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Peptic ulcer disease is a multifactorial disorder and is the most significant public health concern nowadays. Previous study showed that essential oil extracted from Momordica charantia’s seed exhibited gastroprotective effect. However, the evidence for the gastroprotective effect of its active compound, polypeptide K (PPK), remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the preventive effect of PPK against different experimental gastric lesions models in rats. The possible gastroprotective effect of PPK was assessed in hydrochloride ethanol- and indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer models in Sprague Dawley rats and was further evaluated macroscopically and microscopically. Pyloric ligation experiments were used to investigate gastric secretion. Oral administration of PPK at all concentrations (10, 25, and 50 mg/kg) showed significant p < 0.05 reduction in total area of lesion in both hydrochloride ethanol- and indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer models. The highest inhibition rate was seen in PPK dose of 50 mg/kg with 64.9% and 72.2% on hydrochloride ethanol and indomethacin models, respectively. Microscopically, PPK preserved the normal architectures of the gastric tissues from being damaged by hydrochloride ethanol and indomethacin. Further, in the pyloric ligation studies, PPK significantly p < 0.05 decreased the ulcer area where the highest protection was exhibited by 50 mg/kg with 70% inhibition rate. Moreover, all concentrations of PPK also significantly p < 0.05 enhanced the gastric wall mucus secretion. Collectively, this study demonstrated the gastroprotective effect of PPK on hydrochloride ethanol- and indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer models. The possible mechanism might be associated with enhanced mucus secretion and thus lowering the total acidity.

Activation of the endothelium has been shown to contribute to the early stage of vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis and hypertension. In endothelial activation, excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and increased expression of cell adhesion molecules cause an increase in vascular permeability. Alternanthera sessilis (L.) R. Br. is an edible traditional herbal plant, which has previously been shown to possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the effect of A. sessilis on the activation of human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effects of A. sessilis on endothelial permeability, vascular cell adhesion-1 (VCAM-1) expression, production of ROS and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities. The viability of HAECs was first determined using the MTT viability assay. The effect of A. sessilis on endothelial permeability was examined using the FITC-dextran permeability assay. Besides, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was done to assess soluble VCAM-1 (sVCAM-1) expression. The production of ROS and H2O2 was studied using 2′,7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (H2-DCFDA) and Amplex Red fluorescent dyes, respectively. SOD and CAT activities were also measured using commercial kits. Our results showed that 25–200 μg/mL of A. sessilis ethanolic extract did not cause significant death in HAECs. A. sessilis at 200 μg/mL significantly inhibited TNF-α-induced hyperpermeability of HAECs. However, A. sessilis did not reduce increased VCAM-1 expression induced by TNF-α. A. sessilis also significantly reduced TNF-α-induced increased ROS production, but not H2O2 production. Furthermore, 100 μM of H2O2 decreased both SOD and CAT activities in HAECs at 2 h. A. sessilis ethanolic extract dramatically increased both reduced SOD and CAT activities caused by H2O2. The liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis of A. sessilis ethanolic extract demonstrated the presence of arachidonic acid, azadirachtin, astaxanthin, flavanole base + 3O, 2Prenyl, and vicenin 2, while the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis showed that the extract contains 1,3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-2,3-dihydro-4H-pyran-4-one, 3-deoxy-d-mannoic lactone, 4-pyrrolidinobenzaldehyde, and n-hexadecanoic acid. In conclusion, our findings suggest that A. sessilis ethanolic extract protects against endothelial hyperpermeability and oxidative stress elicited by pro-inflammatory or prooxidant stimulus. This study reveals a therapeutic potential of A. sessilis in preventing endothelial activation, which is a key event in early atherosclerosis.

Chemical constituents in plants can be greatly affected by postharvest processing, and it is important to identify the factors that lead to significant changes in chemistry and bioactivity. In this study, attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy was used to analyze extracts of Clinacanthus nutan (C. nutans) leaves generated using different parameters (solvent polarities, solid-liquid ratios, ultrasonic durations, and cycles of extraction). In addition, the effects of these extracts on the viability of cardiac c-kit cells (CCs) were tested. The IR spectra were processed using SIMCA-P software. PCA results of all tested parameter sets were within acceptable values. Solvent polarity was identified as the most influential factor to observe the differences in chemical profile and activities of C. nutans extracts. Ideal extraction conditions were identified, for two sample groups (G1 and G2), as they showed optimal total phenolic content (TPC) yield of 44.66 ± 0.83 mg GAE/g dw and 45.99 ± 0.29 mg GAE/g dw and CC viability of 171.81 ± 4.06% and 147.53 ± 6.80%, respectively. Validation tools such as CV-ANOVA ( p < 0.05 ) and permutation (R2 and Q2 plots were well intercepted to each other) have further affirmed the significance and reliability of the partial least square (PLS) model of solvent polarity employed in extraction. Hence, these approaches help optimize postharvest processes that encourage positive TPC and CCs results in C. nutans extracts.

