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The balance between protein anabolism and catabolism sets the foundations on which cells build their homeostasis. RACK1 is a ribosome-associated scaffold protein involved in signal transduction. On the ribosome, RACK1 enhances specific translation. Conversely, upon growth factor/nutrient starvation, RACK1 is present in a ribosome-free form and inhibits protein synthesis. However, the precise role of RACK1 when not bound to the ribosome still requires elucidation. Here, we show that extra-ribosomal RACK1 increases LC3-II accumulation, thereby mimicking an autophagy-like phenotype. Next, based on the ribosome-bound structure of RACK1, we suggest a possible mechanism for RACK1 release from the ribosome which relies on phosphorylation of precise amino acid residues, namely Thr39, Ser63, Thr86, Ser276, Thr277, Ser278, Ser279. Specifically, by performing an unbiased in silico screening using phospho-kinase prediction tools, we propose that, upon starving, AMPK1/2, ULK1/2 and PKR are the strongest candidate protein kinases to phosphorylate RACK1. This may be relevant in the context of caloric restriction and cancer therapy, where repressing translation of specific mRNAs would open important therapeutic avenues. Overall, our work provides novel insight into RACK1 function(s) by connecting its ribosomal and extra-ribosomal activities with translation and signaling.

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is currently the recommended procedure for axillary staging in clinically node-negative early breast cancer at diagnosis. The present study aimed to identify Cytokeratin-19 (CK19) gene profiles that accurately predicted the outcome of breast cancer patients. Fifty tumor samples from breast cancer patients were analyzed for the expression of the CK19 gene using quantitative PCR. Also, normal breast tissues (N = 50) were taken from the same patients that had undergone partial or total mastectomy. This gene signature was confirmed based on tumor's stage, grade, and estrogen receptor (ER) status, using conditional logistic regression. Based on these findings, the negative reported lymph nodes for metastasis had micrometastasis in significant values. There was a significant difference between normal and cancer samples in  CK19 expression. In this sentinel node evaluation, the relationship of this gene with tumor characteristics needs to be established and discussed finding a clear role for this gene in tumor outcome.

Pediatric infections still represent a leading cause of mortality in many developing countries. Since ancient times, traditional healing systems provided some herbal remedies to treat pediatric diseases, only in some cases validated by an evidence-based approach. Therefore, this review covers the herbal remedies in Iranian traditional medicine and aims to assess the potential of phytotherapeutics as safe and effective alternatives to conventional therapies for the treatment of pediatric infectious diseases. Notably, pediatric patients may also benefit from adjuvant therapy, i.e., combined treatment with herbal remedies and conventional therapies, to improve the efficacy of conventional drugs, decrease their adverse effects at the cell-tissue-organ-organism level and reduce the occurrence of microbial strains resistant to antibiotics. Therefore, traditional healing systems still represent an unlimited source of active ingredients to be tested in preclinical assays as well as in humans in terms of efficacy and safety.

Medicinal and food plants as well as their bioactive fractions have been used by diverse human cultures since ancient times. These plants provide multiple health benefits because of the presence of a plethora of phytochemicals including phenylpropanoids, isoprenoids, alkaloids, sulphated compounds, peptides and polysaccharides that are responsible for various biological activities such as anticancer, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, anti-dysenteric, anti-inflammatory, antiulcer, anti-hypertensive and anticoagulant properties. The genus Rumex includes edible and medicinal herbs belonging to buckwheat (Polygonaceae) family, consisting of about 200 species rich in phenylpropanoids and anthraquinones. Some Rumex species have exhibited health-promoting effects and have been used as traditional foods and herbal remedies, though a limited information has been documented on their specific biological properties. Therefore, this survey aimed at reviewing the Rumex species with documented biological activity, focusing on preclinical evidences on their efficacy and safety.

