe and non-toxic nanomedicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]