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Oral cancer accounts for 3-5% of all cancers worldwide. The present study was undertaken to investigate the correlation between overexpression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and various grades of oral cancer, and to ascertain the inhibitory effect of propolis in the human oral carcinoma cell line. For ex vivo studies, 45 patients with oral submucous fibrosis (OSF; n=15), oral leukoplakia (OLP; n=18) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC; n=18) were recruited, and a biopsy was done to determine COX-2 protein expression by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry (IHC). For the in vitro study, COX-2 levels were measured in human oral epidermal carcinoma cell line by immune blotting and IHC. The results of ex vivo studies by Western blotting revealed that COX-2 protein levels were highly upregulated in OSCC tissue, followed by OLP and OSF. The levels of COX-2 expression also showed a positive correlation with the grade (severity) of each oral precancerous and cancerous condition. Immunohistochemistry analysis revealed the presence of intense COX-2 staining in the cells of OSCC tissue, equivalent to the OLP and OSF specimens. In the in vitro study of oral carcinoma KB cells, Western blotting and IHC analysis showed that caffeic acid phenyl ester (CAPE)-rich propolis and celecoxib, a standard COX-2 inhibitor, markedly downregulated COX-2 expression. These results suggest that propolis exhibits a chemopreventive potential by lowering COX-2 expression in the oral carcinoma KB cell line. Hence, propolis might be used as an adjuvant therapy for treating oral cancer with standard chemotherapy drugs.

Evidence suggests that eating nuts may reduce the risk of CVD. This study was intended to pool the data of all randomised controlled trials (RCT) available to determine if pistachios confer a beneficial effect on anthropometric indices, inflammatory markers, endothelial dysfunction and blood pressure. Without language restriction, PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library and Web of Science were searched for articles published from the earliest records to June 2019 investigating the effect of pistachio consumption on inflammation, endothelial dysfunction and hypertension. Mean difference (MD) was pooled using a random effects model. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to evaluate the quality of the studies. The meta-analysis of thirteen RCT with 563 participants indicated that pistachio consumption significantly decreased systolic blood pressure (SBP) (MD: −2·12 mmHg, 95 % CI −3·65, −0·59, P = 0·007), whereas changes in flow-mediated dilation (MD: 0·94 %, 95 % CI −0·99, 2·86, P = 0·813), diastolic blood pressure (MD: 0·32 mmHg, 95 % CI −1·37, 2·02, P = 0·707), C-reactive protein (MD: 0·00 mg/l, 95 % CI −0·21, 0·23, P = 0·942), TNF-α (MD: −0·09 pg/ml, 95 % CI −0·38, 0·20, P = 0·541), body weight (MD: 0·09 kg, 95 % CI −0·38, 0·69, P = 0·697), BMI (MD: 0·07 kg/m2, 95 % CI −0·16, 0·31, P = 0·553) and waist circumference (MD: 0·77 cm, 95 % CI −0·09, 1·64, P = 0·140) were not statistically significant. This systematic review and meta-analysis suggested the efficacy of pistachio consumption to reduce SBP levels. However, further large-scale studies are needed to confirm these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study aims to explore the anti-inflammatory activity of Chlorella pyrenoidosa on RAW 267.4 cells and followed by a cross-over clinical trial in healthy subjects to check the antioxidant and anti-aging properties of Chlorella water extract (CWE). For the clinical trial, 44 healthy subjects were requested to consume 27 ml of either placebo or CWE for 90 days (phase I) and vice-versa manner for 90 days (phase II) with 4 weeks of washout period. The RAW 264.7 macrophages treated with Chlorella display potent anti-inflammatory activity by significantly downregulating (p < .05) the protein expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase- 2 (COX-2). Whereas, the subjects supplemented with CWE showed improved (p < .05) antioxidant status (TEAC, SOD, CAT, and DHEAs) and lower (p < .05) oxidative stress/aging markers (TBARS and 8-OHdG) as well as considerably (p < .05) protected liver (by lowering GOT and GPT). Thus, consumption of chlorella could significantly improve the overall health status by suppressing various oxidative stress markers and aging stress markers. Practical applications: Chlorella is considered as a popular functional food owing to its rich nutrient value and its array of biological activities. Numerous studies indicated that treatment with Chlorella spp. would considerably lower oxidative stress, inflammation, and regulate immune response which might contribute to anti-aging property in various cell and animal models. Based on the above information, we expected that Chlorella would be a better contender for the development of a novel anti-aging agent. Hence, we designed this clinical trial to assess the beneficial effects of Chlorella pyrenoidosa especially anti-aging. In agreement with our hypothesis, our results also showed that subjected supplemented with Chlorella water extract could significantly improve overall health status by suppressing various oxidative stress markers and aging stress. markers. Hence, Chlorella could be developed into a novel anti-aging agent. In the future, it can be prescribed with standard anti-aging agents to improve the overall health status of the elderly population. However, large-scale clinical studies are needed to confirm our statements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]