The lack of an effective anti-viral agent and the emergence of drug-resistant strains dictate a real need for discovery of novel therapies able to ameliorate viral infections. In this regards, medicinal plants and natural products offer safe and inexpensive platforms for discovery of efficient and novel anti-viral agents. We have investigated the potential anti-viral activities of Veronica persica Poir.  as a medicinal plant against herpes simplex viruses (HSVs). In vitro screening of the ethanol plant extract against HSV-1 and HSV-2 infected Vero cells revealed the extract to show a dose-dependent inhibitory activity against both virus strains. After fractionation of the extract by a stepwise methanol gradient and evaluation of each fraction, the 80% methanol fraction displayed a pronounced inhibitory activity against the herpes viruses. The highest antiviral activity was observed when the Vero cells were treated with the extract both during and after infection by viruses. Moreover, the extract showed a prominent synergistic activity in combination with acyclovir anti-HSV therapy. Our findings revealed the potential of V. persica extract, especially its 80% methanol fraction, in inhibition of herpes simplex viral infections.

Leishmaniasis is a neglected parasitic protozoal disease that affects approximately 12 million people and represents a public health problem in Iran. The objectives of this study were to obtain the essential oil (EO) from Pulicaria vulgaris Gaertn. growing in Iran and to carry out in-vitro antileishmanial screening of the EO against promastigotes of Leishmania major and Leishmania infantum. The EO from the aerial parts of P. vulgaris was extracted by hydrodistillation. Serial dilutions of the EO were screened for in-vitro antileishmanial activity using 96-well microtiter plates. The P. vulgaris EO was active against the promastigote forms of L. major and L. infantum, with IC50 values of 244.70 and 233.65 µg/mL, respectively. Pulicaria vulgaris EO may serve as an alternative or complementary treatment for leishmaniasis.

The present study investigated antioxidant and antibacterial activities of 5 different extracts and derived fractions from the S. nepalense tubers. Identification of the most active fractions, their phytochemical characterization, total phenolic and flavonoid contents, and biological activities were also evaluated. Petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, methanol, water extracts and methanol fractions were screened for their antibacterial activity at 10, 50 and 100 mg/mL doses against ten Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains by disc diffusion method. Their total antioxidant activity was measured by DPPH and ABTS assays. Identification of the main compounds was performed by LC-MS/MS. Methanol extract exhibited the highest antioxidant (IC50= 30.79 µg/mL and 24.53 µg/mL for DPPH and ABTS, respectively) and antibacterial (MIC 71.5 to >100 µg/mL) activities in comparison with the other extracts. Levels of phenolics and flavonoids were also the highest in the same extract, i.e. 19.2 mg GAE/g and 11.20 mg QE/g, respectively. Phytochemical investigation of the active fractions of the methanol extract led to the isolation of gallic acid (19.04 mg/g) and quercetin (23.4 mg/g). Therefore, methanol extract showed an interesting potential for both antioxidant and antibacterial activities, thus deserving attention for future applications in the fields of medicinal plants and food supplements.

The intensive use of pesticides with low biodegradability and high persistence in soil, surface and ground waters, represents a considerable environmental risk, especially under high weed pressure conditions. Furthermore, the number of herbicide-resistant weeds is increasing. Against this background, the investigation of alternative weed control strategies has taken on considerable importance. Among these, allelopathy as a negative effect of one plant on another due to the direct or indirect (including microorganisms) release of chemicals in the environment can be a useful tool for the integrated management of weeds in agroecosystems. In particular, the paddies have been considered in this work by reviewing the data both on rice allelopathy and rice weed agronomic control methods developed to improve the crop yield.

Breast cancer is one of the most common causes of mortality in women. Flavonoids, among other compounds, are bioactive constituents of propolis. In this comparative study, we investigated the effects of flavonoids apigenin (API), genistein (GEN), hesperidin (HES), naringin (NAR) and quercetin (QUE) on the proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle of two different human cancer cells - MDA-MB-231, estrogen-negative, and MCF-7, estrogen-positive receptor breast carcinoma cells. Many cytotoxic reports of flavonoids were performed by MTT assay. However, it's reported that MTT is reduced in metabolically active cells and yields an insoluble purple formazan, which indicates that obtained cytotoxic results of flavonoids could be inconsistent. Cell viability was measured by NR, neutral red assay, while the percentage of apoptotic cells and cell cycle arrest were determined by flow cytometry and Muse cell cycle assay, respectively. The results showed a high dose-dependent effect in cell viability tests. IC50 values were as follows (MCF-7/MDA-MB-231, for 48 h, in µM): 9.39/50.83 for HES, 25.19/88.17 for API, 40.26/333.51 for NAR, 49.49/47.50 for GEN and 95.12/130.10 for QUE. Flavonoid-induced apoptosis was dose- and time-dependent, for both cancer cell lines, though flavonoids were more active on MCF-7 cells. The flavonoids also induced cell cycle arrest in cancer cells.

