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In the present study, the anti-oxidant and cytotoxic effects of the different solvent extracts of Pogostemon mollis were analyzed. The phenolic, tannin and flavonoid contents were highest in the ethyl acetate extract and analogous to the antioxidant activity results. The extracts showed activities similar to the standard anti-oxidants. The extent to which the extracts protect free radical damage on DNA was evaluated and showed good genoprotective effects. Bacterial cells and fungal spores and hyphae showed visible damages due to the treatment of ethyl acetate extract. Finally, in the cytotoxic analysis, IC50 value was calculated based on the absorbance value of different concentrations. It concluded that P. mollis is a prospective candidate for the various therapeutic applications especially its ethyl acetate extract.

The study aimed to reveal the phytochemical profile, free radical scavenging potential, and anticancer activity of Solanum lycopersicum L. leaf extract (SLLE). According to the study, SLLE contains plant secondary metabolites that are beneficial for health, like phenolics, flavonoids, ascorbic acid, alkaloids, and terpenoids. The SLLE has shown potential free radical scavenging potential in DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging analysis and its EC50 values (concentration required to inhibit 50% of free radicals) were determined as 481.29 ± 33.82 and 527.56 ± 20.34 µg/mL, respectively. The SLLE has the ability to scavenge free radicals and could be used to treat illnesses brought on by oxidative stress. The anticancer activity of SLLE was assessed by MTT, LDH, micro-morphological, live/dead dual staining, and caspase-3 analysis. In the MTT assay, the IC50 value (concentration required to inhibit 50% of cell viability) of SLLE was determined as 190.41 ± 4.77 µg/mL. Furthermore, SLLE has shown potential anticancer activity by adversely affecting the plasma membrane integrity and escalating the caspase-3 levels. In the biomedical field, SLLE could be highly useful to treat cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last few decades, hydroxyapatite (HA) has become one of the most highly prized biominerals in the biomedical industry for orthopedic and dental applications. The focus of this research was to synthesize biomimetic HA from Tridax procumbens (TP) leaf extract and investigate their antibiofilm properties. The HA was made using the sol-gel method and the HA-TP biocomposite was made by precipitation method. The d.nm size of HA and HA-TP biocomposite was determined as 193.28 and 258.14 d.nm, respectively. The zeta potential of HA and HA-TP biocomposite was determined as -21.2 and -18.3 mV, respectively, and found highly stable. The FTIR study revealed that phytochemicals of TP were successfully impregnated into HA-TP biocomposite. The HA and HA-TP biocomposite were found spherical and agglomerated from SEM analysis. In HR-TEM analysis, the average diameter of the HA and HA-TP biocomposite were 16.57 - 64.22 nm and 51.71 - 138.68 nm, respectively. According to the EDX analysis, HA is primarily composed of calcium, oxygen, and phosphate, whereas, HA-TP biocomposite is primarily composed of calcium, phosphate, oxygen, and carbon. In the antioxidant assay, the IC50 value (concentration required to scavenge 50% of free radicals) of HA-TP biocomposite was determined as 156.69 ± 14.02 and 180.21 ± 12.84 µg/mL in DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging assays, respectively. The MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) and MBC (minimum bactericidal concentration) of assynthesized HA-TP biocomposite against Staphylococcus aureus - ATCC 13565 and Escherichia coli - MTCC 41 were observed as 181.09 ± 21.47 and 317.30 ± 41.03, and 157.59 ± 32.18 and 264.03 ± 21.58 µg/mL, respectively. The assynthesized HA-TP biocomposite has detrimentally affected the biofilm formation of both the tested bacteria S. aureus - ATCC 13565 and E. coli -- MTCC 41. The study concluded that the as-synthesized HA-TP biocomposite could be highly helpful in the biomedical field for alleviating oxidative-stress-related disorders and inhibiting microbial biofilm formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research focused on the green, non-toxic, low-cost synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using aqueous extract of Hibiscus tiliaceus leaves as a reducing and stabilizing agent. Thus, synthesized ZnO NPs were characterized by nanotechnological applications, i.e., ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). The nanotechnological applications showed that as-synthesized ZnO NPs have bandgap energy of 2.97 eV, zeta potential of -1.2 mV, crystalline in nature (JCPDS data card no-89-1397), and an average size of 30 to 60 nm. The FTIR showed that ZnO NPs have coated with plant secondary metabolites and assisted in the process of green synthesis. The ZnO NPs exhibited broad-spectrum antibacterial activity on Gram-positive and Gramnegative bacteria. The ZnO NPs showed potential anticancer activity against human breast cancer cells MCF-7 and determined the IC50 value as 65.83 ± 2.57 µg/mL by MTT assay. Furthermore, ZnO NPs were used as nano-catalyst for dye degradation of methylene blue, methyl orange, and malachite green with NABH4 as a reducing agent. The ZnO NPs exhibited potent dye degradation capability and followed pseudo-first order kinetics. The study concluded that ZnO NPs could be highly useful as anticancer and antibacterial agents in the biomedical