Medicinal plants have been considered as promising sources of drugs in treating various cancers. Crinum amabile (C. amabile), a plant species from the Amaryllidaceae family, is claimed to be a potential source for cancer chemotherapeutic compounds. Here, we aimed to investigate the potential of C. amabile as an anticancer agent. Dried leaves of C. amabile were serially extracted and our findings showed that chloroform extract (CE) was shown to exhibit cytotoxic effect against all cancer cell lines used. This active extract was further fractionated in which F5 fraction was shown to possess the highest cytotoxicity among all fractions. F5 fraction was then tested in-depth through Annexin V/FITC apoptosis and DNA fragmentation assays to determine its apoptotic effect on MCF-7 cells. Results revealed that F5 fraction only showed induction of cell apoptosis starting at 72-hour treatment while DNA fragmentation was not detected at any of the concentrations and treatment periods tested. Meanwhile, cell proliferation assay revealed that F5 fraction was able to inhibit normal cell proliferation as well as VEGF-induced cell proliferation of normal endothelial cell (HUVECs). In conclusion, F5 fraction from C. amabile leaf CE was able to exhibit cytostatic effect through antiproliferation activity rather than induction of cell apoptosis and therefore has the potential to be further investigated as an anticancer agent.

Momordica charantia (MC) is popular for its medicinal uses especially for treating diabetic-related complications. However, the antiulcer activity of essential oil derived from the seeds has not been systematically studied. This study aims to evaluate the gastroprotective activities of essential oil derived from the seed of MC induced by hydrochloride acid/ethanol (HCl/EtOH) and indomethacin and pylorus-ligation model. Gastric ulceration was induced by oral administration of HCl/EtOH solution or indomethacin on day 7 after animals have been pretreated with testing compounds. The first group received just distilled water and the second group received ranitidine (100 mg/kg). Groups 3, 4, and 5 received 10, 50, and 100 mg/kg of essential oil based on their body weight (10 mL/kg), respectively. Macroscopically, pretreatment of essential oil extracted from MC significantly decreased ulceration induced by HCl/EtOH and indomethacin in vivo. Microscopically, essential oil also significantly suppressed the formation of edema, epithelial disruption, and mucosa erosions. Moreover, essential oil significantly elevated the pH without decreasing the total acidity of the gastric juice and was able to increase the amount of adherent mucus compared to control. Current results provide scientific basis to the ethno-pharmacological usage of the MC in preventing ulcer formation induced by HCl/EtOH and indomethacin.

Clinacanthus nutansLindau leaves (CN) have been used in traditional medicine but the therapeutic potential has not been explored for cancer prevention and treatment. Current study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant and antiproliferative effects of CN, extracted in chloroform, methanol, and water, on cancer cell lines. Antioxidant properties of CN were evaluated using DPPH, galvinoxyl, nitric oxide, and hydrogen peroxide based radical scavenging assays, whereas the tumoricidal effect was tested on HepG2, IMR32, NCL-H23, SNU-1, Hela, LS-174T, K562, Raji, and IMR32 cancer cells using MTT assay. Our data showed that CN in chloroform extract was a good antioxidant against DPPH and galvinoxyl radicals, but less effective in negating nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide radicals. Chloroform extract exerted the highest antiproliferative effect on K-562 (91.28±0.03%) and Raji cell lines (88.97±1.07%) at 100 μg/ml and the other five cancer cell lines in a concentration-dependent manner, but not on IMR-32 cells. Fourteen known compounds were identified in chloroform extract, which was analysed by gas chromatography—mass spectra analysis. In conclusion, CN extracts possess antioxidant and antiproliferative properties against cultured cancer cell lines, suggesting an alternate adjunctive regimen for cancer prevention or treatment.