Pullulan is an important polysaccharide with several potential applications in food science, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, but high costs of pullulan production are the main limitation for commercial utilization. Therefore, a cost-effective process for pullulan production was developed using fig syrup as an exclusive nutrient source. In particular, the feasibility of using low quality fig syrup as a supplemental substrate for pullulan gum production by Aureobasidium pullulans was investigated. Fermentation was carried out over a range of fig syrup and sucrose degrees Brix (5-15%). Maximum pullulan gum production was observed after 96h using 12.5% fig syrup, yielding approximately14.06 g/L. This value of pullulan production (14.06 g/L) was higher than the amount of pullulan produced using sucrose as substrate (5.01 g/L). In conclusion, fig syrup was an effective substrate for pullulan production by Aureobasidium pullulans, and, therefore, this byproduct deserves attention for the cost-effective and environmentally friendly pullulan production.

Veronica persica (Persian speedwell) is a flowering plant local to Eurasia. In this study, several analyses were done to discover the antimicrobial and scolicidal activities and acetyl cholinesterase (AChE), tyrosinase (TYR), lipoxygenase (LOX), and xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitory activities of V. persica extract. The results presented that B. subtilis was the most susceptible to the extract (MIC = 40.3 μg/mL), while P. aeruginosa was the most resistant strain (MIC = 250.9 μg/mL) among all bacteria evaluated. The extracts demonstrated significant activity versus E. granulosus (P < 0.5) with dose-dependent inhibitions of the protoscolices. The analyzed plant extract exhibited a high AChE and TYR inhibitory activity 55.3% and 52.7% (at the highest utilized dose - 3 mg/mL), respectively. The extract also showed high anti-inflammatory activities in analyses tested. Our research proposed that extract of this plant could be promising to the human health, markedly in the infectious, neurodegenerative and inflammatory disorders.

Doogh is a dairy drinkable fermented product, whose shelf-life and quality is mostly affected by bacteria such as Staphylococcus spp.. This study investigated the antibacterial activity of essential oils (EOs) from Thymus vulgaris L., Mentha piperita L. and Ziziphora tenuior L., alone or in combination, against Staphylococcus aureus in industrial doogh. A three-level and three-variable face centered central composite design experiment was used. Results showed that EOs significantly inhibited S. aureus growth after 1 and 7 days of storage. According to the model, the maximum inhibition was obtained in the presence of 0.2% of EO, independently of the type, and no synergistic or additive effects were observed. Slightly lower S. aureus survivals were observed at the maximum concentration of Z. tenuior EO. In spite of the antimicrobial activity of these EOs, further research is needed to assess their performance in food matrix and, in particular, in dairy product.

With the appearance of new disorders along with inability of some conventional therapies for the treatment of diseases without any side effects, the discovery of safe and efficient therapeutic agents is of utmost importance in the medical area. In this context, medicinal plants as promising therapeutic candidates can provide a reliable and efficient profile. Since free radicals are at the center of various disorder pathways, reducing their production or complete removal of these chemical species could be advantageous for prevention and treatment of many diseases. In this experiment, free radical scavenging and antioxidant activities of Veronica persica Poir., a known medicinal plant, were evaluated using in vitro and in vivo assays. Chemical characterization results showed a high phenolic content in the V. persica methanol extract. In addition, in vitro assays including DPPH radical-scavenging assay, nitric oxide-scavenging activity assay, hydrogen peroxide scavenging test and bleomycin-dependent DNA damage test revealed significant antioxidant power and radical scavenging capacity of this plant. In accordance, in vivo experiments showed inhibitory effects of the methanol extract on lipid peroxidation, a main cause of cell damage. Our findings revealed the promising potential of this plant in reducing free radicals through different pathways. Moreover, our data suggested a correlation between the high phenolic content of the V. persica extract and its free radical scavenging and antioxidant activities.

