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This study revealed the potential of magnesium whitlockite [WH: Ca 18 Mg 2 (HPO 4 ) 2 (PO 4 ) 12 ] nanoparticles (WH NPs) for anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer therapies. Although magnesium whitlockite possesses promising biological properties, its effects on inflammation and cancer remain unexplored. In this study, we address this gap by synthesizing WH NPs and demonstrating their multifaceted functionalities. Through detailed characterization, we revealed the synthesis pathway involving brushite as a precursor, with magnesium ions incorporated during hydrothermal treatment. WH NPs exhibited anti-inflammatory properties by significantly reducing the production of key inflammatory markers (NO, TNF-α, and IL-6). Furthermore, they display promising anti-cancer activity by inhibiting the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Our findings not only establish a deeper understanding of WH NP synthesis but also highlight their potential for the development of innovative cancer and inflammatory treatments., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective and Design: β-Caryophyllene (BCP) is a sesquiterpene that binds to the cannabinoid 2 (CB 2 ) receptor and exerts anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of BCP and another CB 2 agonist, GP1a in inflammatory experimental model induced by Mycobacterium bovis (BCG)., Methods: C57Bl/6 mice were pretreated orally with BCP (0.5-50 mg/kg) or intraperitonealy with GP1a (10 mg/kg) 1 h before the induction of pleurisy or pulmonary inflammation by BCG. The direct action of CB 2 agonists on neutrophils function was evaluated in vitro., Results: β-Caryophyllene (50 mg/kg) impaired BCG-induced neutrophil accumulation in pleurisy without affecting mononuclear cells or the production of TNF-α and CCL2/MCP-1. However, BCP inhibited CXCL1/KC, leukotriene B 4 (LTB 4 ), IL-12, and nitric oxide production. GP1a had a similar effect to BCP. Preincubation of neutrophils with BCP (10 µM) impaired chemotaxis toward LTB 4 and adhesion to endothelial cells stimulated with TNF-α, and both, BCP and GP1a, impaired LTB 4 -induced actin polymerization., Conclusion: These results suggest that the CB 2 receptor may represent a new target for modulating the inflammatory reaction induced by mycobacteria.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Schinus terebinthifolius is a species of plant from the Anacardiaceae family, which can be found in different regions of Brazil. Schinus is popularly known as aroeirinha, aroeira-vermelha, or Brazilian pepper. In folk medicine, S. terebinthifolius is used for several disorders, including inflammatory conditions, skin wounds, mucosal membrane ulcers, respiratory problems, gout, tumors, diarrhea and arthritis. According to chemical analyses, gallic acid, methyl gallate and pentagalloylglucose are the main components of hydroalcoholic extracts from S. terebinthifolius leaves. In the present study, we demonstrated the ability of a hydroalcoholic extract to inhibit cell migration in arthritis and investigated the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon., Materials and Methods: The anti-inflammatory effect of S. terebinthifolius hydroalcoholic leaf extract (ST-70) was investigated in a zymosan-induced experimental model of inflammation. Male Swiss and C57Bl/6 mice received zymosan (100 µg/cavity) via intra-thoracic (i.t.) or intra-articular (i.a.) injection after oral pre-treatment with ST-70. The direct action of ST-70 on neutrophils was evaluated via chemotaxis., Results: ST-70 exhibited a dose-dependent effect in the pleurisy model. The median effective dose (ED50) was 100mg/kg, which inhibited 70% of neutrophil accumulation when compared with the control group. ST-70 reduced joint diameter and neutrophil influx for synovial tissues at 6h and 24h in zymosan-induced arthritis. Additionally, ST-70 inhibited synovial interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, keratinocyte-derived chemokine (CXCL1/KC) and Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-α production at 6h and CXCL1/KC and IL-1β production at 24h. The direct activity of ST-70 on neutrophils was observed via the impairment of CXCL1/KC-induced chemotaxis in neutrophils. Oral administration of ST-70 did not induce gastric damage. Daily administration for twenty days did not kill any animals. In contrast, similar administrations of diclofenac induced gastric damage and killed all animals by the fifth day., Conclusions: Our results demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory effects of ST-70, suggesting a putative use of this herb for the development of phytomedicines to treat inflammatory diseases, such as joint inflammation., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)