field, and as an environmental cleaning agent for dye degradation in textile industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study is directed to establish the minimizing effects of Syzygium aromaticum, Ocimum sanctum, and Cananga odorata essential oils on the growth and ochratoxin A (OTA) level of Aspergillus ochraceus and Penicillium verrucosum in maize grains. S. aromaticum essential oil (SAEO), O. sanctum essential oil (OSEO), and C. odorata essential oil (COEO) were extracted by hydro-distillation technique, and a total of 50, 44, and 48 chemical constituents were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), respectively. The SAEO and OSEO belong to the chemotype of eugenol, whereas, COEO was found to be the chemotype of thymol, limonene, and a-ylangene. The antifungal activity of essential oils (EOs) was determined by the micro-well dilution technique. The SAEO showed superior antifungal activity compared to OSEO, COEO, and synthetic antifungal agent nystatin, and its minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) values against A. ochraceous and P. verrucosum were noticed as 1251 ± 42.32 and 1878 ± 28.47 µg/mL, and 0815 ± 22.69 and 1146 ± 51.19 µg/mL, respectively. The antifungal mechanism of EOs was unveiled by assessing the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), ergosterol content, and membrane integrity. The antifungal investigations found that EOs caused fungal mortality by increasing the intracellular ROS, depleting ergosterol synthesis, and distracting membrane integrity. Finally, antifungal and antimycotoxin activity of EOs was demonstrated in maize grains. The SAEO, OSEO, and COEO have reduced the complete fungal growth and OTA level of A. ochraceous and P. verrucosum correspondingly at 2500 and 2500, 3500 and 2500, and 3500 and 3500 µg/g in maize. The EOs could act as natural antifungal agents; protect foodstuffs from fungal infection and mycotoxins during storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The strain VSM-25 with an exhilarating bioactive potential isolated during our systematic screening of marine actinomycetes was identified as Streptomonospora arabica based on polyphasic taxonomy. The ethyl acetate extract of culture filtrate was purified by silica gel column chromatography. The chemical structure of active compounds was determined by NMR, FTIR, and ESIMS and were established as Indole-3-carboxaldehyde (C1), 2, 3-dihydroxy benzoic acid (C2), Vanillic acid (C3), Daidzein (C4), and 3, 4-Dihydroxy benzaldehyde (C5). The antimicrobial activities of the compounds were tested against medicinally and agriculturally significant bacteria and fungi. C1 displayed a high inhibitory effect against bacteria and fungi to that of the other compounds tested. C5 exerted the strongest scavenging activity of free radicals such as DPPH and NO at a concentration of 400 μg/mL. C1 inhibited alpha-amylase effectively at 400 μg/mL although it was less potent than acarbose. C3 and C4 exerted significant anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic activities at 400 μg/mL. The anti-inflammatory activity of compound C3 was found to be more potent than Diclofenac sodium, the reference drug. MTT assays of five compounds against MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cell lines using taxol as standard documented cytotoxicity. C4 showed highest activity of 67.81% and 54.33% (IC50 -1 μg/mL) against MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7. The cytotoxicity of five compounds was also evaluated by soft agar colony forming assay to determine the ability of MDA-MB-231 cells to proliferate while cell cycle arrest at sub G1 and induction of apoptosis was documented with MDAMB- 231 cells after treatment with C1, C2, C3, C4, and C5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fourteen new RuII–arene (p‐cymene/benzene) complexes (C1–C14) have been synthesized by varying the N‐terminal substituent in the furoylthiourea ligand and satisfactorily characterized by using analytical and spectroscopic techniques. Electrostatic potential maps predicted that the electronic effect of the substituents was mostly localized, with some influence seen on the labile chloride ligands. The structure–activity relationships of the Ru–p‐cymene and Ru–benzene complexes showed opposite trends. All the complexes were found to be highly toxic towards IMR‐32 cancer cells, with C5 (Ru–p‐cymene complex containing C6H2(CH3)3 as N‐terminal substituent) and C13 (Ru–benzene complex containing C6H4(CF3) as N‐terminal substituent) showing the highest activity among each set of complexes, and hence they were chosen for further study. These complexes showed different behavior in aqueous solutions, and were also found to catalytically oxidize glutathione. They also promoted cell death by apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, the complexes showed good binding ability with the receptors Pim‐1 kinase and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2, commonly overexpressed in cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is one of the most aggressive diseases and is the primary cause of mortality around the world. This can be prevented by combining anti-cancer drugs to reduce the resistance to monotherapy and thereby reduce the toxic effects. Cytotoxic anticancer drugs can potentially elicit cancer cell death by apoptosis or necrosis. Our present study aimed to investigate the combined cytotoxic potential of cisplatin (CDDP) and diallyl disulfide (DADS) on MDAMB-231 breast cancer cell