Post-operative management of patients receiving oral biopsy includes the control of edema, pain, infection, and re-epithelization at the surgical site. This clinical study investigates the topical use of a bioadhesive gel, containing essential oils, to promote wound healing and prevent post-operative pain and infection, avoiding the need for surgical suture and chlorhexidine applications. Ten patients, who needed to receive oral biopsies (≤6 mm in diameter) for the diagnosis of mucosal oral lesions, were enrolled. The bioadhesive gel successfully controlled the post-surgical pain; at 1-week follow-up visit, no signs of infection nor side effects were reported and the surgical sites were completely healed. The bioadhesive gel resulted in a very promising agent for the post-operative management of oral biopsy site, without the need for surgical suture and chlorhexidine applications.

Uttarakhand Himalayan region holds Asteraceae or Compositae as the largest family of flowering, medicinal and aromatic plants. Species belonging to this family rises from low altitude to the alpine region. Among Asteraceae, Saussurea obvallata (DC.) Edgew. is widely used in several indigenous systems of medicine. Flowers, leaves and rhizomes of S. obvallata are used for several traditional, religious, therapeutic and ornamental purposes. Aim of this study was to determine the chemical composition and antibacterial efficacy of petroleum ether extract (PEE) of S. obvallata. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was used for identifying phytochemicals present in the plant extract. Furthermore, the PEE was assessed for in-vitro antibacterial activity against selected Gram positive and negative strains. Structure of squalene and α-linolenic acid methyl ester were identified in PEE by GC-MS analysis, by comparing the results obtained with NIST library and literature reports. PEE exhibited significant activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis with IC50 value of 87.2 ± 1.6, 98.4 ± 1.1 and 90.2 ± 1.8 µg/ml, respectively. These results showed that squalene and α-linolenic acid derivative identified in S. obvallata may be responsible for the observed antibacterial activity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report focused on the chemical composition and antibacterial activity of S. obvallata.

Leishmania major is an intracellular parasite generally responsible for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), one of the most encountered skin diseases especially in Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. Current treatment options are not ideal, due to unwanted side effects and increasing resistance and availability is often limited in developing countries. Medicinal plants continue to attract attention because of their beneficial effects in the prevention or/and accelerating the healing process of various diseases. In this study, in vitro and in vivo susceptibility of L. major to Veronica persica Poir. extract, a medicinal plant with many applications, has been evaluated. Antileishmanial activity of plant extract was investigated both on cultured L. major promastigotes and in mice challenged with L. major. Animals were divided into three groups including control (without any treatment), test (treated with plant extract) and glucantime (the reference drug) treated groups. After treatments, skin lesion sizes and body weights of animals were checked during 4 weeks. The potential of the plant extract in decreasing the number of parasites in spleen cells of animals as well as inducing the nitric oxide (NO) production by macrophage cells was also investigated. In vitro tests showed that the plant extract was able to reduce the survival time of promastigotes in a concentration-dependent manner. In vivo experiments also revealed a significant influence of V. persica extracts on accelerating the healing process as well as reducing the overall disease burden in animal model by inducing NO production in macrophage cells. Our findings indicated the promising potential of V. persica extract as an ideal candidate in the treatment of CL caused by L. major.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) serotype O157:H7 is one of the most important human pathogenic microorganisms, which can cause life-threatening infections. Xanthium strumarium L. is a plant with anti-bacterial activity against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. This study aims to demonstrate in vitro efficacy of the essential oil (EO) extracted from Xanthium strumarium L. against E. coli O157:H7. Using the agar test diffusion, the effect of Xanthium strumarium L. EO (5, 10, 15, 30, 60, and 120 mg/mL) was verified at each of the four different growth phases of E. coli O157:H7. Cell counts of viable cells and colony forming unit (CFU) were determined at regular time points using Breed's method and colony counting method, respectively. No viable cell was detectable after the 1 hour-exposure to X. strumarium EO at 30, 60, and 120 mg/mL concentrations. No bacterial colony was formed after 1 h until the end of the incubation period at 24 h. At lower concentrations, the number of bacteria cells decreased and colonies could be observed only after incubation. At the exponential phase, the EO at 15 mg/mL was only bacteriostatic, while from 30 mg/mL started to be bactericidal. X. strumarium EO antibacterial activity against Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 is dependent on EO concentration and physiological state of the microorganisms tested. The best inhibitory activity was achieved during the late exponential and the stationary phases.

Plants belonging to the genus Allium are widely cultivated and used all over the world as food and medicinal plants. Since ancient times, these plants, particularly garlic (Allium sativum L.) and onion (Allium cepa L.), have represented important components of typical recipes and traditional healing systems. Not the least of which, their use as food biopreservatives is well documented, due to the relevant antibacterial activity of their extracts and essential oils. In addition to garlic and onion, this review article deals with the main members of the genus Allium, including A. ampeloprasum (Leek), A. schoenoprasum (Chive) and A. ascalonicum (Shallot), focusing both on their ethnonutritional uses and potential as promising food biopreservative agents. Noteworthy, recent research has demonstrated Allium derivatives to be novel components in active edible coatings as well as nanoformulates.

In this study, we evaluated the effects of the extracts of the leaves of species from the Rubiaceae (Galium aparine L. and Asperula arvensis L.), Fabaceae (Lathyrus aphaca L. and Vicia narbonensis L.) and Poaceae (Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop. and Hordeum murinum L.) plant families on a wide and extensive panel of isolated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains (MRSA). The effects of the methanolic leaf extracts of Rubiaceae, Fabaceae and Poaceae plants on MRSA were evaluated by the disc diffusion assay and the broth dilution method. Among a total of 177 S. aureus isolates, 92 (51.97%) were found to be methicillin-resistant in an antibiogram and this was confirmed by the presence of the mecA gene in polymerase chain reaction method. All MRSA isolates were sensitive to all extracts. There were dose-dependent inhibitions on tested microorganisms for all plant extracts which showed maximum inhibition zones at a concentration of 300 mg/L. L. aphaca, G. aparine and H. murinum exhibited the highest antibacterial activity on the MRSA strains compared to the positive control (P < 0.05), as well as higher total polyphenol and flavonoid contents than other plant extracts. Minimum inhibitory concentrations on MRSA isolates ranged from 388.4 ± 0.2 mg/L, in D. sanguinalis, to 5.5 ± 0.1 mg/L, in L. aphaca. The methanolic extracts of L. aphaca (Fabaceae), G. aparine (Rubiaceae), and H. murinum (Poaceae) proved to have high antibacterial activity on MRSA isolates, thus representing promising antimicrobial agents in clinical settings.

Veronica genus (Plantaginaceae) is broadly distributed in different habitats. In this study, the inhibitory activity of free soluble and conjugated phenolic extracts of Veronica persica on key enzymes associated to type 2 diabetes (α-glucosidase and α-amylase) and hypertension (angiotensin I converting enzyme, ACE) was assessed, as well as their antioxidant power. Our results showed that both the extracts inhibited α-amylase, α-glucosidase and ACE in a dose-dependent manner. In particular, free phenolic extract significantly (P<0.05) inhibited α-glucosidase (IC50 532.97 µg/mL), whereas conjugated phenolic extract significantly (P<0.05) inhibited α-amylase (IC50 489.73 µg/mL) and ACE (290.06 µg/mL). The enzyme inhibitory activities of the extracts were not associated with their phenolic content. Anyway, the inhibition of α-amylase, α-glucosidase and ACE, along with the antioxidant capacity of the phenolic-rich extracts, could represent a putative mechanism through which V. persica exerts its antidiabetes and antihypertension effects.