lines. The clonogenic assay was also performed to assess the effects of the drug on the proliferation of breast cancer cells. The results showed that CDDP/DADS (CDDP and DADS) markedly inhibited cell proliferation and significantly reduced the colony formation potential, migration, and invasion abilities of MDA-MB-231 cells. The apoptosis assay confirmed that cell death was through an apoptotic pathway. Cell cycle analysis results indicated that the combination effect of the drugs resulted in arresting cells in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle. Further, the haemolytic assay revealed that the CDDP/DADS is nontoxic to RBCs. In conclusion, combining these two drugs inhibits the oncogenic properties of TNBC cells, including their growth, survival, migration, and invasiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of the research was to synthesize biogenic selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) from A. muricata in an environmentally friendly, non-toxic, biocompatible, and affordable way. The successful synthesis of SeNPs was preliminarily confirmed by the development of brick-red color. The DLS pattern in our investigation revealed that the synthesized SeNPs were nanosized, with sizes ranging from 80 to 120 nm. The zeta potential for SeNPs was found to be -26 mV and indicated that SeNPs were negatively charged. The micromorphology of SeNPs was determined by SEM analysis and found that they were spherical in shape and size of 120 - 160 nm. EDX showed that SeNPs contain selenium (86.22%), carbon (7.30%), and oxygen (3.51%). In antioxidant activity, IC50 values of SeNPs were determined as 58.98 ± 0.70 and 66.10 ± 1.01 µg/mL in DPPH free radical scavenging and ABTS free radical scavenging activities, respectively. In antibacterial activity, SeNPs exhibited potential antibacterial activity by the zone of inhibition assay. The strong antimicrobial activity of SeNPs was observed against Gram-positive bacteria related to Gram-negative bacteria. In the microwell dilution technique, MIC and MBC of SeNPs were found best against Gram-positive bacteria related to Gram-negative bacteria. The assynthesized SeNPs could be highly beneficial as antioxidant and antibacterial agent in the biomedical field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fourteen new Ru II -arene (p-cymene/benzene) complexes (C1-C14) have been synthesized by varying the N-terminal substituent in the furoylthiourea ligand and satisfactorily characterized by using analytical and spectroscopic techniques. Electrostatic potential maps predicted that the electronic effect of the substituents was mostly localized, with some influence seen on the labile chloride ligands. The structure-activity relationships of the Ru-p-cymene and Ru-benzene complexes showed opposite trends. All the complexes were found to be highly toxic towards IMR-32 cancer cells, with C5 (Ru-p-cymene complex containing C 6 H 2 (CH 3 ) 3 as N-terminal substituent) and C13 (Ru-benzene complex containing C 6 H 4 (CF 3 ) as N-terminal substituent) showing the highest activity among each set of complexes, and hence they were chosen for further study. These complexes showed different behavior in aqueous solutions, and were also found to catalytically oxidize glutathione. They also promoted cell death by apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, the complexes showed good binding ability with the receptors Pim-1 kinase and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2, commonly overexpressed in cancer cells., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Eight new organometallic Ru(II)-arene complexes of the type [RuCl 2 (η 6 -arene)(η 1 - S -aroylthiourea)] (arene = p -cymene or benzene) were synthesized in order to evaluate the effect of the arene moiety and the substituent of the aroylthiourea ligand on the cytotoxicity of the complexes. The ligands (L1 and L2) and complexes ( 1-8 ) were characterized using analytical and spectroscopic (UV-visible, infrared, 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, and mass) methods. The structure of the ligands (L1 and L2) and complexes ( 1 and 3-6 ) was obtained from single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The cytotoxicity of the complexes was evaluated against four different cancer cell lines: MCF-7 (breast), COLO 205 (colon), A549 (lung), and IMR-32 (neuroblastoma). All the complexes showed good cytotoxicity and the highest was in the IMR-32 cell line, which articulates the specificity of these complexes toward the IMR-32 cancer cell line. The complexes 5 , 7 , and 8 exhibited remarkable cytotoxicity in the entire cancer cell lines tested, which was comparable with the standard drug, cisplatin. The anticancer mechanism of the complexes 3 and 7 in IMR-32 cells was evaluated by bright-field microscopy, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), DNA damage, and caspase-3 analyses. The cells treated with the complexes showed upregulated caspase-3 compared to the control, and it was found that ROS and MMP were dose-dependent on analysis. Also, bright-field microscopy and 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining have correspondingly shown cellular membrane blebbing and DNA damage, which were morphological hallmarks of apoptosis. The study concluded that the complexes promoted the oxidative stress-mediated apoptotic death of the cancer cells through the generation of intracellular ROS, depletion of MMP, and damage of the nuclear material., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest.